Step-by-Step Process:

Day 1:

1. Mix flour and water:

   • In your glass jar, combine 50g of whole wheat flour with 50g of lukewarm filtered water. Stir to combine until there are no dry patches. Scrape down the sides of the jar. The mixture will look like a thick paste, like glue.  Clean down the sides of the jar and make sure the mixture is level.

2. Cover loosely:

   • Cover the jar with a kitchen towel or cheesecloth. Make sure it’s not sealed tightly – you want airflow to help the natural yeasts in the air grow.

3. Let it sit:

   • Leave the mixture at room temperature (ideally 70°F/21°C) for 24 hours.

Day 2:

1. Check for bubbles

   • After 24 hours, you may see some small bubbles, a sign that the fermentation process has started. If not, don’t worry—it can take a few days for activity to show.

2. Feed your starter:

   • Discard everything except 25 grams of the starter (about 1Tbsp) and then add 50g of whole wheat or all-purpose flour and 50g of lukewarm water. Stir well until no dry flour is present.

3. Cover and wait:

   • Cover loosely again and let it rest for another 24 hours.

Day 3:

1. Repeat the feeding:

   • You may or may not see much activity in the sourdough starter by this point but keep going. Discard all of your starter except 25 grams and feed it with 50g of all-purpose flour and 50g of water.  Cover loosely again and let it rest for 24 hours.

   • Going forward, you have 2 choices.  You can continue feeding your starter once a day or start feeding our starter twice per day to encourage activity to speed up.  If you choose to feed your starter once per day, it may take a few extra days for your starter to be ready.  Your starter will be at its peak when it has doubled in size and slowly begins to fall, indicating that it’s hungry which is usually around 12 hours depending on the temperature of your home.  Repeat the same feeding process each time by discarding, then feeding with flour and water.

Day 4-7:

2. Continue feeding your starter:

   • Continue feeding either 1 or 2 times per day following the same process as day 1 through 3.

3. Observe:

   • By day 3 or 4, you should start to notice more bubbles and a tangy smell. The starter will rise and fall consistently.  This is good! If there’s no activity yet, keep going and be patient.

4. Look for consistency:

   • By day 5 or 6, your starter should double in size within 4-6 hours of feeding and be bubbly and frothy. It will have a tangy, slightly sour smell.

Your starter is ready to use when:

• Your starter is most likely ready by day 7 or very close to being ready.  If it hasn’t been consistent for at least 1-2 days or your not sure, continue feeding for a couple more days.  Nothing hurts to keep feeding it.

• It has doubled in size within 4-6 hours after feeding

• It has a pleasant, sour aroma.

• It passes the “float test” (a small spoonful of starter floats in a glass of water).

Troubleshooting Tips:

• No bubbles after 3 days? Try moving your starter to a warmer spot (a warm kitchen is ideal) or give it a little more time.

• Hooch (dark brown-black liquid) forming on top? It’s normal! Just stir it in or pour it off before feeding.

• Smell is off? If your starter smells like rotten or putrid, it may be contaminated. Start over with fresh ingredients.

Storing Your Starter:

• At room temperature:

  • Feed it once a day if you’re baking regularly.

• In the fridge:

  • If you’re baking less frequently, store it in the fridge and feed it once a week. Before baking, take it out 1-2 days in advance and feed it to reactivate.

Now You’re Ready to Bake!

Once your starter is strong and bubbly, you’re ready to use it to bake sourdough bread or other recipes!

Pro Tip:

Sourdough starters get better with time. The longer you keep it, the more complex and flavorful it becomes. You can even pass a portion of it down to others.