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!
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Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe (7 Day Process)
Equipment
- quart glass jars or equivalent glass bowl
- muslin cloth or loose fitting jar lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour* (whole wheat is my preference)
- 1 cup water
- plus more flour and water for the full 7 days
Instructions
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) or loose fitting lid.
- Keep in a warm place – you'll want a kitchen temperature of 70 to 75 degrees or a place to put it that's similar.
Day 2
- (Note: We'll be adding less flour now to reduce the waste.) After 24 hours, the starter may have separated some. 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.
- 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. However – you can keep feeding at the 1:1 ration if you'd like.
- Note: This less amount of water to flour ratio 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
- Your starter should have bubbles and have grown in its container! At this point it's considered an 'active' starter. In addition to baking with your new starter, there are two things you should do depending on if you want to store some starter, or keep feeding to continue baking more regularly:
- 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.
- Use the rest of your starter – the discard – to make something that doesn't need a lot of rise, like waffles, crackers, or fritters. Note: you will not usually be able to rise a loaf of bread with a starter for at least 4 weeks – see the timeline in the post for ideas of what to make during those weeks (there are a lot of options!).
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Hello! Out of all the sourdough starter tutorials out there, I find yours to be the most helpful!
However, I still have a few questions.
On day 8, I had a beautiful starter. I took 2 cups of the starter and placed it in the fridge. A week has now passed and I am looking to use your waffle recipe, feed my starter, and then place it back in the fridge. Then I got to thinking long term. The sourdough bread recipe I would like to use in a few weeks calls for 2 cups starter. By doing that, the recipe will deplete my starter. How do I not let that happen? Can I feed my starter more the weeks building up to bread making so it will be past the 2 cup mark. What would you recommend?
Thank you, Becki – I’m glad this is helpful!
Yes! Feed the starter as much as you need to get it double and the amount you need. There are no hard and fast rules to that. 🙂 To get a good strong starter for bread, you’d probably want to start it sooner anyway, and that will produce more naturally.
You don’t mention anything about removing half the starter each feeding. Don’t you have to discard or use half before you feed it again?
Thanks,
Chris
I’ve never felt good about that, Chris – it just seems so wasteful to me. I always try to use some of it when starting to feed again but I also would just add on top without discarding and it grew fine, so I didn’t worry about removing half. It’s totally up to you, though. Just be prepared to go through a lot of flour if you discard. 🙂
Excuse my ignorance. I am just starting to delve into bread baking. I see your recipe states 100 percent hydration. I have read in other sites that means by weight not volume. I’m confused then by this starter with 2 cups water and two cups flour. Help lol.
I go by volume, since I don’t usually weigh foods, Colleen. You’ll find sites that do both. It is my understanding that a starter with equal amounts of flour-to-water (2c. to 2c.) is 100%, full flour to half water (2c. to 1c.) is 50%, and so on. In the end it doesn’t really matter – some people like using a thicker starter and some prefer thinner. If you go deep into the baking and process, you will find recipes that require thinner and thicker. I just stick with the simplified basics. 🙂
Hi Jami,
Can I make sour dough starter with gluten free flour so I can bake for my Celiac daughters?
I haven’t tried it, but it can be done! Here is a link I found that talks about it: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/gluten-free-sourdough-starter/ Hope that is useful!
I’m on day 3 on my first sourdough starter and there was some almost greenish looking areas in the hooch. Is this normal?
While I haven’t had that exact issue, Joy, I’m pretty sure it’s okay. If there’s hooch, though, it means your starter needs to be fed – I would pour off the hooch and feed it again. It’s okay to go more by what your starter looks like and not just written directions, as temperature, water type, and flour can all make it react differently.
HI! Sorry, me again. I am on day 8 of my sourdough starter, I bought a huge mason jar for it and at one point the starter grew so much it overflowed! So to ensure it didn’t happen again I discarded 2 cups of the starter, and re-fed it. That was day 7. It still smells fine, but it doesn’t seem to have a ton of bubbles in it yet. I want to mature it even longer out of the fridge – what would be the process? Would I switch to two feedings a day and use less flour and water each time?
I will put it in the fridge eventually but I really want to keep it fermenting for another week or so
Happy to help, Jenna! When you’re growing the starter, you should leave it out – many people always leave it out and just constantly feed it and cook with it. I just use the fridge to keep it because I just don’t always cook with it. 🙂 If your starter is that active, use a larger glass or plastic bowl to feed it and let it grow. I use an 8-cup glass measuring cup when I’m really wanting it to grow and only keep in the the mason jar for storage now. You can definitely feed 2x/day, though I would use less flour and water just so it doesn’t get so big. Play around with it and see what works best in your environment. Let me know how it goes!
Hi there! Lovely recipe. Can’t wait to try. One question:
For the 2 weeks and beyond:
When I want to use the starter, what exactly do I do? What I got from your post was:
Take it out 24 hours before I want to use it, and feed it. Then after feeding put 2 cups of starter back in the fridge and keep out the rest I’m using for bread? Is this correct?
And also: I’m a bit confused as to know how much starter to use for sourdough recipes. Could you help me with that?
Thanks so much! I just moved to Oregon. 🙂
Yes, Jenna, once it’s bubbling and active again after feeding (it may take more than 24 hours, depending on how long it was in the fridge being stored – it’s not an exact science!), use what you need for your recipe and replace the rest back in the fridge (it doesn’t need to be 2 cups, though – I just put back whatever I have). If your recipe needs most of the starter (leaving you with 1/4-1/2 c., I feed it again and let it sit until active before storing back in the fridge.
Each sourdough recipe will tell you the amount of sourdough starter that’s needed – each is different and can vary from just 1/2 c. to up to 2 cups. So just find a recipe you want to use (like the recipes I link to at the bottom of this post) and use the amount specified. 🙂
Hi! I am wondering if I killed my starter. There are no bubbles and it’s not sticky. Do I need to start over or can I save it somehow? Also do I always had 1 cup water and 1 cup flower to feed it or feed it the same amount that’s in my bowl? As in if I have 2 cups of starter do I need to put 2 cups water and 2 cups flour in it? Thanks!
I would pour off some of the starter and feed again, Alyse, just to see if you can’t get something going! You can add any amount of flour/water you want – in fact, with your struggling starter, I’d decrease the water to 3/4 c. to 1 c. flour to feed them a bit more and see how that works. Play around with the ratio to see what works best for you!
I don’t think I’ve ever read the information you share about the strength of the starter and saving a true sandwich bread until the 8th week – and I’ve read a lot about sourdough. My last attempt: I tried to make a loaf of bread with week-old starter. I baked a brick.
This is a fantastic post, Jami, and I’m pinning, sharing, and will certainly be giving it another go! Thanks for a great article and plenty of yummy recipes!
Oh my gosh, I just finished making bagels with your recipe. I made 2 batches, one whole wheat one sourdough. They are so delicious !!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge of your sourdough
Yea, Carol! Those bagels are SO good I have to be careful when they’re in the house. 😉
Hi There! Is it possible to get active starter in just a day or two? I’m on day 3 and from day 2-3 overnight my starter has tons of bubbles and has over doubled in size. How do you know when it’s truly active and ready to use?
Sure, if all the conditions are right, Rachael – you may have a lot of strong yeast in the air where you live! I’d use half for a recipe that didn’t require a lot of rise – just since it’s new – like waffles, english muffins, or crackers and then keep feeding it. Try a bread at the end of the 7 days and see how it does. 🙂
Thanks! Well… It looked great yesterday and today it looks dead! Did I kill it? Or does it just need to complete the process? Maybe it was a fluke! I’m just going to keep trucking on and hopefully it comes back to life!
Sorry for the delayed response, Rachael – I hope you’ve seen that I’m pretty sure it’s a cycle. Just keep reducing, feeding and it should continue to grow and strengthen for you!
Ive read that day 4 can be a but deceiving in that your starter looks like its not doing anything and that you should power through. All thats happening is that the bacteria is now being taken over by the yeast or something like that.
Good to know, Dacey – thanks!
I was given a starter as a gift. I am so happy I found your page. I was a little scared at first but today I took it out of the fridge and “fed” it. I am excited to try my hand at recipes. Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful post.
So glad you’re finding this useful for you, Jennifer! I think you’ll really enjoy using sourdough – it’s a fun thing, really.
Hi Jami – I haven’t tried these yet but this is the recipe from Jessie Hawkins’s book “The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread” for Tortillas – 1 c. starter, 3 c. flour, 1 c. water, 1 t. salt, 2 T. oil, 1/4 c. corn flour or cornmeal. Combine, let sit 8-12 hours. Divide dough into 12-15 pieces. Roll out on cornmeal to 10-12 inches. Cook in skillet
Thanks, Brenda 🙂
Man, I wish I’d found this post before I attempted to make a loaf of bread with my newly born starter. Poor thing didn’t rise a smidge. But I rolled it out flat and made some pretty decent biscuits! Also made sourdough pancakes with some of the starter and they were amazing. How do you know when it’s full strength and ready to make bread? Will it be full of bubbles like the photo above?
Yes, Alison, they’ll be a lot of activity and when you’re feeding it, it will be able to double in size. You’ll know when you see a nice, active starter. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy the pancakes, waffles and biscuits 🙂
Thanks!
I grew my starter early last year and have used it many times. I used the instructions from King Arthur Flour. I have also enjoyed reading your tips and recipes also. My favorite thing to make is the pancake/ waffle batter and the hubs and grand kids love it also.
My story with the starter is this: during the summer, I rarely have time to use it. I also can’t make it real often because I eat too much of it! My starter has been in the back of the fridge since early March. I keep her in a medium sized round fishbowl covered with cheesecloth and a rubber band. When I decided to get her out this week, she was dried into pieces that resembled broken pottery. I figured She was lost but I decided I had nothing to loose in seeing if she could be revived. I covered the pieces in warm water and sat on the very top of my Bunn coffee brewer for heat (not on the burner itself). The following morning it was soft and I stirred it up well and fed it. With that feeding it bubbled, with the next it bubbled and rose, and the next was fully active and I’ve already used it twice. There is a reason our ancestors used this wonderful stuff! It is very resilient besides being fantastic to eat. I am looking for a good sourdough biscuit recipe if any one has any links. Thanks!
Wow – amazing story to the heartiness of starter!
I ground my own whole wheat flour from hard red wheat berries. I put 2 cups of that and 2 cups of warm water in a glass bowl, covered with cheesecloth, and set in my warming drawer on proof. Tonight when I went to switch it out, there was no liquid on top as I was expecting. The entire thing rose and was full of bubbles and stunk! I’m guessing all of this is good. I switched it to a clean bowl and added another cup of the wheat flour and warm water, stirred, covered with cheesecloth and put back in the warming drawer on proof. First, does this sound right? Second, is there a day when I can mix soft white wheat flour instead of the hard red (or hard white)? Thanks so much. Hopefully the bubbles and stickiness mean this is working!
Yes, the bubbles and smell means sourdough, Debbi! It may be acting a bit faster for you since you have it in a proofing drawer – all you really need is to leave it on the counter, especially in the summer. It sounds like you’re well on your way to good sourdough! Oh, and any type of flour works – you can add the soft white wheat at any time.
I really would like to make the sourdough recipes you have listed but I know we wouldn’t go through them very quickly–small family. I want to make other things besides the sourdough bread. My concern/question is what do you do if you are the occasional sourdough user? Does that make sense? We would probably go through the pretzels, crackers, etc. faster than the bread.
I’ve made a successful starter by keeping it in the same bowl for the seven days because I only have one bowl big enough to fit it all. It worked very well but the sides did get gunked up, otherwise it did not effect the starter itself 🙂
Odd question: Do you know if this would work with coconut or almond flour?
Not so odd with all the gluten-free stuff going around, Mary, but I can pretty certainly say no, it won’t work. But I did find this gluten free starter experiment you may be interested in:
http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2010/10/sourdough-starter-gluten-free/
Hope that works for you!
I’m pinning this to read through fully later, but I had NO idea that it started with yeast from the air. You literally do learn something new every day.
Oops, I’ve amended that paragraph, Mindy, to read that it’s the lactic acid bacteria in the air that creates the differences in sourdough breads – the wild yeast is actually found in the flour. Without the bacteria, the yeast can’t work, obviously, so something’s coming from the air – but I got the two things switched in my initial post. Eek, gotta double check BEFORE I hit publish!:)
Thanks! I love sourdough but was kinda guessing how to keep it going. I needed this!