Step by Step: Making Your Own Sourdough Starter Recipe

Making your own sourdough starter is easier than you think — and it’s the foundation for delicious, naturally leavened bread. A starter is simply a mix of flour and water that captures wild yeast from the air. Over time, it becomes active and bubbly, ready to make your bread rise.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your own starter at home.

What You Need

• Glass jar (1-liter size is perfect)
  
• Kitchen scale (for accuracy)
  
• Water (filtered or bottled is best)
  
• Flour (unbleached all-purpose or rye flour)
  
• Spoon or spatula

Day 1: Mix Your Starter

Ingredients

• 50g flour
  
• 50g water
  

Instructions

1. Combine flour and water in your jar.
   
2. Stir until smooth.
   
3. Cover loosely (a cloth or lid set slightly open).
   
4. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 2: Feed Your Starter

Ingredients

• 50g flour
  
• 50g water
  

Instructions

1. Discard half of the starter (about 50g).
   
2. Add fresh flour and water.
   
3. Stir and cover again.
   
4. Let sit for 24 hours.

Day 3–6: Repeat Feeding

Each day, do the following:

1. Discard half of the starter.
   
2. Add 50g flour + 50g water.
   
3. Stir and cover.
   
4. Wait 24 hours.
   

By Day 3–4, you should start seeing bubbles and a slightly tangy smell.
By Day 6, your starter should double in size within 4–6 hours after feeding — that means it’s ready!

How to Know Your Starter is Ready

Your starter is ready when it:

• Doubles in size after feeding
  
• Has lots of bubbles
  
• Smells tangy and slightly sweet
  
• Passes the “float test” (a spoonful floats in water)

Tool Tip

For consistent results, a digital kitchen scale is essential. It helps you feed your starter accurately and prevents it from becoming too watery or too dry.

Explore our selection of digital scales here to find the best scales and mixing bowls for your sourdough baking setup.