How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Making your own sourdough starter can seem like a daunting task, but let me be the first one to tell you how very simple it really is!
So simple in fact that it took me 3 times to get it right! Because my first one went moldy when I forgot to feed it one day during the starting period. The second one died a slow and horrible death when I forgot to feed it for a few weeks. ahem.
Let me rephrase, it’s simple when you do it correctly.
What you’ll need
- 2 sterilized jars or bowls (not metal)
- A non metallic spoon
- A coffee filter or thin fabric
- whole wheat flour, spelt, rye
- water (if you have city water you must boil and let cool or aerate with a blender to rid it of chlorine)
Now the ratios of water to flour are 1:1 when starting a new sourdough starter. For this instructional I used 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup flour for each feeding, though personally I’d go 1/2 cup if I did it over again. Because 1 + 1 does not equal 2 in this senario, so when I did 1/4 cup each day I ended up with less than 2 cups of starter.
Day One
Place a 1:1 ratio of flour and water into a clean and sterilized jar and stir well.
(Let me take a brief moment and point out my old starter in the jar, top right. Umm, that’s what happens when you forget to feed your starter. It dries out and turns to concrete)
Cover with the filter or thin towel and set in an open area so it can start collecting the natural yeast.
Day Two
Transfer the starter to a clean jar/bowl and feed your new pet another 1:1 ratio of flour and water in the same amount you used for day one. So if you used 1/2 cup for each, you’ll use 1/2 cup again. Stir well, cover, and set back out.
Day Three Through Six
Again, each day you’ll feed your starter a 1:1 ratio of flour and water. It will start to get bubbly and you’ll also notice it separate a bit and get a watery layer. Don’t worry, this is totally normal.
And most directions I read say to put it in a clean jar each day.
I did not.
And yes, I can be that lazy.
So I just changed jars a couple times during the “starting” process.
Day Seven
Your starter should now have gone through the bubbly stage and smell somewhat ’sour’. Transfer to a clean jar and feed it one more time.
At this point it is ready to use! You can now do one of 2 things.
- Test out some new recipes! Just make sure you feed it again before you put it in the fridge to store.
- Pop it right in the fridge for use later
Care and Feeding of your Starter
Upkeep on a starter is very simple. If you do not use your starter for one week, transfer to a new jar, feed it a 1:1 ratio of flour and water, and set it back in the fridge.
or
After you use it for a recipe, feed it the same 1:1 ratio and let it sit out again for just a couple hours before storing in the fridge. (transfer to a clean jar about once a week)
If your starter starts getting a bit to thin, go ahead and pour out the watery layer that settles at the top!
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Donielle,
Thank you so much for posting these instructions and including pictures! Learning how to make sourdough is one of my goals for this year and your instructions are very helpful. I’m a visual learner so your photos and clear instructions are the next best thing to watching someone show me how to do this (something I don’t have). It looks like something I can actually do. Thanks again!
Blessings,
Mrs. H
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Thanks so much for this! I was curious about doing my own starter totally “from scratch,” and here you post detailed instructions. Yay!
I’m going to start mine either today or tomorrow and will blog about my results…and will definitely be linking back to yours. 
–Sara
[Reply]
donielle Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@Sara, Let me know how it goes!
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Never thought or heard of doing this with a coffee filter. what a great idea. I have always done it with cheesecloth over a bowl as directed in Nourishing Traditions, but it never fails to quickly become a mess and a take up tons of room on the counter:) Have you made yours that way before? Do you notice a difference in using a smaller jar and a coffee filter? Thanks for this! I’m going to give it a try:)
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donielle Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
@Kelsey, Both of my successful starters were made in a jar with a filter over the top. Though I’ve never tried it with a bowl. I barely have room on the counter for a jar, so a bowl was out of question!
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I have a sorely neglected sourdough starter in my fridge. I need to start over (it’s been waaaaaay too long since I fed it). I’m still looking for a good sourdough bread recipe…the ones I’ve made so far either didn’t rise, or melted into a large biscuit on my baking stone. And I really like sourdough bread–so I keep trying!
Thanks for posting the easy peasy steps for making a starter. 
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I soooo want to do this. Have you ever done it with a gluten-free flour, like amaranth? Have you ever done it with sprouted flour? My ultimate goal is to do it with sprouted flour. Figured that would be safest but I can’t find too many articles that refer to using sprouted flour in sourdough. Hmm….
[Reply]
donielle Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@Kate, Someone asked about gluten free flours on my facebook page too and I found this link
http://www.celiac.com/articles/21611/1/Phyllis-Gluten-free-Sourdough-Waffles/Page1.html
As per the sprouted flour – as far as I know, you’d use like normal. So it’d be the same directions for sprouted and unsprouted flour.
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