Delicious Sourdough Starter in Less Than 14 Days
I began making sourdough started in 2017 and kept it up until I left my teaching job in 2023. Recently I’ve decided to pick it back up and I couldn’t be happier. I’m learning a lot and hoping to bring you all along for the ride!
What is a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria that helps your bread rise naturally. It’s made from flour and water, but over time, it melds with the air, if you will, and ferments and develops a tangy, complex flavor that you just can’t get from store-bought yeast.
Instead of using commercial yeast, the wild yeast in your starter ferments the dough, creating air pockets and that signature chewy texture. Plus, the bacteria (mainly Lactobacillus) help develop the deep, slightly tangy flavor that sourdough is known for.
Sourdough Starter Recipe
A sourdough starter is a natural leavening agent made from just flour and water, fermented over time to capture wild yeast and beneficial bacteria from the environment. This living culture creates the magic behind sourdough bread, giving it that signature tangy flavor, chewy texture, and crisp crust.
Ingredients
- 1/2 bag of whole wheat flour
- 1 bag all-purpose flour
- filtered water
Instructions
- Day 1: measure out 50 grams of water and 50 grams of whole wheat flour. Stir. Place in an area between 70 and 80 degrees.
- Day 2-4: take out 25 grams of the starter and add another 50 grams of both whole wheat flour and filtered water.
- Day 5-14: You can switch over to all-purpose at this point, if you wish. Continue taking out 25 grams of starter and adding 50 grams each of flour and water.
- Once you see lots of bubbles, smell a slightly tart but sweet smell, and have a consistent rise and fall- you’re ready to bake! To keep it fresh, place in the fridge.
- To feed your stater: At this point I will typically double the recipe. Use what I need then add 100 grams each of flour and water, then stir and place back in my Starter home (or fridge).
Why you will love having sourdough starter
There’s something truly special about sourdough bread that makes people fall in love with it.
First, there’s the flavor—deep, tangy, slightly nutty, and completely unique. Unlike regular store-bought bread, which can taste bland or overly processed, sourdough has layers of complexity that make every bite as delicious as the last.
The crust is another reason people get hooked. A well-made sourdough loaf has that perfect crackly, golden crust that shatters just a little when you slice into it, revealing a soft, chewy interior.
Beyond taste, sourdough is a joy to have in the kitchen because it stays fresh longer than most breads. The natural fermentation process gives it a bit of built-in preservation, meaning you don’t have to rush to eat it before it goes stale.
And when it does start to dry out? It still has life left as croutons, breadcrumbs, or even a rich bread pudding. Plus, there’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked sourdough filling your home—warm, toasty, and inviting. It’s the kind of aroma that makes a house feel like home.
For some, like me, making sourdough isn’t just about the final loaf—it’s about the process. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching a starter bubble to life, shaping a dough with your hands, and finally pulling a golden-brown loaf from the oven.
Pre-warning though: Once you start baking sourdough, it’s hard to stop. Suddenly, you’re experimenting with different flours, making sourdough bagels, pancakes, even pizza crusts.
How long does sourdough starter take?
Making a sourdough starter from scratch takes about 10 to 14 days of regular feeding, but the exact timing depends on your environment. If your kitchen is warm and cozy, your starter may become active faster, but if it’s cooler, it might take a little longer to really get going.
If your home stays more hot or cold than you would like, I recommend the Sourdough Home by Broad & Taylor. I was frustrated with my starter's consistency and it has been a game changer!
What you’re looking for is lots of bubbles, a pleasantly tangy smell, and a consistent rise and fall after each feeding. This means the wild yeast and bacteria are doing their job—fermenting the flour and creating the natural leavening that makes sourdough so special.
Is sourdough difficult to make?
No, it takes about fifteen minutes a day while you are getting it going, then fifteen minutes for about once a week thereafter.
The process is simple but requires patience. Each day, you’ll feed your starter with fresh flour and water, giving it time to develop strength. In the beginning, it might look lifeless, or even smell a little off (sometimes like stinky socks or nail polish—don’t panic, that’s normal!). But after a few days, you should start seeing bubbles and a subtle sour scent, signaling that the wild yeast is waking up. By the one-week mark, you might see some rise, but don’t rush to bake with it just yet—it needs time to mature.
By day 10 to 14, a healthy starter should double in size within 4 to 6 hours of feeding, have a pleasant tangy aroma, and produce a stringy, web-like texture when stretched. If it’s sluggish, don’t worry—just keep feeding it and give it a little extra warmth. A good trick is placing it in the oven with the light on (just make sure the oven is off!) or wrapping it in a towel to keep it cozy.
Once your starter is bubbly, active, and reliably rising and falling, you’re ready to bake!
What do you need for sourdough starter?
- Flour – Opt for whole wheat for the first few days to really get your starter going, then you can switch to all-purpose if that’s what you prefer. I recommend Barton Springs Mill’s TAM 105 for great results.
- Water – I like mine at finger warmth, and purified is always better to avoid any chlorine that might slow down fermentation.
- Two mason jars with tops (but not the screw part) – Having two allows you to switch back and forth between them each day, which keeps things cleaner. I also highly recommend a mason jar funnel to make the process even tidier.
- Something to stir it with – There are adorable jar spatulas that fit perfectly inside mason jars, but a spoon or chopstick works too.
- A scale – Sourdough is all about precision, so you’ll be weighing everything by the gram rather than using measuring cups.
