_edited.png)
a simple guide to sourdough starter
- Alexa Rickenbach
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
A beginner-friendly guide to making your own starter from scratch.
Starting a sourdough starter is one of the most satisfying and simple steps you can take toward making homemade, nourishing bread from your own kitchen. There's something sacred about it—flour, water, time, and care working together to create something that feeds your family.
If you’ve ever dreamed of baking sourdough but felt overwhelmed by the starter process, you’re not alone. I was intimidated too, until I realized how simple it really is. A little flour, a little water, and a bit of patience is all you need to begin.
This post walks you through exactly how to start your starter from scratch and how to care for it moving forward, including every feeding, storing, and maintaining step along the way. I do my best to keep things minimal, simple, and low-waste! If you're new to sourdough, you're in the right place.
There are a billion recipes and techniques out there (truly), but this is the most simple method I’ve found that works for me, and I hope it works for you too!
What You’ll Need click to shop!
Flour (unbleached all-purpose, whole wheat, or a mix)
Filtered or reverse osmosis water (not chlorinated)
Wide mouth glass jars
Rubber band or marker
Optional:
Sourdough starter jar from Amazon - super helpful and inexpensive! Has everything you need to start maintain your starter.
Warming lamp/plant mat - definitely not a necessity, but can help especially if your house isn't regularly 70-72 degrees!
Starting the Sourdough Starter
Day 1: In a clean jar, combine 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of filtered water. Stir until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and loosely cover the jar. Let it sit at room temperature (around 70–75°F) for 24 hours.
Days 2–6: Feed your starter daily. Each day at about the same time:
Discard about half of your starter (no need to weigh yet). *Be sure to throw this in the trash or use it in a discard recipe. DO NOT pour it down your drain. When it dries, it can wreak havoc on your drains & pipes!
Add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water to the remaining starter.
Stir well, scrape down the sides, and loosely cover the jar again.
Repeat every 24 hours.
Days 5-7: Your starter should begin to smell yeasty and pleasant. It will start doubling in size after feeding and be full of bubbles. Continue discarding and feeding once daily until it reliably doubles within 4–6 hours after feeding. Once it does, your starter is ready to bake with!
Storing:
You can store on the counter (feeding daily), or in the fridge (I feed mine a few times a month). I usually store it in a small wide mouth mason jar with a plastic lid loosely screwed on!
Ongoing Care and Maintenance
To feed regularly:
Discard all but 100 grams of your starter.
Feed it 100 grams flour + 100 grams filtered water.
Stir and mark with a rubber band so you can track its rise.
Leave it out if you plan to bake within 24–48 hours, feeding every 12 hours.
Store in the fridge if you won’t use it for a few days. Feed it once a week or every 2 weeks to keep it healthy.
Two ways to discard down to 100 grams:
Weigh your jar and subtract the jar’s weight, then remove starter until you’re left with 100 grams.
Transfer 100 grams into a clean jar and clean the original later. I prefer this method when I am going to feed my starter in prep to bake something, so I can use a larger jar!
To revive a refrigerated starter:
Pull it out 12–24 hours before baking and feed it once or twice to get it bubbly and active again.
Troubleshooting Tips
If your starter is slow to rise, try feeding with whole wheat flour or rye.
Keep it warm. A cold kitchen can slow fermentation.
Avoid metal utensils and always use clean tools.
Starting and maintaining a sourdough starter might seem daunting at first, but once you get into a rhythm, it becomes second nature. Like many things around here at Gathered Home & Kin, this process is slow, simple, and deeply satisfying.
There’s something beautiful about watching your starter bubble to life and knowing you created it with your own hands. It’s a small way to live intentionally and nourish your family—one loaf at a time.
If you're ready for part two, where I walk you through my go-to sourdough loaf recipe using this starter, you can read that post here!
Post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no cost to you when you use these links. As always, I only share what I actually use (or would!) and love in my home.
댓글