How to Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch: Easy Step-by-Step Recipe
Have you been dreaming of fresh homemade sourdough bread, but aren’t sure where to begin? First, you need a sourdough starter! Then you can bake your own delicious gut-healthy bread, crackers, cookies, muffins and more.
Come follow our easy recipe to make a sourdough starter from scratch. This guide will show you how to transform three simple ingredients – water, flour, and apple – into an active and bubbly sourdough starter. The process takes 7 days from start-to-finish but involves very few steps or active time!
I’ve included everything you need to succeed: step-by-step photos, a video tutorial, troubleshooting tips, and resources on how to maintain and feed sourdough starter going forward. Don’t worry – it’s much easier than you think!
NOTE: This post was originally published in January 2019 and significantly updated in 2025.
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What Is Sourdough Starter?
Sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that also contains a stable colony of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria, and is nurtured by routine “feedings” to keep it alive and happy. It’s what makes bread rise without the need for commercial yeast.
If kept alive, one starter can last a lifetime of baking. And don’t worry! An established, mature sourdough starter is very easy to maintain with only infrequent feedings required (when stored in the fridge).
You can make a sourdough starter from scratch, get some from a friend who bakes sourdough, or buy one online. Since starting from scratch can sometimes be tricky, we offer organic dehydrated sourdough starter too. It’s quick, easy, and foolproof to use!
Supplies Needed
- A large, air-tight glass container. We used a 2-liter flip-top container, though a half-gallon mason jar works perfectly too.
- Organic white bread flour. You can also use organic whole wheat if you’d like.
- One large organic apple, or two small apples. See substitutions below.
- Filtered water
- A kitchen scale. Sourdough recipes are measured by weight instead of volume (cups) since different flours have varying densities or weights.
- A mixing bowl
- Liquid measuring cup
- A silicone spatula
- A cheese grater (for the apple)
- A moderately warm location
Why use apple to make sourdough starter?
Our homemade sourdough starter recipe includes apple to increase your chances of success! Flour and water alone are fairly sterile, but organic fruit and vegetables contain natural wild yeasts and beneficial bacteria on them, which helps to kick start the activity of your starter. The shredded apple completely dissolves into the starter and isn’t noticeable by day 5.
It’s key to use organic apples since non-organic produce has been treated with chemicals that can inhibit beneficial bacteria growth or contaminate your starter. If you happen to be allergic to apples, you can substitute with 1 cup of smashed organic blueberries or seedless grapes instead.
How to Make Sourdough Starter
Day 1: Mix
- In a large mixing bowl, weigh out 500 grams of organic white bread flour. Don’t forget to tare the bowl on the scale first, or add the weight of the bowl in to the total!
- Next, wash and grate the apple into fine shreds with a cheese grater. Use the peels but avoid the core, stem, and seeds. Add the apple to the bowl with the flour.
- Now add 360 mL of room temperature or warm filtered water to the bowl and mix thoroughly. It’s best to avoid chlorinated water when making sourdough if possible (but not distilled water) since chlorine can inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria. The mixture will be quite thick and sticky at this point.
- Transfer the sourdough starter mixture into an air-tight container, pressed nicely into the bottom and with the lid closed. The container should have ample empty space to allow for the sourdough starter to at least double in size over the next few days, if not more.
- Finally, use a washable glass pen to mark the current level of the sourdough starter mixture in the container. (You could also use a large rubber band around the outside of the container.) This is to help monitor the rise!
Day 2 and 3: Sit and Wait
- Now let the mixture sit for 3 days or about 72 hours after first starting.
- To make a new sourdough starter from scratch, it’s important to keep it in a location that is about 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) to encourage beneficial bacteria activity. Cooler temperatures can easily lead to inactivity and mold growth. A dark or light location is fine, but keep it out of direct sunlight.
- If your home is cold, see tips and ideas on how to keep a sourdough starter warm below. Use a simple stick-on thermometer to easily monitor the temperature.
- During this time, the mixture may begin to form small bubbles and rise. In some cases, it may rise a lot! So you may want to keep the container on a plate to catch any overflow.
TIP: It’s possible for the sourdough starter to rise and then fall again before you notice (such as overnight) so look for smears on the sides of the container – not just the current level. However, it’s not essential to get a big rise at this stage!
Ways to keep sourdough starter warm:
- Find a warm spot in your house, such as next to or on top of a warm appliance. For example, our kitchen has under-cabinet lights that put off heat when they’re on, making the cabinets above quite warm and cozy. We’ve also placed it against a warm south-facing wall.
- Use a starter heating pad. Consider using a specialized heating pad to keep your sourdough starter warm, such as this wrap-around heat mat (thermometer included). It has precise temperature controls to keep the starter at the ideal temperature. My gardener friends use seedling heat mats too – just be sure it doesn’t get TOO hot! You may need to keep a towel or plate between the heat mat and starter jar.
- Oven light trick. Most oven light bulbs emit warmth, so turning on the oven light (but keeping the oven itself OFF) can create a nice warm spot in the back of the oven for your starter or proofing dough. However, I’ve heard horror stories when folks accidentally pre-heat or bake their starter! So if you try this, be sure to make a reminder that it’s in there – including for other members of the household.
- Proofing box. If you’re a regular baker with a chronically cool home, it may be worth investing in a proofing box – which can keep both your sourdough starter and proofing bread dough at the perfect temperature!
FAQ: What if my starter rises and falls before day 4? Can I move on to the next steps early? No, it’s best to wait. Sometimes, there is an initial burst of very vigorous activity on day 1-2, but that is usually caused by a different type of bacteria that quickly grows then dies off. Meanwhile, the main yeasts and bacteria (lactobacillus) that we want in the starter long-term grow a bit slower. So just be patient before proceeding to the next step!
Day 4: Discard and Feed
After 3 days or about 72 hours, it’s time to feed your sourdough starter for the first time! (This simply means adding fresh flour and water for it to “feed” on, so it can continue to get more active and strong.) By now, the mixture should smell sweet and tangy, sort of like apple cider vinegar. It may also be a bit darker in color.
- First, stir the mixture to knock out any air to let it fall back down to a more condensed state.
- Next, discard half of the amount in the container. This is to make more room in the jar for fresh flour, water, and to rise again! If you want to be exact, you can remove the mixture from its container, weigh it, and discard exactly half. Instead, I simply eyeball it by looking at the line marked on the jar.
- Now add 250 grams of of bread flour and 170 mL of lukewarm filtered water. Mix thoroughly. You can do this by either taking it all out of the jar, mixing it in a separate bowl, and then putting it back in – or simply mix everything right in the container itself.
- Clean up the sides of the jar a bit with a spatula so you can still monitor the rise and fall. (Also, gunky jar sides are more likely to mold.) Re-mark the level on your container if needed.
- Now, let your homemade sourdough starter sit for another 2 days or 48 hours in a warm location.
FAQ: What to do with the discard? Normally, you can use the discard from a mature sourdough starter in a variety of discard recipes like our fluffy sourdough pancakes, sourdough granola, or delicious sourdough discard crackers. However, the discard is still too young and won’t be a great addition to a recipe at this stage, so simply trash or compost it this time. Avoid putting it down your sink drain as it can cause clogs over time.
Day 5: Rest and Wait
Nothing to do today! Just let the new starter rest and rise. During this time, the colony of bacteria and yeast will happily feed on the fresh flour you provided, exponentially increasing their population as they do.
Day 6: Discard and Feed Again
Two days or about 48 hours after the first feeding, you should see a lot of activity and bubbles in your starter now! It also probably rose even higher than the first time. If so, it’s time to feed it again – just like you did on day 4.
However, if you’re not seeing much activity yet, let it sit for another day or two before discarding and feeding again. See more troubleshooting tips to increase activity below.
To feed, discard half the volume and then mix in another 250 grams flour and 170 mL of lukewarm water. It’s okay for the starter to be a tad more wet at this stage. It should be smooth and easy to stir, but not runny like pancake batter. If needed, add an extra splash of water (up to 30-40 mL more) until the desired consistency is reached.
Cover the sourdough starter and let it sit out one final time – for 24 hours this time.
Troubleshooting
In most cases, a new sourdough starter should be bubbly and rising by day 6. However, if you are going to experience any issues, this seems to be the step where it may stall out.
- If there is no activity since the last feed, let it sit an additional day or two before feeding again.
- Is your home on the cool side? Try to find a warmer spot!
- If the starter has visible bubbles but doesn’t rise after feeding, the mixture may be too wet or runny (as varying home humidities and flour types can lead to different textures). When a starter is too wet, the bubbles rise right up and out of the mixture – rather than being trapped inside and causing the starter to puff up and become spongy. So, stir in more flour to thicken it up, adding just a few tablespoons at a time until it more closely resembles your original thick mixture from step 1 (a stiff dough).
- Another option is to try opening the lid of your jar. Cover it with a coffee filter or something else that will prevent fruit flies or other debris from getting inside.
- If your starter isn’t rising well and has a dark liquid formed on top, it may actually be overly active and hungry! Stir in a little more flour (and warm water as needed, if it becomes too thick and dry) and let it sit again. Wait a day or two to see if it perks up and begins to rise and bubble.
- Try to feed it with half whole wheat or rye flour, which usually enhances activity.
- If all else fails, it may be best to buy an established (dry) sourdough starter instead. Ours is foolproof to get going!
RELATED: Learn even more detailed troubleshooting tips in our guide on how to strengthen sourdough starter. Or, see this article on how to tell if a sourdough starter is bad.
Day 7: It’s Ready!
If it’s bubbly and active within 24 hours of the last feeding – congratulations – you just made a new sourdough starter from scratch! It’s now ready to bake with. (Keep reading below for tips on how to use and store it.)
But first, be sure to name your starter. It’s tradition among the sourdough community and considered bad baking luck if you don’t! Check out our round-up of the best 60 Punny Sourdough Starter Names for plenty of fun ideas.
Next Steps: How to Use and Maintain Starter
Now what? If you aren’t ready to bake yet, simply store your starter in the refrigerator and then head over to our guide on how to maintain and feed sourdough starter. It covers the pros and cons of storing it at room temperature vs the refrigerator, when and how to feed it, and how to ready a starter for baking.
Hint: it’s best to use sourdough starter for baking several hours after feeding, once it’s reached “peak activity” – which is when it’s at least doubled in size, is no longer actively rising, but before it deflates again. And remember, never use ALL your starter in a recipe! Always save at least a half cup to feed and keep going.
To make bread, try our go-to no-knead sourdough bread recipe with step-by-step instructions and video. Our simple sourdough focaccia recipe is even easier! You can make all kinds of fun and delicious things like sourdough pumpkin bread, sourdough pie crust, sourdough cornbread and more! Explore all of our sourdough recipes and tutorials here.
FAQ: What’s that dark liquid on the top of my sourdough starter?
When a sourdough starter goes unfed for a while, it will form a layer of dark liquid on top called “hooch”. The yeast in starter produces hooch (an alcohol) as a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. Hooch is not harmful, but is an indication that your starter is hungry and needs to be fed.
When you see hooch, you can either pour it off the top or simply mix it back in, and then discard and feed as usual. However, mixing hooch into the starter will make it extra sour-tasting. Since we store our starter in the fridge and often go many weeks between baking/feeding, it almost always has a layer of hooch on top.
And that concludes this lesson on how to make sourdough starter from scratch. If you found this helpful, please leave a review in the printable recipe summary below! As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments below too. Have so much fun baking!
Video Tutorial
How to Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Equipment
- Large, glass, air-tight container (2 liter or half-gallon)
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 500 grams organic bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 360 mL filtered water, room-temperature
- 1 large organic apple (or 2 small apples)
Instructions
- Wash your apple, but avoid using soaps or produce wash. Using a cheese grater, grate the organic apple into semi-fine shreds. Use the skins, but discard the core.
- Add the called-for flour, grated apple, and water to a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine.
- Transfer the mixture into a large glass airtight container that has enough room for it to at least double in size, minimum. (Ours usually quadruples while fermenting) Pack the mixture down into the bottom of the container. Close the lid.
- To monitor growth, mark the side of your container with a washable marker or rubber band at the top level of the mixture.
- Let the mixture sit for 3 days at a temperature of 70-75 degrees F. It should bubble and rise during this time.
- After approximately 72 hours, thoroughly stir the mixture and then discard half of the amount. Then, thoroughly mix in another 250 grams of flour and 170 mL of tepid filtered water to the remaining starter mixture. This is called "feeding" the sourdough starter. You can do this either in a separate bowl, and put it back into a now-clean ferment vessel, or like we do, mix it in place.
- Re-mark the container to note the height of the mixture. Let sit at 70-75 degrees, for 2 days or 48 hours this time.
- After 48 hours, repeat the same discard and feed process as done previously. Discard half, feed, mix, mark the level, and cover again.
- Allow the sourdough starter mixture to sit for a final 24 hours.
- Once complete, you now have a happy and active sourdough starter! Store it in the refrigerator when not in use, giving it a discard and feed weekly. OR if stored at room temperature, feed it daily to keep it alive.
Notes
- If there is no activity, let it sit another day or two.
- If your starter has risen and fallen, or, if seems to not rise after the first discard and feed, and instead it has a dark liquid formed on top (called hooch), it may actually be overly active and hungry! Stir in a little more flour (and warm water as needed, if it becomes too thick and dry) and let it sit again. Wait a day or two to see if it perks up and begins to rise and bubble.
- If your home is cold, try to find a warmer spot if possible!
- If the starter doesn’t rise at all after the first discard and feed, try opening the lid of your jar. Cover it with a coffee filter or something else that will prevent fruit flies or other debris from getting inside inside.
- Another troubleshooting tip is to feed with half whole wheat or rye flour, which usually enhances activity.
- Ensure that you use an organic apple.
Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.
301 Comments
Kelly Sea
I have used this recipe to make not one, but TWO sourdough starters without fail! Our “Yeasty Boys” have been going strong for years now and provided us (and friends+family) with many amazing sourdough rounds using your basic no-knead sourdough recipe. Thanks for the incredible sourdough recipes and tutorials!
karissa
I love all of your articles! On days when I want a good read, I will look through your articles haha. I just had a thought that it would be much easier to navigate your articles if you had a table of contents at the begining of the article. I found myself looking for one since I thought you did that. Maybe you do in other ones? IDK but I thought i would mention it. Have a good day and thank you for sharing your information!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Karissa, thank you so much and we are glad to hear you enjoy reading our content. We have been adding Table of Contents to the beginning of our articles and will do so on new articles going forward. However, we have to manually add them to older articles so it is something that we are working on but is going to take time as well, we appreciate your feedback and support.
Katherine
Deanna- I’m at the 24 hour mark and the starter is all the way to the top and looking perfectly bubbly, not too thin and smells wonderful. It’s ready to bust out of the top and I’m not sure what steps to take now… My kitchen is on the cool side so it’s been in the oven with the light one, as you suggested. This is not my first sourdough run. I recently lost a long living one that over soured in the refrigerator after been ignored too long.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Katherine, just let the starter do its thing and follow the process and the time steps. The initial burst of activity is a different bacteria than the one that will develop with time during the process of making the starter. Hope that helps and good luck!
Esther
What happens to the apple shreds in the starter? Does your final mix before baking still have some?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Esther, the apple totally disintegrates and isn’t even visible by the time the starter is fully active and ready to be used for baking. Hope that helps and good luck!
Brittany
Question, can the discarded portion after you have successfully completed all steps and you have an active starter, be given as a gift to a friend? I’m assuming yes but would like to clarify how to do so.
Discard into another large jar, and feed first? Or put in fridge and recipient feeds when they bring it home?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Brittany, yes you can give any portion of starter to a friend. I would probably discard some freshly activated starter into a separate jar and keep it in the fridge until you give it to your friend, then they can feed it on their own when they are ready. Good luck!
Brittany
Awesome thanks!! I’ve made your starter before and it worked wonderfully. Hoping for the same luck this time around 🙂
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Good luck!
Brittany
So I did my first discard and feed last night, it went well but this morning there was already hooch on top. Should I add some more flour now or wait for the full 48 hours?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Brittany, I would wait and just follow the steps as described, good luck!
Brittany
I did another discard and feed last night. The result this morning was bubbles on top and it started to look like there might be more hooch forming. So this morning I added in some more flour to thicken it up, seems like it’s getting thin quickly.
I think I should probably mention that I am using organic einkorn all purpose flour. Maybe the flour ratio should be adjusted?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Brittany, using einkorn flour should be a 1:1 replacement but I think there is also a possibility for some slight adjustments as well with using it. We have only used einkorn flour on occasion as part of the flour total when making bread and it did seem to make the bread different in some way. If you think it’s too runny after the next feeding, maybe add a tad more flour but you may have to just use your best judgement and see how it goes. Hope that helps and good luck!
Brittany
Well it’s not going great. The first initial mixup went perfect, rose and fell like it should. First feed it produced hooch in less then 12 hours, so I did a discard and feed that day, nothing happened by the next day but a little hooch and it was quite runny already so I added in some flour to thicken, I waited 2 more days from that point and still no action. There are bubbles in top and still smells kinda like ACV. I am going to discard and feed again today but use more einkorn flour to water and see if anything happens.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Brittany, it seems like the good bacteria and yeast are forming due to the bubbles and slightly fermented/alcohol/vinegar smell. If you can’t get the starter to become fully active, we do sell dehydrated sourdough starter in our shop that is very easy to activate and ready to use in baking within 5-6 days. Good luck and fingers crossed that you will see more of a rise after your next feeding.
Tess Mickelsen
Hi! What an interesting concept to add the apple! I started this last Tuesday mid-morning, using the exact ingredients … in your recipe. I’m using an Anchor Hocking-type large glass jar with lid … my kitchen is between 70-75 degrees always. I could not believe how this rose so quick! It made it to the top at some point, because it was evident on the lid. Since it had risen so much, and because I then was not going to be able to do anything with it Friday, I did the “Day Four” steps Thursday evening. By today mid-morning (Saturday), it looked funny … it had evidently risen & fallen some, and had what looked like a liquid center? I went to stir it, and realized the whole thing was quite liquid … and much of the flour seemed to be settled in the bottom of the jar. I stirred it well, discarded half and fed it, stirring, stirring … it still seemed too liquid, so I added more flour. I also changed the lid to just a coffee filter, thinking it needed more air. It’s been about 8 hours now, and it doesn’t seem to have risen at all … it does however have some bubbles on the top. Will this be OK, do you think?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Tess, I think you should be fine in proceeding with the steps to make your own sourdough starter, you are seeing bubbles now so that is great! It is just about building beneficial bacteria and yeast populations for your starter, it is becoming active so it may just take some time to get fully active. You can adjust the flour or water ratios as you did to achieve a better consistency. Sourdough starters that are too runny will typically not rise as quickly and they “fall” pretty fast as well so finding a nice in between consistency of not too runny but not too stiff either is best. Either way, it seems like you are well on your way to having your own sourdough starter made from scratch, good luck!
Wendy Taylor
Hi Deanna / Aaron
Any specific suggestions / recommended adjustments to the directions for those of us who live at high elevation? Thank you!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Wendy, it seems sourdough starter itself is more forgiving than the sourdough baking process in higher elevations so hopefully making your own shouldn’t differ too much from our directions here. You may need to add a little more water if the mixture seems too dry but you’ll just have to see what it looks like once you get it all going. Hope that helps and reach out if you have any other questions, good luck!
Amelia
Hello! I think I have made a mistake with the started, instead of adding two small apples I added one instead, will that cause any future problems for the starter or I will it just ferment slower? Thank you very much!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Amelia, you should be fine to proceed as described in the recipe, some people make starter from scratch with only flour and water but the apple does help get the beneficial bacteria and yeast populations moving. Good luck!
Pamela White
Hi, can this same process be done with 100% home ground red wheat berries? That’s all I use anymore. Thank you.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Pamela, that should work really well, good luck!
Patty
Just did 2nd discard and feed. Should have re-read this article as I had plenty of bubbles but not a lot of rise. And it was much thinner than the feed I made. Question, how important is it to have ORGANIC bread flour for making the bread or whatever recipe? I am having a difficult time finding any other than on Amazon for $20 for 5lbs. For here, that’s five times the cost of non organic. But I don’t want to kill my starter in the recipe.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Patty, you should be able to use non-organic flour for your starter and for your baked goods. We get 40 pound bags of organic flour at a local bakery for around $50 and most grocery stores should have organic flour in a 5 pound bag for around $10, but if it’s not accessible to you, using non-organic should be just fine. Good luck!
Patty
Only 3 stars because I just made the starter. I measured everything out, but my starter mix looks thicker than expected. ???
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Patty, it should be really thick when you first get the ingredients mixed together, you can always add more water if you think the consistency is too thick. Also, you don’t need to leave a rating at all if you haven’t finished the process of making your starter from scratch, you can just ask a question without rating the instructions/recipe.
Patty
Well, that starter molded. Pretty sure. So I’ve started a new one. Can it get too warm??
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Patty, it possibly can get too warm, keeping it right around 70 degrees F is probably a safe bet, if you have issues with your starter getting moldy again on your second attempt, we sell dehydrated sourdough starter that is easily activated within 5 days of starting the process, you can find it here if you are interested. Hope that helps and good luck!
Molly
How often/how much do I feed? Also with the FIRST round of discard, after day 3 can I use it? Or I have to wait until the final discard
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Molly, if you are starting a sourdough starter from scratch, it is not active after day 3 so there really isn’t a reason to use the discard in baking. If you want to know how often to feed a starter once it is fully active, see our article on How to Feed Your Sourdough Starter + Storage & Care Tips. Hope that helps.