• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Portfolio
  • Subscribe

Bright-Eyed Baker

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Portfolio
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Portfolio
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » DIY & How-Tos

    Published: Feb 24, 2012 · Modified: Aug 17, 2021 by alexandra · This post may contain affiliate links

    DIY Sourdough Starter

    Making sourdough bread requires a bit more time and planning than many breads, predominantly because you need a sourdough starter to make sourdough bread. This starter is usually made with water, yeast, sugar, and flour and develops for about a week before it can be used in bread. Then, only a portion of the starter is used, and you feed the starter to replenish it, so you always have starter on hand, your starter continually "living" and developing over time. You can buy sourdough starter, but there are plenty of recipes out there for making your own. Here's the recipe I use, which has been the most successful for me thus far.

    Sourdough Starter
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups warm water
    • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey*
    • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    Instructions
    1. In a large glass or ceramic bowl, stir honey or sugar into warm water until dissolved. Stir in yeast.
    2. Slowly add flour to mixture, whisking to combine, and cover with a towel or dishcloth. Do use a towel rather than plastic wrap so the wild yeast in your kitchen can "catch onto" the starter, but be sure to use a towel that you don't mind getting dirty. Leave in a warm place to develop. If you don't have a warm place, it should be fine, as my kitchen was cool when I made my starter.
    3. Let your starter sit out for 2-5 days, stirring once per day to reincorporate the liquid that will settle on top. Once your starter has stopped bubbling and has developed a sour aroma, stir it once again and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
    Notes
    *For a vegan starter, use sugar instead of honey.
    Sourdough starter needs to be fed about once every two weeks. To feed your starter, you first need to remove one cup. Use this cup of starter for baking. Then, feed your existing starter with 1 cup of all-purpose flour and ½ cup water. Stir until smooth and let sit, covered, at room temperature for about 12 hours before placing back in the refrigerator. If you're not in the mood to make sourdough bread with that one cup of starter, make something else! There are plenty or surprising ways to use sourdough starter - other breads, scones, muffins, and the list goes on....
    3.3.3077

    Recipe Source: Annie's Eats, Originally From: King Arthur Flour

    Need some recipes to try with your sourdough starter?

    Artisan Bread with a Sourdough Starter

    San Francisco Sourdough Bread

    Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2015-2021

    More DIY & how-to recipes

    • DIY: Candied Lemon Peel
    • DIY: Cinnamon Baking Chips (gluten-free, vegan option)
    • DIY: Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce {gluten-free, vegan}
    • Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (DIY Starbucks Recipe!)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Deb says

      October 14, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      Hi, Before I put the starter in the refrigerator after the 5 days is up, can I take a cup out to make bread right away???? or should I wait till I feed it for the fist time???? thanks for the recipe and for all your help???? Deb

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        October 14, 2019 at 6:32 pm

        You should be able to use it after the 5 days are up, but just make sure you feed it since you'll be removing some. :)

        Reply
    2. BonJon says

      July 09, 2018 at 2:44 pm

      I couldn't find a place to comment on your sourdough english muffins and have two questions:
      1. Any idea how long the muffin dough will keep in the fridge before cooking? have you tried cooking some later than the next morning?
      2. since these are not store bought (full of preservatives), how long do they keep on average once cooked?
      Even a half recipe would be way too many for us. But if the dough would keep a week or so in the fridge, or the muffins would last more than 2 days, I want to try your recipe!

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        July 18, 2018 at 10:49 am

        Hmm - not sure why comments aren't working on the other post. Sorry about that! I'm not sure how long the dough will last in the fridge, but if you want to leave it there til later in the morning, that should be just fine. Once baked, the muffins should last more than 2 days for sure; I would say maybe around 5 days. Hope that helps!

        Reply
        • BonJon says

          July 18, 2018 at 11:11 am

          Thanks! I'll try it and let you know

    3. BonJon says

      July 09, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Don't be afraid to mix your "hooch" into your starter - it is that sourdough flavor. BUT
      Hooch is acidic, and acid slows yeast action. So you can pour some or all off. BUT
      Pouring off reduces the water to flour ratio, resulting in denser starter and denser dough, which results in less yeast action. Which can be fixed by adding a little water to the dough you make. I think it's why folks get frustrated with sourdough.

      Don't presume your refrigerated starter is dead! I just revived mine after not using (only 1 interim feeding, poured off hooch 3 times) it since September 2016, when my dad died. A diabetic, sourdough was better for him. After no homemade bread since then, my Wonder Bread loving hubby wondered if I'd make bread for his birthday today! LOL

      Reply
    4. Ardena says

      April 20, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      My starter tripled in size in the 1st 20 minutes...is this normal?

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        May 08, 2018 at 7:09 pm

        It could be! I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you used the right amount of all the ingredients.

        Reply
    5. Anna says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:01 pm

      I haven't been home for 5 weeks so my starter was not fed do I need to start all over or will it be okay

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        April 05, 2018 at 9:02 am

        Just drain off any excess liquid that may have settled on top and make sure it smells ok. If so, feed it and it should be fine!

        Reply
    6. amy says

      February 06, 2018 at 9:14 am

      Ok, when it says to take 1 cup out of refrigerated starter and use it, does that mean I just take a cup out of the cold starter, use that to make my bread then feed the remaining and leave it in the fridge?

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        February 07, 2018 at 11:44 am

        Yep!

        Reply
        • alexandra says

          February 07, 2018 at 11:44 am

          Unless your recipe calls for fed starter, in which case you need to use a cup of the starter that has been fed.

        • Amy says

          February 07, 2018 at 12:47 pm

          Thanks so much!

    7. Anna says

      December 03, 2017 at 4:49 pm

      My starter was ready to go into the refrigerator two and a half days later so I put it in a large covered Mason glass do I need to stir it once a day also or leave it alone

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        December 04, 2017 at 11:53 am

        Nope, you only need to stir it when you're feeding it. :)

        Reply
        • Anna says

          December 05, 2017 at 5:19 pm

          Since I put the starter in after 2 days do I still have to wait the two weeks before I can use

        • alexandra says

          December 19, 2017 at 8:57 am

          No, you can use it right away; you just want to make sure you feed it at least every 2 weeks afterwards

    8. P. says

      November 23, 2017 at 8:57 am

      Thanks for this. I was concerned as it’s pretty runny but I read through the comments and saw that you addresses this with other people.

      Happy thanksgiving to all.

      Reply
    9. Claude says

      November 02, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      how do I keep the starter going after I use some out of it? Thanks a Lot

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        November 07, 2017 at 10:10 am

        Check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe. It explains how to feed the starter to keep it going. :)

        Reply
    10. Claude says

      November 02, 2017 at 6:54 pm

      After I use some out of the original batch, what and how do I add water or flour, or whatever to keep the starter going, Thank You

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    about-me

    Hey There! Thanks for stopping by! Here's what you can expect to find on Bright-Eyed Baker: lots of baked goods and other sweets made from scratch (many of which are gluten-free), plus the occasional savory recipe or mixed drink. My goal is to show you that from-scratch baking - gluten-free or not! - doesn't have to be intimidating. Learn more about me.

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • DIY: Caramel sauce with milk (no butter, no cream)
    • How to Cut Parchment Paper Rounds for Cake
    • Easy caramel iced coffee
    • DIY: Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts {gluten-free}
    • DIY: Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream
    • DIY: Candied orange peel {gluten-free}
    • Espresso powder and how to make it
    • How to make buttermilk
    seasonal favorites icon
    EASTER RECIPES
    • Blackberry Mint Mimosa
    • Simple and Moist Carrot Bundt Cake (gluten-free option)
    • The Mimosa Mojito
    • Strawberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars (gluten-free option, dairy-free)
    • Strawberry Layer Cake {gluten-free}
    • Best Summer Mixed Berry Galette (gluten-free option)
    • Raisin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins {gluten-free option}

    Footer

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme