How to Make Sourdough Starter

The more I researched and read about sourdough, the more confused I became. There were so many terms, abbreviations, and types of flours.

It seemed so overwhelming that I almost didn’t try. That’s why I want to show you an easy way to make a sourdough starter. It’s the first step to making sourdough bread, sourdough pizza crusts, and sourdough pancakes.

What is a sourdough starter?

Sourdough starter doesn’t use any conventional yeast. It’s “wild yeast” used in place of packaged yeast. It takes time to grow the starter and get it to a point where it’s active, but maintaining it is incredibly simple.

If you make some of this now, it can be stored it in the fridge for later. That way if there’s ever a time when you can’t find yeast, this starter will be there.

What are the signs of growth in sourdough starter?

Starter can begin to show signs of growth as early as four days. This isn’t common, but it does happen. Even if a starter shows growth early on, it doesn’t mean that it’s ready to use. A healthy, active, bubbly starter normally takes 7 to 14 days to achieve.

Some common signs that a sourdough starter is growing are large and small bubbles throughout and on the surface, a puffy appearance, and a pleasant smell or aroma.

One of the most noticeable signs is a doubling in size. After each feeding, place a rubber band or piece of colored tape on the jar at the starter’s highest point. It will begin to slowly rise above the tape and over time will double in size. This is when the starter is at its most active and should be used for baking.

It’s important to feed the starter after it rises and begins to fall. That’s when the wild yeast has “eaten” all that it can from the flour. Feeding it will replenish the food source and allow it to rise again.

The tell-tale sign that a starter is ready to be used is the float test. Drop a dollop of starter into a glass of water, and if it floats, it’s ready to be used. Starter can appear bubbly, double in size, and have a pleasant smell, but if it doesn’t float, it may not be ready.

Why isn’t the starter doubling in size?

I’ve been here a few times, and it’s frustrating. Not to mention you’ve spent a lot of time, money, and flour. Here are a few reasons why the starter may not be rising.

• The flour – Make sure it isn’t expired. Sounds crazy, but flour can expire and lose its ability to work as a starter. Double check the expiration date.
• Flour (again) – Just my opinion, but I’ve found that some brands work better than others. I’ve run out of All-purpose of one brand, switched to All-purpose of another brand and BAM! The starter started growing like crazy. Not all brands are created equal.
• Water – Consider using bottled water when feeding the starter. Some people will say if tap water doesn’t contain high amounts of chlorine, there’s no harm in using it. Ours doesn’t. However, I went through a 10 pound bag of flour before switching to bottled water and that did the trick. I’ll never use tap water again.
• Temperature – Starter is pretty resilient, but remember, it is alive. Keep it at room temperature (about 68° to 80°). During the winter I take mine into the bedroom, since it’s warmer than the kitchen. If you house is really cold or drafty, consider purchasing a proofing box to keep the starter at a consistent temperature.
• Don’t Overfeed – Feeding the starter too often can cause it not to grow properly. Feed it every 12 hours after it’s doubled in size and begins to fall.
• Be Patient – I’m the most inpatient person when it comes to starter. Seriously, I want a tasty loaf of sourdough bread yesterday not two weeks from now. However, sometimes it takes two weeks. That’s why it’s important to hang onto the starter after you get it up and going. Be patient; it takes time.

How to maintain an active starter?

Continue to feed the starter twice a day as long as you plan on using it every few days. If you forget to feed it once or even twice, don’t worry too much. It will be fine as long as no mold grows. Get back into the routine and make sure it’s active before trying to use it in a recipe.

If you are only going to use it once or twice a month or once every six months, refrigerate it.

The picture above shows a jar of starter that I’ve had in the refrigerator for months. There’s a thick layer of hooch on top of the starter that forms after about a week. I always pour it off, measure out the amount of starter to keep, discard the remaining, add the water and flour, and put it back in the fridge. This is done once a week to keep it fed and active.

To use the starter, bring it out of the refrigerator and begin feeding it in twelve hour intervals. As soon as it begins to double in size and pass the float test, it’s ready to go. This may take 2 to 3 days.

Tips and Best Practices:

• Mold & Discoloration: If there’s ever any sign of mold or discoloration, throw away the starter. There’s no saving it once mold has entered the equation, and it’s not safe to consume.
• Gnats & Fruit Flies: During warmer months, gnats and fruit flies love to try and get into sourdough starter. Keep it well covered and try it place it away from fresh food or areas where you normally find gnats and fruit flies.
• Discard: Don’t try to save all the discard. Every time you feed the starter, there will be discard and lots of it. Discard can be used in recipes like donuts, waffles, and crackers, but if you try to keep it the discard will literally take over your kitchen. It’s best to throw it in the garbage if you aren’t going to use it in a recipe.
• Make Two: Speaking of discard, I inevitably end up using discard from one feeding to make an extra starter. You never know when you’ll need two. I’ve “over watered” one, my hubby accidentally baked one, then there’s mold, gnats, etc. Having a backup isn’t a bad idea.
• Types of Flour – Stick with gluten based flours. That’s how the wild yeast is fed. Nut flours are finely ground nuts and don’t work the same when making starters.
• Weight vs. Volume – You may notice that I have this “recipe” set up in weight (grams) instead of volume (cups). I’ve found that the results are more consistent when the ingredients are weighed rather then using cups or eyeballing them. This may be because flour, starter, and water all weigh different amounts even when using cups for measurement. For example, you can use 1/2 cup of each but they would each weigh a different amount in grams. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a 1:1:1 measurement.
• Keep in mind, you can make other baked goods with the discard. Like our Parmesan cheese sourdough crackers, sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough waffles, sourdough naan, or sourdough doughnuts!

How much sourdough starter do I use in a recipe?

The measurements I use to get a starter up and going are small (50 grams of each ingredient). That’s so you don’t waste a lot of flour, bottled water, and discard in the process of making the wild yeast starter.

Many recipes call for 100 grams or 200 grams of active, bubbly starter. That means, you’ll need to weigh out the amount that the recipe calls for when the starter is at its peak (doubled in size).

Every recipe is different and calls for a different amount of starter. My recommendation is to find the recipe you want to make a few days ahead of time. If it calls for 100 grams in starter, measure out 100 grams in starter at the next feeding instead of 50 grams. Then add 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour.

That way, when the day comes to make the recipe, you have plenty of active starter to make the recipe and extra to feed for later use. You don’t want to use all the starter in the recipe or there will be none left for later.