Homemade Sourdough Starter

Name: Homemade Sourdough Starter
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 7210 min
Yield: 1 jar
Cuisine: Quebecois
Ingredients: 120 g unbleached all-purpose flour; 120 ml non-chlorinated water (room temperature)

7210 min 1 jar Medium

All Recipes

Create your own sourdough starter from scratch with just flour and water. Perfect for baking rustic and flavourful breads.

Prep

10 min

Total

7210 min

Servings

Difficulty

Medium

Creating a homemade sourdough starter is a rewarding process that requires just a few simple ingredients and a bit of patience. This natural fermenting culture will be the foundation of all your sourdough breads, providing them with a unique tangy flavour and airy texture. A sourdough starter is essentially a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria from the environment. Over time, this mixture ferments and becomes active, bubbling with life. It’s an ongoing process of feeding and nurturing that pays off with delicious, homemade bread.

Ingredients

Servings

Sourdough Starter

Instructions

Day 1: Mix ingredients

In a clean jar, combine 120 g of flour and 120 ml of water. Stir until there are no dry flour lumps. Cover loosely with a lid or cloth and let sit at room temperature (21-24°C / 70-75°F).

Pro tip: Use a glass or plastic jar to avoid reactions with metal.

Day 2: Check for activity

After 24 hours, check for bubbles or a mild sour aroma. If present, your starter is beginning to ferment.

Pro tip: If no activity is visible, give it another day before feeding.

Day 3: First feeding

Discard half of the starter and add 120 g of flour and 120 ml of water. Mix well and cover. Let sit at room temperature.

Pro tip: Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements.

Days 4-5: Continue feeding

Repeat the discarding and feeding process every 24 hours. The starter should become more bubbly and rise between feedings.

Pro tip: Mark the jar to track volume increase.

Day 6: Twice daily feedings

Begin feeding your starter twice a day, 12 hours apart, discarding half and adding fresh flour and water each time.

Pro tip: Keep the starter in a warm spot to encourage activity.

Day 7: Ready to use

Your starter is ready when it doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding and has a pleasant, tangy aroma.

Pro tip: Perform a float test: a spoonful of starter should float in water.

💡

Tips & Tricks

<ul><li>Use unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour for best results.</li><li>Maintain a consistent room temperature of 21-24°C (70-75°F) for fermentation.</li><li>Feed your starter daily to keep it active and bubbly.</li><li>Use non-chlorinated water to avoid inhibiting yeast growth.</li></ul>

Serving Suggestions

Once your sourdough starter is established, you can use it in a variety of bread recipes or even pancakes and waffles. Remember to store your starter in the refrigerator if you won't be using it regularly, and feed it weekly to keep it healthy. If you're planning to bake, take your starter out of the fridge a day before and feed it twice to prepare it for action. Enjoy the satisfaction of baking with your very own homemade sourdough starter.