Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe – How to Grow, Keep & Use

A simple sourdough guide that includes an easy sourdough starter recipe as well as the best ways to store and maintain a healthy culture. The uncomplicated 7-day tutorial shows you how to make starter from scratch in just minutes of hands-on time a day, how to keep it healthy for years, and a timeline for the types of recipes you can make with your new starter. With this resource you’ll be saying goodbye to store bought sourdough bread for good!

More great sourdough recipes can be found on the Best Bread Recipes page.

In the years since I started exploring sourdough, I’ve gotten a LOT of questions about how to grow a starter and how to keep it, as well requests for easy sourdough recipes.

I wrote a bunch of tips that I learned in the first years after growing my sourdough starter from scratch, and since then I’ve published a number of recipes using the starter.

A lot of the questions I get are around growing your own starter as well as how to keep it healthy and the best ways to use it as you’re building a strong starter.

So I’m sharing the easy sourdough starter recipe I’ve used twice now to grow a healthy starter that I’ve then used for years. I used my original starter for more than six years, but let it go when we moved and were living with family for a number of months while we searched for our new house (the farmhouse we’re in now). I then grew another one that is still going strong many years later.

Note: Sourdough starters can last for many, many years – I’ve had readers tell me they’ve been using 30 to 50 year old starter! So if you can save it during a move or transition, go for it!

What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is made by ‘growing’ the natural yeast that occurs in flour with good bacteria found in the air (lactic acid). Each area of the country (and world, for that matter!) creates it’s own varieties of sourdough depending on the air and climate because of this bacteria – like San Francisco’s famous sourdough that can’t really be exactly replicated outside of it’s coastal climate.

The wild yeast and the lactic acid bacteria working together create the bubbles and gas to rise bread. Because of the starter’s pH level and the presence of antibacterial agents, it’s able to prevent colonization by unwanted yeasts and bacteria – this is why you can have a starter last for many years.

What this means for you is that your starter may take longer or shorter to grow than the steps I outline below. It’s okay – and as I discussed in my sourdough tips page, the main thing I’ve learned with sourdough over the years is to have patience, with both the starter and the dough.

Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe: Step by Step

(Adapted from Heavenly Homemakers)

Note: this is fully printable by jumping to the recipe card – I’ve added a few more explanations to the steps below.

Type of flour to use: You can use any type of flour you want – even gluten free flour! Adding some whole wheat or rye flour tends to help get a new starter going, but many starters have been made with all purpose flour. I have only grown and maintained a whole wheat starter (only starting with rye initially as I show below) and when I tried to feed it with all purpose one time when I couldn’t get whole wheat (hello, pandemic), it didn’t grow or double for me hardly at all.

So my suggestion is to stick with whatever flour you start with and if you want different types of starters, use separate jars (however, I have had people tell me that they’ve successfully fed their starter with whatever flour they have, so experiment if you want to!).

Day 1

• Gather 1 quart jar or 4-quart glass bowl (not metal or plastic, sourdough is acid-based), 1/2 cup whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup rye flour (you can use all whole wheat – 1 cup total – but I read that rye flour makes the best sourdough starter, so I added half), and 1 cup warm water (just warm tap water temperature) – using warm water is key, I’ve found, as the wild yeast responds better to warm water. NOTE: I’ve always used good well water – if your water isn’t good or has additives like chlorine, boil the water or let it sit out uncovered for 24 hours before using. Try not to use filtered water because we do want some of the minerals found in good water.
• If you’re weighing your ingredients, use equal amounts of water and flour, like 100 grams.
• Put the flour into the jar or bowl and stir in the water.
• Cover the top of the container with muslin (or cheesecloth). You can secure it with a rubber band or tie, but I didn’t, as you want the bacteria to find it’s way in – just not dust or bugs.
• Keep in a warm place – I set mine on the top of the refrigerator, since I started making it in February. You’ll want a kitchen temperature of 70 to 75 degrees or a place to put it that’s similar.

Note: From here on in the process, you can use less flour and water to feed, if you’d like, to produce less waste. As long as you start to see bubbling and activity, 1/2 cup or even 1/4 cup flour to the same amount of water will work (if it stalls, though, I’d use more again).

Day 2

• After 24 hours, the starter may have separated some (like in the day 2 photo above). You can pour off the dark liquid that is on the top or mix it in – this is called the “hooch” and is perfectly normal. (Over the years I’ve realized that it always produces some hooch as it waits in the fridge, since hooch means the starter is hungry. Mixing it back in creates a more sour bread.)
• Pour the starter in to a fresh, clean jar or bowl (transferring it to a new jar or bowl each day allows the sides to remain clean which is important to reduce the rare chance of mold).
• Do not discard anything today. Add 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of warm water, stirring well and scraping down the sides. Replace the cloth and return the jar to it’s warm spot. (Note: your starter probably doesn’t smell very soury yet and that’s okay.)

Day 3

• Pour any liquid off (or mix it in) and discard half of the mixture – your first discard.
• Put the remaining starter into a new clean jar or bowl and add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water. Place it back in it’s warm spot, covered with the cloth or loose lid.

Day 4

• Repeat steps from day 3.
• Your starter may have risen some by now, have a slightly sour smell, and have little bubbles as well as the hooch after waiting 24 hours from day 3 (but again, don’t worry if yours looks different – just keep moving forward..).

Day 5

• Repeat steps from days 3 (and 4), discarding half, moving to a clean jar, and adding the 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water.
• You may not like the smell of your starter by this stage, but don’t think it’s bad – it’s just working. There’ll be a number of different smells as you go through the process. There may be be a lot of liquid with stuff on the top – again, normal.

Day 6

• You should see bubbles in your starter today and maybe liquid depending on how much water you added yesterday.
• Discard half, move the starter to a clean jar, and this time add slightly less water – 1/2 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of water. I’ve learned that keeping the starter a bit dryer (less water than flour) helps it to rise and grow better and can result in slightly less sour finished bread. (You can, however, keep feeding at the 1:1 ratio, if you’d like.)
• This less amount of water to flour can be used once your starter is bubbly and active – if it’s sluggish, keep to the equal amounts of water and flour.

Day 7

• Repeat day 6.
• By this time, you should see consistent signs of life: bubbling and growing double in size between each feeding.
• If not, you may want to discard most of the mixture and feed equal amounts of water and flour OR start the process over again, checking your equipment and environment.

Day 8 – Active Starter

• Today’s the day to make something using your new sourdough starter, which should have bubbles and have grown in its container! At this point it’s considered an ‘active’ starter.
• If you want to store some of your starter: Place at least 1/4 cup of the starter in a glass jar, place a lid on the jar – but don’t seal tightly – and place in the refrigerator. This is now the starter you will feed and use each time you want to make something.
• If you want to keep growing your starter and bake more often: Remove 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the starter and feed it as you’ve been doing. HOWEVER, if you need a larger amount for a specific recipe, you don’t need to discard between feedings. Just feed the flour and water ratios needed (if you have 1 cup of starter, feed with 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup water, matching the starter to flour with slightly less water) each feeding until you reach the amount you need for the recipe, while still having a bit left to feed for your starter.
• As for what to make with the rest of your NEW starter, I found the hard way that even though the starter looked all bubbly and active on day 8, it’s not really mature enough yet to rise bread really well.
• What to make? My suggestion on day 8 is to make these amazing waffles, a batch of these slightly addictive crackers, or these delicious sourdough discard veggie fritters.

Week 2 and Beyond: Maintaining Your Starter

• Once a week or every other week, remove your sourdough starter from the fridge, pour into a bowl and feed it with the amount of flour equal to your starter and slightly less water (for example if you have 1 cup of starter, feed it 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of water) and stir well. If you’re weighing your starter, use equal amounts of everything – 50 grams starter, 50 grams flour, 50 grams water.
• Leave it to grow and become active again 12 to 24 hours before using it in a recipe. It should double in size during that period. Depending on how long the starter has been in the fridge, it will sometimes need more than one feeding, discarding as needed. You’ll need to feed it until it is reliably doubling in size, how ever many feedings that takes.
• To be strong enough to raise bread, the starter should double in 6 hours or less after feeding.
• Remove all but 1/4 to 1 cup (or however much starter you want to keep in the fridge) to a clean jar and return that to the fridge. Use the rest to bake with – this is the “discard.”

Tip: I clean the jar I store the starter in with warm water only – no soap, so not to introduce anything weird into the starter.

The idea is to get in the habit of using your starter regularly by bringing it to room temperature, feeding it until it’s doubling in size (feeding as many times as needed to double in 6 hours or less), and then making something with a portion while putting a portion back into the fridge for the next time you need it.

Each time you use some of the starter and refeed it, it is maturing and growing stronger!

However – if you’ve let your starter languish in the fridge for weeks or months, don’t despair! Scroll down below the recipe card to see what happened to a neglected starter of mine (spoiler, it didn’t die!).

Suggested timeline for what to make with a brand new starter discard

• Week 1: growing starter, no baking.
• Weeks 2-3: waffles, pancakes, and crackers.
• Weeks 4-5: english muffins, bagels (and maybe a King Arthur Flour sourdough recipe, which uses a bit of yeast with the sourdough).
• Weeks 6-7: sourdough cheesy batter bread (batter breads don’t require kneading).
• Week 8 and beyond: Finally, after your starter has been successful with these items, it’s time to try a traditional sandwich loaf or this perfect one-day artisan bread!

What do I do with the established starter I was given?

You’ll want to feed it daily as soon as you receive it: measure what you have – anything from 1/4 cup to 1 cup – and add that much flour and water if you want a 100% hydrated starter. For a thicker, less sour starter, you can use less water – for example, 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup of flour, and about 1/3 cup of water.

After that, discard and feed until it’s doubling in 6 hours or less when you can make bread. Remove what you need and make sure you have at least 1/4 cup left to feed again. Depending on the age and activity of your gifted starter, this may not take long.

You can make crackers, pancakes, or waffles with the starter you remove, called the “discard.”

How long can a neglected starter stay alive?

After using my sourdough at least monthly (it’s hard to do it every week!) for years, I got tired of being a ‘slave to the sourdough.’ One summer I stopped baking as much bread and didn’t bother with my starter – until seven months later.

That’s when our power went out in a snow storm and the contents of our fridge needed to be put in a cooler. I left the sourdough starter, which had about a 2-inch layer of hooch by now (!) outside in the cold, figuring it was long gone.

However, after our power came back on, I decided to see if I could bring it back to life, since it still smelled like sourdough starter. (Note: Some people have said they threw out their starter because it was growing mold – I’ve never had this happen! The hooch had some white bubbles floating on it, but it wasn’t mold – so look carefully to be sure before throwing out your precious starter.)

I started feeding it and guess what? It came back to life – 7 months and 5 days with no power later!

I fed it for a week before baking with it, just to make sure it was good and strong. Then I baked up a batch of artisan bread and my daughter declared it my best sourdough yet!

Moral? Don’t give up on your starter.

More Sourdough Articles & Recipes

• Sourdough Tips for the Occasional User (Including more details on waking up a refrigerated starter.)
• Amazing Sourdough Waffles
• Easy Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers (Really – this dough is a dream to work with!)
• Easy Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins
• How to Make Sourdough Bagels
• Cheesy Sourdough Batter Bread
• Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in March of 2014.