The Best Sourdough Starter Guide for Absolute Beginners
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Sourdough has been trending in 2020, due to our forced homebody lifestyle and a mysterious shortage of yeast in the stores. Our problem-solving natures came forward and said, “No problem! We can make sourdough starter!”
So, while I am late to hop on the bandwagon, rest assured that this post is intended for the absolute beginner who wants to join the sourdough party, but doesn’t actually have time to babysit their starter.
Adventures in Sourdough Babysitting
I started this post a few months ago to discuss my starter-growing endeavors. However, after a couple days, I had to toss my first batch due to the horrific smell emanating from my jar. So, in this first part, I’m going to talk about the Do’s and Don’ts of getting your starter going.
DO Use the Right Flour
I’ve happily made sourdough starter from all purpose flour with no issues. If you tried out my English muffin recipe, that was developed with simple AP flour from start to finish.
For the sake of experimentation, I tried making a starter with whole wheat flour. By Day 4, it smelled absolutely rancid. There is no polite way to describe how badly it stank up my kitchen. My husband promptly dumped it down the sink, gagging, and washed the jar and the sink. He never washes the sink.
So, my third attempt at making sourdough starter involved combining bread flour and rye flour. This worked by far the best. It provided my yeasty babies with a hearty meal, but it also didn’t smell ridiculously bad as it fermented.
Good flours for sourdough starters include:
- All Purpose Flour, bleached or unbleached
- Bread Flour
- Rye Flour
- Mixed Flours (here’s where you can mix whole wheat with another flour)
DO Weigh Everything
You want a kitchen scale for measuring because you need equal weights of flour and water for a feed, not volume. Trust me. I tried doing volume for a minute just to make sure you were getting the easiest guide possible.
When you go by volume, you might pack your cup a little more full one day compared to the next. So, you may be adding too much flour and not enough water. The result is a dry starter.
On the other end, if you use too little flour, your yeasties won’t be well-fed. The result will be a starter with a layer of alcohol-scented liquid on top. This is fixable, but not ideal.
DON’T Use a Small Container
You need a quart-sized container with a good lid to make sure your starter has room to breathe – literally. Your starter will rise and deflate as it eats and burps out CO2. As the gases build up in your jar, the lid will be under pressure.
So, you need to give it room to expand and build gas. A too-small container will create too much pressure on the lid which can result in a small explosion. I use a jar with a spring pressure lid, similar to this:
It seals up really well, but it also releases with a similar flick of the tab. Take a minute before you mix your starter and weigh the container. Make a note of how much it weighs so you can do some quick math later when you weigh your starter.
DON’T Forget to Feed Your Sourdough Starter
Especially for the first four days, you need to weigh and feed your starter at the same time daily. You’ll take the weight of the container with starter in it, subtract out the weight of the container, and then you’ll know the net weight of your starter alone.
From this, you’ll divide that starter weight in half. This is how much you need to discard. Then, you’ll use that weight to know how much flour and water to add back in. That’s a proper feed.
If you happen to forget to feed one day, you’ll likely see a layer of liquid at the top of your starter. This is called “hooch” and it simply means your starter is hungry. Mix it back in, take the weight, divide, discard, and feed as usual.
Check back in 6 hours and see how your starter looks. If the liquid is coming back, you may need to add 20g water and flour.
Day-by-Day Sourdough Starter
Keep those things in mind as you get started. The first four days are the most important, and after that you can relax a bit. So, here’s what to do:
Day 1 : Sourdough Starter Initiation
First things first, clean your container. Give a good wash and dry; then, wipe it with a bit of vodka or vinegar to make sure it’s good and clean.
Then, set your container on the scale and record its weight. Keep a running note page or journal to detail weights for all feeds and discards and which flour you used to feed. So, at this point, take note of your container’s weight.
Start small with your mixers. I like to start with 40g flour and 40g water. Remember to make a note of the date, time, weights, and type of flour. If you want to be really detailed, note the temperature of your water as well.
Seal the container, and set in a dark space that is roughly 65º to 75ºF. Cooler temperatures will hinder your yeast’s ability to feed, and warmer temperatures will speed up their eating.
Mark the height of your starter with a bit of tape or a rubber band, and set yourself an alarm reminder for the next feed, 24 hours later.
Day 2: The First Feed
That’s it for Day 1. On Day 2, you’re preparing for the first feed and paying attention to any signs of life.
When you marked the height with a rubber band or tape, you made a record of where your starter was before it came alive. If there was any action while you weren’t looking, there will be residue above that marked line.
Feel free to measure this and make notes, or just say, “Hey, it’s alive! How cool!” and move on.
Weigh your container with starter in it, and subtract out the weight of your container. This gives you the weight of your starter. Now, divide that number in 2, and that’s how much you need to discard.
I suggested starting with 40g each flour and water. My starter from Day 1 weighs 80g. So, I need to discard 40g of starter and feed in 40g flour and water. By the end of this feed, my starter will weigh 120g.
Mark all this down in your sourdough notes, so you don’t forget tomorrow.
Day 3 and 4: Growing Your Starter
If by Day 3, your starter isn’t showing signs of life, cut your losses, and dump it. There’s no shame in starting over.
You’ll follow the same procedure as Day 2. Check your starter’s activity level (look for the residue of a rise and fall compared to your tape or rubber band). Record your weights, and proceed with a feeding.
After Day 4, you can move your starter to the refrigerator. Now, you’ll wait a week between feeds. Make sure you take note and set an alarm for when to feed.
Days 11, 18, 25, etc.
Now that it is living in the fridge, and you know how to feed that sourdough starter, you’ll transition to once a week feedings. You’ll continue to discard half, feed the remainder its body weight in each water and flour. You know the drill.
After about 3 weeks, you might start feeling antsy about making bread. Rest assured that the wait is worth it. In the meantime, you can make lots of great things with your discarded sourdough starter.
Make Use of Your Discarded Starter
It may not be as strong in flavor, but it can still do some work. Let that discard come up to room temperature, and feed it. When it’s about doubled in size, you can put it to work in chocolate chip cookies, a loaf of bread, cinnamon rolls, or take a shot at my English Muffins (seriously, they’re really good).
In any case, try to find something to do with it if you don’t feel good about throwing it away. No need to waste food, right? And if you have neighbors who are interested in sourdough, maybe gift it to them. Let them know what day it’s on, and how to continue caring for it.
Basically, gifting sourdough is like giving away a pet.
Sourdough Starter That Smells Funky
Let’s go back for a minute. Around Day 3 or 4, your starter is developing more of a smell. Truth be told, a horrible smelling starter may still give you a good loaf of sourdough bread. However, I never want you to bake with something that makes you gag or leaves you uneasy about your health.
I already told you that I dumped my wheat starter because the smell was so repulsive. There are plenty of stories from people who changed out the flour they were using, and the smell evolved into something more appealing. If you’re comfortable with this, go for it!
Here’s what you’re looking for: the smell of overripe fruit is fine, so is Playdoh.
This is just active yeast digesting the grain in your flour. Rye and wheat will have more for your yeast to work through, so you’ll have a more complex scent. All-purpose flour, however, is processed so it may smell more like Playdoh.
If you pop the lid and it smells like acetone, don’t fret. This is a common side effect of underfeeding. Along with the liquid layer at the top, it will smell like nail polish remover. Just mix it in, discard half, and give it a good feeding. Check back in an hour or two, and possibly feed again.
What the Heck is the Float Test?
You’ve likely heard of the float test, and you’re wondering where that fits in to all this sourdough starter talk.
The “float test” is the method by which you determine if your starter is active enough to work in creating a good sourdough loaf. If it floats, it’s ready. If it sinks, it needs to be fed first.
In order to float test your sourdough starter, you’ll fill a cup with room temperature water, and drop a half teaspoon of starter in. If it doesn’t float, you need to give it another feed and wait for 6 to 12 hours before trying again.
When your starter passes the float test, it’s time to get baking! Usually, it takes a month of care before you have a sourdough starter that’s up to the task of making really good bread.
So, You Have Starter Made. Now What?
For me, the first thing I wanted to make with my sourdough starter was a nice batch of English Muffins. It’s something that I love having for breakfast and doesn’t require all the lames and baskets for a big loaf of bread.
The second thing was a good loaf of sandwich bread. Again, I wanted to make good use of my starter without buying a lot of other things. My favorite loaf recipe comes from Melissa K. Norris.
In fact, she has a lot of great sourdough knowledge to draw from, including a whole course you can take when you’re ready to get serious. Not an affiliate, she’s just good.
I also have to brag about my own Honey Wheat Sourdough recipe, which is posting soon.
My other favorite resource for making real-deal sourdough is Josh Weissman. I talked about his kneading technique in my post about brown bread rolls, remember?
Okay, so if you’re ready to make super authentic sourdough, head to his Youtube channel and check out this video complete with slap and fold action. But to follow his tutorial, you’re going to need the following tools:
I’m actually a big fan of my Bread Bosses’ lame. It beats the heck out of trying to score your loaf with a paring knife. Trust me, you need that paper-thin blade to do the pretty scoring you see on all these fancy loaves.
Yes, that’s it. This post is just for getting you started with a sourdough starter. For further adventures into sourdough making, stick with me.
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
