Here’s a step-by-step Easy How-To Sourdough Starter Recipe guide (& a sourdough bread recipe below) on how we made our most recent sourdough starter, affectionately known as “Meg” in our house – perfect for beginner sourdough baking.
It really is easier than it seems, and my biggest tip is just to get started and learn as you go. It looks complex at first but it really is just flour, water and patience that is required to create a live fermented culture that you can use in bread doughs to make it rise instead of using traditional/store-bought yeast. Your starter will take on average 7-14 days to become active and ready to use.
WHAT YOU NEED
✨ A large jar. I prefer the 1000ml Watego style from seedandsproutco for multiple reasons over traditional clip/flip-top jars I’ve used in the past: they don’t have clips which always end up covered in sourdough and are hard to clean, they come in a set so you can easily swap lids when they inevitably get dirty or swap to a clean jar, they are straight in shape/there is no neck on the jar so it’s easy to get spoons in and out and don’t tend to get dry bits stuck, and the lids can rest on top, fully seal if transferring to the fridge during the maintenance stage, or you can put it on and lightly loosen so if it needs to release any gases it can without bursting the lid.
✨ Wholemeal flour
✨ Plain Flour
✨ Scales
✨ Water
✨ Elastic band
Sourdough Starter How-To
Ingredients
FOR THE INITIAL STARTER:
- 60 g of wholemeal/wholewheat flour (this is around ⅓ cup heaped)
- 60 ml/ ¼ cup of water
FOR THE DAILY FEEDS DAY 3-14 (or however long it needs)
- 60 g of plain flour (this is around ⅓ cup heaped; use unbleached flour, also called all-purpose)
- 60 ml/ ¼ cup of water
Instructions
- Make sure to read the notes section below so you’re ready for any troubleshooting.
- Firstly establish when your feeding schedule will be. You are going to want to feed your sourdough every 24 hours so pick a time of day you can commit to doing that, for us that is first thing in the morning.
- On DAY 1 add the initial starter flour and water to a large jar and mix with a fork until combined to a thick paste. Cover and leave in a warm place (around 22-25c/70-75f).
- On DAY 2 simply observe your starter, have a look to see if there are any bubbles, have a sniff, and stir it, then leave until day 3 before feeding.
- On DAY 3-14 (until it begins doubling in size, this could be 7 days or it could be 11 days like ours was, it’s all temperature and culture-dependent), stir your starter, then discard around half (you can measure the weight of your jar, subtract that and do this exactly, or just eyeball it, which is the method we prefer). Then feed it with the 60g of plain flour and water, stir, place an elastic band around the jar in line with where the starter is once fed so you can measure how much it rises, then cover it with the lid (keeping it sealed but slightly loose enough so if it needs to release any gas it can), place in a warm spot and repeat every 24 hours until it doubles in size. If you notice things like excess water separation on top in the morning or a brownish liquid (known as “hooch”) this indicates your starter needs to be fed, simply pour it off (scrape out any discoloured starter if you notice this) and resume the discard and feed process.
- If your starter doesn’t seem like it has many bubbles or activity by day 10 you can consider doing a BOOSTER feed like we did. What this means is using half wholemeal flour (30g of wholemeal to 30g of plain) at the feed to give the starter a boost of enzymes that the wholemeal flour has, which in our case caused our starter to be fully active the next day.
- Once your starter is active, meaning it is bubbly, has a spongey texture, a pleasant smell, and doubles in size compared to where it starts (using the rubber band as a guide; the doubling of your starter usually occurs around 3-12 hours after feeding) you are ready to start baking (recipe below). Note, your starter will not stay doubled continuously, it has a peak and stays doubled in size for around 1-2 hours and this is when you want to use your starter for baking before it starts to deflate again.
Notes
IMPORTANT - READ FIRST
MEASUREMENTS: I have provided cup measures for those of you who don’t have scales, however to keep the hydration levels exactly as above, scales are the best way to do this.
TEMPERATURE: If your house is cold you have a few options: you can keep your starter in a warm room like the laundry (if it is exposed to bright direct sunlight cover it with a teatowel to avoid the sunlight killing the yeast and bacteria), an airing cupboard, in the oven with the light on for a few hours, or in the microwave with the door ajar.
UTENSILS: Use silicone, wooden or stainless steel spoons/forks, and spatulas to stir. Avoid other metals as they can react with the yeast and bacteria in your starter.
SMELL: While creating your starter your starter can get quite stinky, which usually indicates it needs to be fed. It should however start to smell quite pleasant with a bit of a sour smell to it. If your starter ever smells strongly of nail polish remover or really unpleasant it usually means it is very hungry. Discard and feed again and it will recover.
TEXTURE: While creating your starter it will go from seeming thinner on some days, and gradually becoming thicker as it becomes active. Once you stir after feeds it should resemble a thick pancake-like batter, and when ready to use it will be spongy, almost stringy looking when you scoop it, fluffy, and thick.
JARS: Once your starter is active you can transfer it to a clean jar if needed (we did this on day 10 after adding our booster feed).
DISCARD: once your starter is active you can start to use the discarded starter for other recipes like pancakes, pizza, focaccia, or feed it and gift it to someone else who wants to start their own sourdough.
WATER: If your tap water has a lot of chlorine it can slow down fermentation. You can use filtered water or leave tap water out overnight before using it in the starter and dough.
TESTING READINESS: this is handy for when you’re learning about your starter and what it looks like and how it reacts. Your starter is ready when it has doubled and is bubbly. You can also test it by dropping a spoonful into a glass of water. If it floats it is ready to bake with.
FEEDING FLOUR: Always use unbleached flour as bleached flour can be unpredictable and slow the starter.
MAINTAINING YOUR STARTER:
Your starter is a living culture, and you need to maintain it with regular feeds. You also must feed it prior to using it for baking – so you discard half, feed it, then wait for it to double, then use the starter in your baking, and feed again after taking some out to replenish it. You can either store it at room temperature if you plan on baking multiple times a week, or in the fridge if you only plan to use it weekly or less frequently.
- If storing at room temperature, you will need to feed your starter every day (sometimes twice a day in the warmer months if you notice it is rising quickly and starting to smell or get hooch on top).
- If storing in the fridge, you only need to feed it once a week. Simply bring it out, discard half, and feed, placing it back in the fridge. You don’t need to bring it to room temperature before feeding; however, if using it to bake, I find it best to bring it to room temperature, feed, and then use it once ready.
- RATIOS FOR MAINTENANCE FEEDS: Ideally, you want to be doing a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:flour: water. This means if there’s 100g in the jar, you discard half (leaving you 50g) and then you feed it with equal parts flour and water (50g of each).
Basic Sourdough Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 100 g sourdough starter (active, fed and at its highest point in the rise)
- 10 g sea salt
- 350 ml water (room temp)
- 500 g bread flour (we have trialled with regular, plain/all-purpose flour and it also works, just less springy in texture)
Instructions
- Read the notes section before starting to be aware of things to note.
- In a large bowl add the starter, salt and water and stir well to combine.
- Then add the flour and stir together until it resembles a shaggy dough, scraping any dry flour off the sides.
- Cover and leave this to rest for around 30 minutes (this is known as autolyse where the dough rests and the gluten development starts without the need for kneading). If you're in a time pinch you can do 15 mins or even an hour before performing the next set of stretch and folds.
- After the initial rest of the dough, you can begin a series of stretches and folds where you take the edge of the dough, pull upwards to stretch, then fold it over and complete this as you turn the bowl continuously (around 5-7 folds I find works for us). Repeat this every 30 minutes for a total of 4 stretches (we have done this as few as two stretches and it has still worked well if you need to do other things or go out), then leave the dough to complete the “BULK RISE” until it doubles in size, anywhere from 4-12 hours seems to be the sweet spot depending on temperature.
- Once the dough has doubled you want to pull it out onto a lightly floured surface and commence the “SHAPING” of your dough. There are many ways to do this, but what i find works is stretching sideways and upwards until relatively flat, then folding the bottom edge in, the sides in, the top in, and then rolling like a tight roll up towards the top of the dough. You can then pinch the sides and tuck it under itself to create a ball. Place it back on the bench and gently shape it by rolling the edges until a ball forms and stays. If you notice large air pockets you can gently tap at it to remove these. Then lift your ball off the bench and place it smooth side down into a banneton or lined Dutch oven, pinching any holes on the underside, then cover and place in the fridge to complete the “SECOND RISE” overnight for around 12 hours (or you can do this at room temperature for around 1 hour if wanting to bake on the same day, however, I find the flavour is better if left overnight in the fridge).
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 225c/440f and place the Dutch oven in to preheat also (if not using it to rise) as this will give the bread that instant hit of heat when it goes in, if you are using your dutch oven to rise simply preheat the oven, remove the dutch oven from the fridge, score the top of your dough and place in and bake as below. For those rising in a banneton: remove the banneton from the fridge, place a baking sheet or paper on top of the banneton, followed by a chopping board, flip it over gently then score the top of your loaf to allow the steam to escape and avoid your loaf bursting in random places. Lift using the baking sheet or paper, and place into the preheated Dutch oven and then cover with the lid.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until golden, and a hollow noise is heard when you tap the bottom of the loaf. Remove from the Dutch oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack completely. This is important as cutting before it is cool will lead to the moisture not distributing evenly and can result in a gummy texture.
- Once cool, slice and enjoy!
- Store at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months.
Storage
Store in a container on the bench for 3 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months.Notes
IMPORTANT NOTES:
OVEN: our oven is fan forced, adjust accordingly.
BULK RISE: A good guide is that the dough should double, look domed, and feel pillowy and jiggly when you shake the bowl. The poke test is not very reliable during bulk rise. Final proof poke test: If you poke the shaped dough and it springs back quickly it is under proofed. If it springs back slowly and leaves a slight indent it is ready. If it does not spring back it is over proofed.
SCORING: Use a razor blade, lame or sharp knife to score the dough. Cutting at a slight angle gives a better “ear” and oven spring.
COOLING: Allow your loaf to cool for at least 1 to 2 hours before cutting to avoid a gummy texture. I know this is hard but it’s key!
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: I often double the recipe and perform the stretch and rises all in one large bowl. Then when I go to shape the dough, I split the dough in half, then use two bannetons for the second rise. This means less work and double loaves.
DUTCH OVEN ALTERNATIVE: If you do not have a Dutch oven you can bake on a tray or stone with a pan of boiling water in the oven to create steam.
FLOUR DUSTING: Use rice flour or arrowroot to dust your banneton or tea towel to stop sticking. Wheat flour can glue the dough down when it gets wet.
HYDRATION: This dough is around 70 percent hydration. Different flours absorb water differently so if your dough feels dry add a teaspoon of water at a time. If it feels too wet add a little extra flour.
TROUBLESHOOTING: If your loaf is dense it is often from under proofing. If it spreads flat it may be over proofed.
PATIENCE: Sourdough is very dependent on temperature and timing. If something does not work out it is usually a proofing time issue and not that your starter or recipe has failed.
DIFFERENT FLOURS: We often change up what flours we use. For example for a spelt, wholemeal or rye loaf, we sub 50% of the flour with spelt, rye, or wholemeal. Wholemeal often requires 1-2 Tbsp of extra water as it absorbs more.
Nutrition - Per Serving
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment below to let me know what your little one thought! Until next time, keep an eye on our Instagram page for our latest recipes and ideas.