Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe
I’ve got a treat for you today! An easy sourdough starter recipe! Let’s do this.
Much like this never-ending pandemic, the love for sourdough is ongoing (but much more enjoyable).
Were you one of the zillion people learning how to bake with sourdough? Yay! Or did you try it out and gave up after reading the majorly confusing and technical guides online… I don’t blame you. I gave up the first time I tried, too. My mission today is to provide a super simple guide for an easy sourdough starter recipe to get you started again!
What Is Sourdough Made Of?
Cooking from scratch is a beautiful thing, and so is fresh sourdough. Sourdough bread and this easy sourdough starter use two simple ingredients: flour and water. Start with unbleached whole wheat flour in your starter, as it’s the most predictable to work with. Some might even say it’s the best flour for sourdough starter, and I tend to agree.
If you’re interested in branching out, you can use whole wheat flour, rye, or any other type you might want to try. My next adventure will be with einkorn flour!
So wait, there’s no yeast? It’s just flour and water? How does the bread rise and develop flavor then if there’s no yeast?
Great question. Let me explain.
Sourdough relies on wild yeast in the environment for development. There’s wild yeast floating around everywhere. You couldn’t avoid it even if you tried!
I know it sounds a little gross, but these wild little yeasties (yeah, I made that word up) are super important in the success of your sourdough endeavors.
Since the starter is “grown”, or added to every time you use it, it is a continuous living being. It is available so long as you are maintaining it. (More on maintenance in a bit.) The discard is even useful, too–check out this post for more on that.
Pro tip: Sourdough starter can replace traditional active dry yeast as well! One envelope of active dry yeast can swap for 1 cup of active starter. Make sure to reduce the amount of flour in the recipe by ¾ cup and reduce the amount of water in the recipe by ½ cup.
How To Start An Easy Sourdough Starter
Making an easy sourdough starter is a pretty simple task, although it is not for those who need instant gratification. Patience is the name of the game with sourdough, but I promise it’s totally worth it.
(You could buy a premade sourdough starter online, although it’s honestly just as easy to mix up your own.)
Here’s what you’ll need.
- All-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
- Filtered water
- Quart-sized glass mason jar or plastic container (no metal!)
- Plastic lid for the mason jar or dish towel to cover the jar
- Weigh scale (in grams)
- Stiff wooden spoon
- Elastic band (or a washable marker will do)
A note on the filtered water before we move on. You can use tap water if that’s what you’ve got. But, if it is heavily chlorinated or has a ton of chemicals in it (think city water), find a bottle of water to use.
The chlorine and chemicals in tap water can kill off the good bacteria in your starter. And that is NOT what we want happening here.
If tap water is what you’re working with, put some in a jug and let it sit open on your counter for 24 hours. That way, the chlorine will disappear from your water, and won’t harm your starter.
The weigh scale is nearly as important as the flour and water. I have had the worst luck using measurements from measuring cups. My starter never takes off as quickly because I think the scooped/measured ratios are a little harder to get right.
With the scale, you’ll be able to get that 1:1 ratio right from the start by weight. Use this method to mix up your easy sourdough starter.
Let’s get mixing!
- 75g all-purpose flour
- 75g filtered water
Weigh them out, and mix together in your quart-sized mason jar. It should resemble a sticky pancake mix. Put the elastic band around the jar where the top of the mix sits. This way you’ll know when your starter has doubled in size.
Put the lid on the mason jar (loosely) and place it somewhere out of the way. I put mine on top of the fridge. It’s nice and warm up there, and I won’t knock it over while I’m cooking.
How Do I Know It’s Ready To Use?
As I mentioned above, your easy sourdough starter needs to double in size as a rule of thumb. It may take a little while for it to get fired up, so grab a good book and forget about it for a while.
This is how I organize my time when I’m creating a new starter:
8pm – mix flour and water, and put the jar on top of my fridge.
8am – check it. It may have doubled overnight, but if it hasn’t, don’t worry! Give it a little more time.
Once it’s doubled, it’ll look bubbly on the sides and top of the jar. That’s how you’ll know it’s ready.
Technically, you could use it now, but I don’t suggest it. Give it another day. I promise it’s worth it!
How To Feed And Maintain Your Easy Sourdough Starter
At this point, what you’ll want to do is get out your measuring scale and a clean quart-sized jar. Put the jar on the scale and zero it out. Mix your starter well so that you have a fully incorporated starter.
Pour 75g of it into the new quart jar.
Once you’ve done that, add:
- 75 grams of flour, and
- 75 grams of filtered water.
Mix well. And set it back in its cozy, warm place for another 24 hours with a lid on.
As you use your easy sourdough starter in delicious sourdough recipes, you’ll want to add back whatever you use in the recipe. Use the 1:1:1 ratio (starter, water, flour) to make more. Be sure to sign up for my email list and download the free sourdough starter quick start guide!
I always like to make sure there’s at least 100g of starter ready at all times. That way, my recipes will hopefully have enough sourdough starter ready, and I won’t have to bulk it up before I can bake.
Once you’ve got an established sourdough starter, you can continue to feed it daily if you are baking with it regularly. Use the discard in “sourdough discard” recipes!
If you don’t plan on baking with it often, you can keep it in the fridge and “feed” it once a week.
What To Make With A Sourdough Starter
Alright! You’ve made it!
It’s day 2! Your starter is bubbly, a little stinky (it’s supposed to be!), and ready to roll.
Pinterest has loads of great recipes for sourdough recipes. Everything from donuts to loaves of tasty sourdough bread. My personal favorite is this sourdough chocolate chip banana bread from Elien over at bakingwithbutter.com.
You truly can’t screw it up. Sourdough is so forgiving, and this easy sourdough starter will set you up for success! I’ve neglected it so many times, forgotten about it for weeks at a time in the fridge, and somehow it still loves me.
Do you have questions and need to troubleshoot? Leave me a message below and we’ll solve your sourdough dilemma.
Check out my favorite basic sourdough bread recipe!
