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When I first began making my own sourdough starter over a year and a half ago I found it very confusing. Maybe it was just my overcomplicated brain but I found that when most people tried to explain sourdough, by way of blog, video, and books- I struggled to understand. I learn most things much easier when I just step out on my own and learn by trial and error.
Here I am going to try my best to explain to you, in very simple instructions, how I learned to make my own sourdough starter from scratch! I am one hundred percent certain there are people who understand sourdough far better than me and if you can glean better from more detailed instructions please go visit the other blogs I mention at the end of this post. My goal is to show you step by step what has worked for me and to create a very (hopefully) stress-free approach to sourdough.
What do you need to make your own sourdough starter?
You will need a few basic things to begin a sourdough starter from scratch. Most of these items are probably already in your home!
The first thing you will need is a vessel to keep your sourdough in. I find that a wide mouth, quart size mason jar works beautifully. The reason you will want wide mouth is so you have enough space to stir your ingredients in and to scrape the sides of the jar after stirring. Any glass or ceramic is an acceptable vessel. You will want to make sure the jar has thick enough glass so it does not crack when going from he refrigerator to room temperature but other than that you should not have to be too picky. You will also want to make sure that whatever vessel you choose has a lid that keeps air out, preferably something with a good seal around it.
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Another thing you will need to decide on besides a vessel is what flour you want to use. It is important to start out with a simple white flour. I use King Arthur unbleached flour, or Walmart’s unbleached flour. (I prefer unbleached flour for everything for health reasons.) King Arthur has done the best and I have the most consistent results when using this brand.
A few other items you will need getting started are a fork for stirring, and water (some prefer filtered, I go bak and forth depending on the day). If you want to think even more futuristically you can go ahead and purchase a bread pan as well.
How long does it take to make a sourdough starter?
Time and methods vary depending on who you are taking advice from but I have found that seven days works best for mine. It is important to realize that since we all live in different locations, keep our homes at different temperatures, and have different humidity levels we could each make a starter the same way and each end up with differing results.
Because of this key fact I cannot tell you exactly how to make your starter work best for you, I can only give you the main principles and help you learn ways to adjust to your own individual needs.
How to Adjust the Needs of YOUR sourdough starter?
Knowing the facts above will help you in learning just what to do with your starter. A few key things to know concerning adjustments are these:
1. Because of differing humidity levels in our homes and in the environment day to day, you may find that you need to adjust the hydration of your starter. The word “hydration” is simply referring to the amount of water that you mix (or feed) into your starter. Here is how you can tell if your starter is getting too much hydration- if you notice a clear liquid settling on top hours after feeding your starter, it is overly hydrated. You can adjust this by using a little less water at the next feed.
2. When adjusting it is important to know what to look for in the texture of your starter. If you add too much water your starter will be very runny and will not stick at all to a fork. If you have too much flour it will cling to the fork and not fall off at all when tipped over the side of the jar. A “just right” starter will have the consistency of a thick pancake batter. It should not be so runny it will not stick at all but should not stick to the fork forever.
3. Because our climates are different and our homes are set to varying temperatures rise times in recipes often looks very different for everyone. For instance, I live in East Tennessee. It gets into the mid-upper 80s on average this time of the year (June). I also keep my home at about 70-72 degrees during the day, and even cooler at night. If my recipe says to let something rise for four hours, it would likely look very different for a person living in Toronto, Canada who keeps their home on 67 in the month of June. It would take them significantly longer to get the same rise I got in four hours.
Why do I need to discard starter?
Discarding is removing a certain amount (usually half) of the starter before feeding again. This process used to really confuse my brain because it just did not make sense. Wouldn’t you want more starter instead of less?
The main reason is that without discarding you would end up will way too much starter to deal with. Each day your starter will likely double in size from about day four on. Because of this you would end up with an exorbitant amount of starter. You would also have to feed it more because of the high volume.
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Discard is not a waste! You can keep discard stored in the refrigerator for up to six months. It can be used for low-rise recipes. (Things like pancakes, crackers, cookies, etc.)
It is not necessary to continue discarding if you are using your starter regularly or storing in the refrigerator (read below for storage methods).
How to store starter?
A properly maintained starter will last generations! There have been stories of grandmothers passing them on to granddaughters as wedding gifts.
There are two ways to store. The first method is to leave on the countertop. If you choose this method you will need to feed your starter daily (if you forget a day or two it will be okay). This method is best for those who plan to use their start daily or up to every three days. If for whatever reason you cannot make bread and maintain your starter on a particular week (vacation, surgery, busy week, etc.) just switch to the second method until you can get back at it!
The second method is storing your starter in a sealed container in the refrigerator. This method is better for those who only want to make bread or other sourdough goodies occasionally (once a week or less). To follow this method simply place your starter in the refrigerator, take it out twenty four hours before you plan to use, feed it, and let it rise to doubled. You can place a starter in the refrigerator any time during the life of your starter.
Important terms for the beginner to know
Here are just a few terms (some I may have already mentioned) that you should know in the beginning.
- Hydration: the amount of water you give your starter combined with the amount of humidity in the atmosphere.
- Feeding: adding more flour and water to your starter
- Discard: removing (usually half) of your original starter
- Rise: when starter multiplies in mass
- Peak Rise: the highest point in rise just before it begins to go down again
If you would rather save your time and energy you can now purchase Little Wife in the Woods sourdough starter over on Etsy! Our sourdough starter is made from our well established, active starter created with 100% organic flour. It takes just three days to reactivate and you are on your way to making delicious sourdough recipes!
Other great resources to get you started
While I could keep throwing information at you, I will stop there to keep from overloading your mind. This is all you need to know to get started. I will be doing several other follow-up posts on this topic to deal with troubleshooting, long-term maintenance, and recipes. Here are a few other resources I found (and still find) extremely helpful.
- Lisa Bass- https://farmhouseonboone.com
- Glenda Groff- https://aroundthefamilytableblog.com
Both of these ladies have amazing sourdough recipes! Of the two I would say that Lisa is much easier to follow, using very simple instructions. Glenda is a tiny bit more complex but if you are interested in the health benefits of sourdough she is a great go-to!
Follow along on Instagram @littlewifeinthewoods for more step by step instructions, troubleshooting, and techniques!
Sourdough Starter
Equipment
- 2 wide mouth, quart mason jars (or another type of vessel- see blog post above)
Ingredients
- 1 bag unbleached King Arthur all-purpose flour
- Water
Instructions
- DAY ONEIn a wide mouth glass jar mix 1 cup flour and just under 1 cup water. Texture should be like a thick pancake batter, not too runny but not too firm. Adjust water or flour according to the texture described above. Allow to sit on the countertop uncovered or loosely covered (with a napkin or coffee filter) for about 24 hours. (If you need to feed a few hours earlier or later this is completely fine.)
- DAY TWODiscard (remove) half the starter and store in a separate mason jar in the refrigerator. Feed the remaining starter 1/2 cup flour and just under 1/2 cup of water. (Review the section about hydration and adjusting the needs of your starter in the blog post.)Allow to rest around 24 hours on the countertop.
- DAY THREE-DAY SIXFollow the steps from day two. Discard, feed, allow to sit 24 hours. By day three or four there should be bubbles forming. Around day four-five your starter should begin rising when fed. If you forget to discard, just discard the next day.
- DAY SEVENDiscard and feed starter in the morning. Allow to rise 5-6 hours. Feed starter again (do not discard). You may need to place starter in a larger jar or bowl for the second feed because of the amount of rise. Allow to rise 3-4 hours or until peak rise. You are ready to make bread!
Notes
After have successfully made your starter be sure to come back for easy to follow, simple recipes for beginners!
