How to Make a Sourdough Starter
a guide on making your own sourdough starter at home!
Equipment
- 1 Weck Jar
Materials
- 200 grams flour
- 200 grams filtered water
Instructions
Day 1
- In a glass container, mix 25 grams flour and 25 grams of water until well combined. The consistency should resemble a thick pancake batter.
- Cover the container loosely by setting a mason jar or weck jar lid on top, but don't seal it. You want to capture yeast from the air, so if it's airtight, that process won't happen. The lid is primarily to keep dust and other particles out of the starter.
- Stir the mixture well, ensuring there are no dry flour pockets.
- place the rubber band at the dough line so that you can monitor growth.
- Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature.
Day 2
- After 24 hours, discard half of the existing mixture (about 25 grams).
- With the remaining mixture (about 25 grams) add the 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of wfiltered ater (I recommend using a 1:1:1 ratio). I usually do 25 grams of each.
Days 3-7
- Continue this feeding process for 7 days straight. Ideally, feed once in the morning and once in the evening for best results. If you skip a feeding, that's ok, but you will decelerate progress if you leave it without feedings for too long (it gets hungry!)
It should be ready to use after 7 days, but if not, keep feeding daily
- Once you have seen your starter rise to double after feedings, consistently, it should be ready to use. You can also do the float test to see if it floats in water. If it does, it's good to go. Just scoop out a bit of starter and put it in a glass on water to test.
- It is not uncommon for a starter to take longer to get going. Even up to 3 weeks or more. So don't get discouraged and keep feeding if it's not ready after a week.
Notes
It is not uncommon for it to take longer than 7 days to get your starter active. Be patient and keep feeding.
Some say that you should not use your discard until about 7 days after your initial start day. That's because the bacteria are selecting the right strains for the sourdough, which takes some time to select. I do not know if this is true, but I wanted to throw that in just in case. If you don't use the discard for baking for the first week, then I recommend composting it.