Sourdough Starter

Creating a Sourdough Starter is both a science and an art. This harmonious blend of natural yeasts and friendly bacteria is the magic behind your tangiest most flavorful bread recipes. This sourdough starter recipe is your ticket to countless uses including bread, pancakes, muffins and crackers. Once you get a starter going, it can last indefinitely.

Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe

Creating and maintaining a sourdough starter can be a fun process, but it does requires some attention and care. Here are some tips for starting and maintaining a Sourdough Starter: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

Start with high-quality ingredients: Sourdough requires so few ingredients a special effort should be made to use a good-quality flour and filtered or spring water.
Choose the right flour: All-purpose flour can work fine but I prefer using a whole grain flour like whole wheat as demonstrated in this recipe. Whole wheat will kick start the fermentation due to their higher nutrient density.
The amount of hydration in a starter affects its consistency and activity. This sourdough starter recipe is made with equal weights of flour and water, resulting in a batter-like consistency.
To keep a starter healthy and active, it’s necessary to “feed” it regularly. Feeding typically involves discarding a portion of the starter and then adding fresh flour and water. Follow the recipe instructions for the proper amounts and frequency.
When making a sourdough starter from scratch it’s important to try to feed your starter at roughly the same time each day. Consistency helps establish a stable environment for the microbes in your starter to thrive and grow.
What’s the best temperature for a starter? Yeast and bacteria thrive in warm environments. Keeping your starter in a warm spot, ideally between 70-80°F or 21-27°C will help encourage bacteria fermentation, activity and growth.
Pay attention to the behavior of the starter. It should gradually increase in volume after feeding and develop a tart sour aroma. If your starter seems sluggish try placing it in a warmer spot and check it again the next day.
Patience is key. It can take several days or up to a week or more for a new starter to become fully active and stable. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t seem to be progressing as quickly as you’d like. With time and consistency, your starter should become stronger and bloom more reliably.
It’s important to use a clean, food-safe container for your starter such as a mason jar. Avoid metal containers, as they can react with the acids produced during fermentation. Glass or food-grade plastic containers work best.

How to Make the BEST Sourdough Starter Recipe

Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Sourdough Bread Starter: Whole wheat flour, room temperature filtered water or spring water, all purpose flour.
Kitchen tools you’ll need: Measuring cups and spoons, mason jar, spoons for stirring.
Use the correct water. Don’t use distilled water, you need the nutrients that are still present in filtered water to grow the yeast.
Be patient! This process generally takes a week but it could take up to 10 days before your starter is ready.
Don’t toss that discard. Make another starter for a friend or find one of countless recipes using the sourdough discard.
I wouldn’t recommend beginning the process of growing a starter during winter months. You want warm, consistent room temperatures. If you HAVE to do this in the winter, just know that the starter could take up to 20 days to mature in cooler temperatures.
Why isn’t my starter rising? It could take up to 8 hours before your starter starts to rise. 98% of the time your starter isn’t rising is due to temperature. Remember, you need warmth to start that fermenting process. Consider sitting it next to a warm appliance like an oven or a proofing drawer to get that temperature up.
You can use whole wheat flour with all purpose flour as I do or swap out using bread flour or rye, if you would rather. You can even switch halfway through the process.
You can also do a gluten free sourdough starter version using rice flour. Just keep in mind that the fermentation process takes a lot longer with gluten free flour. It could take up to a month before you get full activity.
If you drink your tap water, you can use that but you have to prepare it before using and not use it straight from the tap.
The reason filtered water works best is that most communities use a small amount of chlorine to clean the water and that can ruin a good starter. Simply place your tap water into a jug and let it stand on the counter for a least 24 hours or up to 5 days. This allows the chlorine to evaporate off of the water.

More Bread Recipes to Make

Treat the family to homemade Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread.
Enjoy a slice of this Homemade Wheat Bread warm slathered with honey butter.
This dense rich Challah Bread makes the best french toast!
Make your own French Bread for hoagies and crostini.
No-fail Easy Irish Soda Bread recipe.
Turn mashed potatoes into this Potato Bread.
You won’t believe how easy it is to make Beer Bread from scratch.
Sweet Cinnamon Toffee Banana Nut Bread.
Fry Bread from Food Network.

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