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Recipe

Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe for Beginners

A low-stress, two-ingredient sourdough starter you can grow from scratch, with clear day-by-day feeds, visual cues, and fixes for the most common beginner problems.

Author By Matt Campbell
4.8
A real photo of a glass jar of bubbly sourdough starter on a kitchen counter with a wooden spoon nearby
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If sourdough feels like a club with secret handshakes, I get it. Everyone’s talking about hydration and levains and feeding schedules like it’s normal dinner table conversation. Meanwhile, you just want the part where your bread tastes amazing.

This is the beginner version. Two ingredients. One jar. A few minutes a day. You will learn what to look for so you are not guessing, and you will also learn the best home cook skill of all: how to recover when it gets weird.

A real photo of a spoon lifting stretchy sourdough starter from a jar showing bubbles and texture

Heads up: the timeline can vary based on room temperature and flour, so think of this as a flexible road map, not a strict calendar. You are growing a living culture. It has moods.

Why It Works

  • Accessible ingredients: just flour and water. No yeast, no pineapple juice, no special equipment required.
  • Clear cues to follow: you will know what “ready” looks and smells like, plus what is normal during the awkward teenage phase.
  • Flexible schedule: once it is strong, you can keep it on the counter for frequent baking or park it in the fridge for low-drama maintenance.
  • Better flavor and rise over time: the starter will keep improving with regular feeds, which means tastier bread, pancakes, pizza dough, and more.

Pairs Well With

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Storage Tips

How to Maintain Your Starter

Technically, you are not storing leftovers. You are keeping a tiny flour-and-water pet alive. Here is how to do it without stress.

Short-term (counter)

  • When to use: you bake at least 2 to 3 times per week.
  • How: feed every 24 hours (or every 12 hours if your kitchen is warm and it is peaking fast).
  • Container: a jar with room to rise, loosely covered. Do not seal it airtight while it is actively fermenting.

Long-term (fridge)

  • When to use: you bake once a week or less.
  • How: feed it, let it start to rise for 1 to 2 hours at room temp, then refrigerate.
  • Maintenance: feed about once per week. If it goes 2 weeks, it is usually still fine, just needs a couple feeds to bounce back.

What about hooch?

  • A grayish liquid on top is common, especially in the fridge. You can pour it off for a milder starter or stir it in for more tang. Then feed.

A real photo of a sourdough starter jar in a refrigerator door shelf with a loose lid

Common Questions

How long does it take to make a sourdough starter?

Most beginners get an active starter in 7 to 14 days. Warm kitchens (72 to 78 F) move faster. Cool kitchens take longer. Your job is consistency.

Why did my starter bubble on day 2 then stop?

Classic. Early bubbles are often from a wave of bacteria that shows up first. It is normal for activity to dip for a few days while the yeast and good lactic acid bacteria take over. Keep feeding on schedule.

How do I know my starter is ready to bake with?

It should reliably double in volume within about 4 to 8 hours after a feeding (timing depends on temperature and flour). It should smell pleasantly tangy, like yogurt, ripe fruit, or fresh bread dough. It should look webby and bubbly throughout, not just on top.

Do I have to use a scale?

No, but it makes life easier. If you do not have one, do about 2 parts flour to 1 part water by volume. That is why this recipe estimates 1/2 cup flour to 1/4 cup water per feeding. You are aiming for thick pancake batter. If it is soupy, add a bit more flour. If it is dry and pasty, add a splash more water.

Is mold normal?

No. If you see fuzzy growth, pink streaks, or an orange tint, discard and start over. It happens. Clean your jar well and try again.

What flour works best?

Unbleached all-purpose works great. A little whole wheat or rye can boost activity early on because it has more nutrients and natural yeast. If you are struggling, do a few feeds with 25 to 50 percent whole wheat or rye.

My starter smells like nail polish. Did I mess up?

That sharp acetone smell usually means it is hungry. Feed it more often or use a higher feed ratio (more fresh flour and water). After 1 to 2 good feeds, it usually calms down.

The first starter I made felt like a group project where nobody checks the calendar. Day 2 was wild, bubbles everywhere, confidence at an all-time high. Day 4? Absolutely dead. I stared at that jar like it owed me money.

What finally clicked was treating it like cooking, not like a science fair. Watch the texture. Smell it. Feed it when it looks tired. And keep the setup simple so you actually stick with it. A week later, it doubled like it meant it. I made pancakes first, because you should always celebrate with carbs.