How to make a Sourdough Starter

In this post, I will show you how to make a sourdough starter in 5 to 6 days with flour, water, and natural wild yeast.

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Ever since I started using a sourdough starter to bake and cook, I haven’t looked back.

It shocks me by how versatile it actually is. You can almost use it in everything. Whether you’re making a fluffy stack of sourdough pancakes, a sourdough bread loaf, or an ultra delicious sourdough spin on red velvet cake, it works!

The use of a sourdough starter allows the the introduction of fermented grains into your diet which is important for digestion. It is nutritious, acts as a prebiotic for the gut, and easier to digest than other breads.

Did I forget to mention that it’s natural? Fermenting your own sourdough starter at home is just amazing. It also saves you from the trouble of trying to find yeast at the grocery store. That was the one thing that I thought wouldn’t be out of stock during the pandemic and boy was I wrong.

Down below are some benefits are some impressive benefits of using and making your own sourdough starter from scratch.

Benefits of using a Sourdough Starter

• Easier to digest
  • the fermentation process allows the breakdown of the gluten so it’s easier to digest
  • slow fermentation process
• Great for gut health
  • Acts as a prebiotic that provides food for the good bacteria in the gut
  • By making digestion easier
• Low glycemic food
  • less likely to spike your blood sugar immediately like conventional breads
  • slow increase of blood sugar and insulin
• natural wild yeast
  • oldest way of fermenting grains
  • doesn’t use conventional yeast
• low phytic acid
  • due to the fermentation process
  • This makes the bread easier to digest

Ingredients for learning how to make a sourdough starter:

• 6 cups all purpose unbleached flour
• 3 3/4 cup water
  • DON’T use water out of the sink. You need to use purified water (or filtered water) so, your starter won’t be contaminated.
• mason jars

How to make a Sourdough Starter video (beginner friendly):

How to make a Sourdough starter
Day 1 (12:40pm):

Gather ingredients

Combine 1 cup of all purpose flour with 3/4 cups of water In a small bowl.

Mix with a fork. Make sure to mark the top of your flour water mixture.

The mixture should be thick like pancake batter and have no real smell to it.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave a little gap for air to circulate.

Day 2 (1:37 pm):

Roughly 24 hours later, The mixture has a few air bubbles on the top and it has risen slightly which is pretty fast. It is a little thicker than before. It also has a sort of sour smell to it.

Stir the mixture, then pour out all but 1/2 cup.

Pour 3/4 cups of water into the same bowl and stir to combine. Then add 1 cup of flour and mix it in.

Pour the mixture into another bowl or a mason jar. (The mason jar will work a little better since you can see exactly where the top of the flour mixture. Mark it at the top like you did the day before. If using a regular glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave a small gap. If using a mason jar, put the top on the jar without the ring or use plastic wrap.

roughly 12 hours later… (12:26 am)

Day 3 (1:45 pm)

The next day, the mixture has shown signs of rising and falling which is what you want to see. It sort of smells like a sweet apple cider vinegar. That’s the best way I can describe it. The top is full of foamy bubbles and a layer of light brown liquid called “hooch”.

Make sure you discard the hooch along with all but 1/2 a cup of starter. The 1/2 cup of starter will go into another bowl.

Add 1 cup of flour the the sourdough mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. Now add 3/4 cup of water and mix it in.

Transfer the mixture to a mason jar with a lid. Mark where the top of the mixture rest. Cover with lid without the ring or plastic wrap and leave a small gap.

What is “Hooch”?

Hooch is the liquid that forms on the top, middle, or bottom of your sourdough starter. This indicates that your sourdough starter is hungry so, you need to go ahead and feed it.

The hooch can appear clear, light to dark brown, grey, and sometimes black. The longer you let it sit the darker it will be. It is typically harmless but I would discard the starter if it starts turning green or smells and looks moldy.

Make sure to pour the hooch (liquid layer) out of your starter before feeding it.

Day 4 (3:00pm)

The sourdough starter didn’t raise as much today. That could’ve been due to the temperature in the house or maybe it should’ve been fed twice instead of once. Either way the starter is still healthy!

The top of the starter is nice and bubbly and it smells sweet and a little acidic. There is no hooch on the top because the starter is not overly hungry.

Discard all but 1/2 a cup of starter and transfer to another bowl.

Add 1 cup of flour the the sourdough mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. Now add 3/4 cup of water and mix it in.

Transfer the mixture to a mason jar with a lid or plastic wrap (leave a small gap). Mark where the top of the mixture rest.

Day 5 (8:45 am)

I was supposed to feed the starter at 3:00am (12 hours later) but, getting up at that time was definitely not going to happen. It appears that feeding it at 8:30 am was better anyways because the peak was staring to decrease.

The starter has double in size and smells yeasty. Although the starter is nice and bubbly, it isn’t done just yet.

Now, discard all but 1/2 a cup of starter and transfer to another bowl.

Add 1 cup of flour the the sourdough mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. Now add 3/4 cup of water and mix it in.

Transfer the mixture to a mason jar with a lid or plastic wrap (leave a small gap). Mark where the top of the mixture rest.

Day 5.5 (8:30 am) of making a sourdough starter

You’re going to follow the same steps that you’ve been doing the last 5.5 days. And behold, now you are ready to give your starter one last feeding.

Day 6 (8:30 am) a few hours later…

Now check your sourdough starter around the 4 to 6 hour mark but if you can’t, that’s okay! You want to catch it as it is starting to fall back down in order to preform a float test.

The sourdough starter was super bubbly. It had more than doubled in size and was beginning to drop after reaching it’s peak. This is the time to do the float test to make sure your sourdough starter is now ready to be used.

How to perform a float test

So the float test is very easy to do. After 4 to 6 hours, your sourdough starter should have doubled in size and just starting to decline as its getting hungry.

Fill a cup, bowl, or ramekin with enough water. Take about a tablespoon or two of sourdough starter and pour it in. If it floats, you’re ready to bake your first sourdough loaf or get some overnight sourdough pancakes going for breakfast in the morning.

How to care for your Sourdough Starter

• Feed your sourdough starter every 1-2 days if you plan on leaving it out on the counter
  • this also depends on how much you plan on using your starter
  • the amount of flour and water used also depends on what you’re baking and how much sourdough starter you need
• Use 1/2 cup of flour to 1/3 cup water
  • you want you starter to be the consistency of pancake batter
• You’ll eventually get to the point where you can just eye ball it so practice makes perfect.

How to store your Sourdough Starter

• On the counter
  • store on the counter with the lid ajar
  • make sure to feed the starter every other day so bad bacteria won’t take over.
• In the fridge
  • let the starter come to room temperature before using it unless you need it to be cold.
  • after feeding, the sourdough starter can be place in the fridge for up to a week.
    • If hooch has formed over the top, pour it off.

Now that you’ve successfully made your own starter, it’s time to get cooking right? Here’s a list of recipes that I think would be great for your sourdough starter journey:

• Sourdough Bread (No Knead Necessary)
• Easy Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Perfectly Fluffy Homemade Sourdough Biscuits
• Sourdough Brioche Buns (extra easy)
• Simplistic Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe
• super rich sourdough brownies recipe

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