beginner sourdough starter

<p>Looking for an easy, sourdough starter recipe for beginners? Adapted from <a href="https://amzn.to/2ToAvZQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><em>Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, </em></a>follow my no-nonsense guide for practical tips, tricks, and ongoing care- anyone can do it.</p>

Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe

Only a small amount of whole wheat flour flour

Day 1: 60 g flour + 60 g water = 120 g starter

Day 3: Remove &amp; discard half of the starter/ 60 g starter + 60 g flour + 60 g water = 180 g starter

Day 4: Remove &amp; discard half of the starter/ 90 g starter + 60 g flour + 60 g water = 210 g starter

Day 5: Remove &amp; discard half of the starter/ 105 g starter + 60 g flour + 60 g water = 225 g starter

Day 6: Remove &amp; discard half of the starter/ 112.2 g starter + 60 g flour + 60 g water = 232.5 g starter

Day 7: Remove &amp; discard half of the starter/ 116.25 g starter + 60 g flour + 60 g water = 236.27 g starter

At a glance, your overall daily schedule with measurements should look like this:

Hi, Great recipe and now have 2 on the go.  My first is 12 days now and I want to put in the fridge but do I store while it is risen or wait for it to fall?
Thanks Cathy

Hi, 

I'm on day 12 and it's not doubling. I am getting bubbles on the top and doesn't smell terrible. But it's not rising. I didn't have WW flour, so I only used all purpose. I'm a little discouraged...do I just keep going and eventually it will start rising? When do you get to the point of having to throw it out and start over?

@noreen rose, Emilie says above that does happen and it's a sign the starter needs to be fed. Just pour off the liquid and feed. :) Hope it works!

I have made starter before and I enjoyed the process. That was years ago. I Today is day 2 for me and I'm quite excited to get this going again!! Thanks for such a well explained method Emilie!

I made my starter per your instructions and it seemed just fine.  When I chose a recipe I did not have a scale to weigh my ingredients so I converted the numbers and used my measuring cups.  My sourdough turned out a bit heavy but I think it had good flavor.  I will now look for one of your recipes.   Like you said dont give up!  It has been like a science project.  Thank you Kathy

A quick tip, freeze some of your discard (after the starter is well established.). Then, if you ever kill it, it is faster to re-establish. It saved my starter, David Dowie, in the early days when I wasn’t into the habit of feeding it regularly. I’d grown quite attached to his mismatched eyes and quick rising ways so I wanted him back instead of starting over. 

Unfortunately, after 3 years my starter kicked the proverbial mason jar (died) due to an extended absence. The last frozen batch was 2 years old and I learned even frozen yeast doesn’t endure that long in a home freezer. The taste was okay but he just doesn’t have the rising power he used to. Time to start again...

Same problem as Kelly.  On 4th day it stopped bubbling and got mouldy on top. Threw whole batch away.

Hi Emilie, 
I’m Elham ,one of your followers,thank you for your helpful book . My starter is in day 8 , it rise and I can see lots of small bubbles in the surface and throughout the culture but it’s not double in size  or anything close to your photos so should I feeding 1:1:1  or continue by half starter and 60 g flour and 60 g water ? Is it ready for baking ? 
Thank you so much :)

Also one more question: could you please let me know: I’m feeding my starter twice every day at 8 am ,8 pm and I’m making the whole wheat sourdough dough at 2 pm . So should I feeding my starter after around 2pm or should I wait till 8 pm ??? 
Thank you 🦋🍀🌿

Thank you Emilie🌸🌸🌸 yes ,Janann became double and bubbly 😊 and I’m making delicious whole wheat sourdough bread thank to you 🥂

I've been wanting to make a sourdough starter for about two years.  I got serious about it this spring but became overwhelmed by reading all of the information out there.  Today, I threw caution to the wind and, armed with your simple recipe and encouraging advice, I jumped in with both feet.  I am so excited to see what happens and, like a little child, I keep running to check on my cute little jar in the kitchen.  My starter has existed for almost sixteen hours and I just discovered the first two bubbles.  Yay!  Thank you for giving  me the courage to try.  The whole family is interested in what's going on with the starter, which we named Fernando.  I've had several questions that I can't seem to find the answers to but, for now, I'll just ask this...Do I actually throw away (in the trash) the discard for the first few days until the starter is fully active?  I assume the first few days of discard are useless since there's not enough natural yeast.  Thank you for your blog, and this post, and your book, which I hope to own soon!

Hi! I tried this recipe once and accidentally over watered it one day. This go round, I was not able to make it home at the normal feeding time on day 4 and did not end up feeding it until 5-6 hours after I had on day 3. Is this an issue? I am seeing bubbles, but I do not think it doubled in size. Should I do something different?

My dad said that when he was a kid, they used to store the sourdough starter in the flour. It was a hot climate (in the Middle East.) Is that a good place if I am in Canada and my house is usually about 15 degrees C (60 F) in the winter, I’m on Day 5 and it is working well with organic flour, btw! Thank you for the recipe!

Hi Emily,  thank you for your reply and your tips!! An update: My starter is on day 17 and nothing...I'm losing hope :( I followed feeding schedule, discarding half and feeding it with 1:1 hydration ratio, placing it in the oven off with the light on and after 9 hours I barely see it grows 1/4 of its size and that's all . I know there is some activity because I see some bubbles, it has a nice smell,  but it doesn't get the texture or the expected growth of a ready sourdough starter. What should I do, continuing cultivating my patience, don't give up and feeding Miss atomic bomb (my starter name) or start a new one? In case I need to continue feeding it, should I keep discarding half of it? I really appreciate your advice.. many thanks again!

Hi, so I am on day one, and my starter is looking like dough. I added more water to it to try and make it less thick, but I am not sure if I added too much water. Also, I don't have unbleached all-purpose flour, will bleached flour work?
Thanks, 
Maddie

Hi. 

First of all, I love your step by step recipe. It is really beneficial for beginners like me. Thanks. 😄

I have a few questions as I am not sure whether my current starter is ok. I am currently on day 7 and it have big and small bubbles. But, I didn't see it double in size everyday. In your recipe, it said to discard half of it but Everytime I measure the starter to mix with the new flour and water, the amount is exact. Sometimes will have leftover but not until half of d normal discard. Is this normal?

Besides that, how do we know when will it be ready? Must it be double in size and floating test successful only consider the starter is ready? 

Thanks.

I hope things go well for everybody..After 24 hours(first day) i had my starter double in size and had the bubbles with no bad smell ...i discarded half  and fed it ...after 3 hours it doubled in size...( now i don't know what to do .. is this normal?? I used a mix of white and whole wheat with warm water and a dash of sugar...shall i continue feeding 3-4 times daily or what you suggest..many thanks

Thank you for your help and dedication to the success of all of us attempting to do this.....question....Im on day 7 and I finally have consistent bubbling and rising...but it isnt quite fluffy yet....when do I transfer to a clean jar to store? Is it after I feed and observe?  I am guessing I am close....thank you

Looking for an easy, sourdough starter recipe for beginners? Adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, follow my no-nonsense guide for practical tips, tricks, and ongoing care- anyone can do it.

Is it possible to use sprouted grain flour and if so could it be used on day 1 to set up the starter?

I'm on Day 3 and just fed my starter, but I realized I accidentally stirred the hooch back in which made it pretty watery. Like pour out of the jar watery instead of scooping it out... :/ Did I just destroy it? I completed the feeding and it's back in its warm spot, so just crossing my fingers!

Hello, I’m on day 5 now and my starter always have hooch. Is that ok? Should I alter something or feed my starter 2 times a day? It has a lot of activity  and growth for the first 12 hours after feeding and would fall down after that time. I also noticed that hooch (watery substance in the middle) would form as early as 3 hours after feeding.

Im on day 6 and my starter smells soooo strongly of gym socks. Is that ok? I was gagging it was so strong. Also I kept it in the oven with the light on overnight but no hooch and lots of bubbling throughout. Could that be the cause of the strong smell?

Thank you for the recipe! My starter is on day 4, it has lots of bubbles but it didn’t rise... was also very runny 12 hours after the feeding so I fed it again. It smells like puke (very strong sour smell) is it normal? Thank you in advance!

How does gluten free sourdough starter turn out or is it a no no

Hi, im a little confused on how much my starter should be kept in a warm place. I want to put it in the microwave with the light on, but im not sure if it needs to be in there all day everyday. What day does it stop needing to be put in a warm place? And should i keep it in there all day? Im a kid and my parents might get annoyed if I ask them not to use the microwave. Thank you for writing such an in depth post!

My bread turned out perfect !! I stuck to the recipe and followed every step and it turned out perfect !! so proud of myself !!:) Tank you Emilie !!! Your recipe was easy to follow and fun !! I have "Seymour" in the refrigerator now..:)

thanks again, 
Kathy

I have just began my starter. It’s currently in my oven with the light on. We keep our house fairly cool and there is not an are that reaches 75 degrees.  Is the starter going to work?

What do I do with the starter to make bread?

Hello! I am on Day 2 of my sourdough starter. It has doubled in size and has both small and large bubbles on top. My question is - should I leave it for another day (as per your beginner sourdough starter instructions for Day 2) or should I feed as per the Day 3 instructions?  Thank you!

Quick question.  You say (day 3) 60g flour (1/2 c - which is correct conversion), then you say 60g (1/4 c) warm water...  is it 60g or 1/4 cup??  Thank you.

Day 5 of my starter and it has doubled with nice bubbles throughout and on top. I did the float test before feeding it and it actually floated!  Die this mean the starter is ready or should I give it a couple more days of feeding before using?

At my son’s restaurant, his pastry chef had a starter more than 100 years old. I’ve always wanted to do this and I’m so glad I found your recipe. 

It took the full seven days, and some of those days were very smelly, but my starter now has a wonderful yeasty, almost beery smell, the texture is exactly as you describe and it’s doubling every day. It’s perfect thank you! 

Quick question. Above you say when you take it out of the fridge to use, feed it at room temperature to wake it back up. Does that mean if I want to bake on Saturday, I should take it out Friday and feed it and let it sit out to grow overnight? Just want to make sure.

Hi! This is such a helpful post and site - love it.
I'm new to this. I tried creating a starter from a different recipe (before finding yours). I thought it was ready on day 4 so I baked with it. Bread came out ok but I obviously had to wait a few more days since the bread didn't really rise and was very dense. 
Thinking that day that the starter was ready I put it in the fridge overnight. The next day after baking and not liking the result I took it out of the fridge and found your site so started your day 2 process on my existing starter. I've been doing it for 3 days and all I get is bubbles, small rise and then it flattens out again and bubbles disappear (I also get the hooch which I pour out each day).
Should I keep going? Should I move to feeding twice a day? not too sure what to do :(
Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Hi! Just wanted to update that IT WORKED! Sunshine (our new baby starter) is great, getting fed daily and I have already made my first loaf using your beginner sourdough bread recipe and it was delicious !!! Thank you again so much

Emilie- I started with great rise/bubbling from day 1 to day 3, fed on day three and from day 3 to day 4 experienced no rise or bubbling. Should I just continue to discard and feed as normal, or do I need to lengthen my time between feedings? As it stands I've been feeding every 24 hours :) 

Thanks!

Brooke

This worked for me 100% and I've only ever made bread once before. I'm so excited to make some sourdough bread!

Just happened across your posting here and wanted to say I thought it was very well written. You answered all the questions I had but didn’t know how to ask or where to look! Thank you!

My starter has risen and spilled over the jar.  Unfortunately, it does not fall. There are lots of bubbles throughout.  Should I keep feeding it until it does fall?

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Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe

Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe

Top 2 beginner sourdough starter recipes from across the web

The most viewed beginner sourdough starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe

Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe

The most viewed beginner sourdough starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine