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.
PrintSourdough Starter
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey*
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large glass or ceramic bowl, stir honey or sugar into warm water until dissolved. Stir in yeast.
- 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.
- 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.
Recipe Source: Annie's Eats, Originally From: King Arthur Flour
Need some recipes to try with your sourdough starter?
Stacey
I started mine this morning. I've been saying for years I would do it but was always intimidated.
Question... I have heard someone say they've had theirs for a year. How long can you use a starter for?
alexandra
From my experience, you can keep a starter forever, essentially, as long as you feed and maintain it properly, and as long as it doesn't show signs of going bad (unusual smell, color, etc.).
Mikal
Mikal here from the Philippines. Embarked this afternoon on my first sourdough journey and hoping the warm weather in Manila will be ideal for my first ever starter batch. I bake/sell bread as a hobby and one of my regulars requested today that I add sourdough bread to my offerings. Your recipe seemed the most practical and I am looking forward to try it on my first sourdough bread. I also got inspired with the idea of having an heirloom starter i can actually pass on to my kids - my daughter actually named the first batch Allastair planning to treat it as a pet. I do have one question, during the first few days of the process, shouldn't I feed the starter daily until I get the desired result ready for use?
alexandra
For this recipe, you don't have to feed the starter during the beginning process; you just need to feed it every 2 weeks once you get it going. Hope that helps and I hope your bread-baking ventures with this recipe are successful! That's awesome that you sell bread for fun!
Fey
What else can we make with the sourdough starter? Do you have any other recipes that use it?
alexandra
For the most part, you can use this starter in any recipe that calls for a generic sourdough starter. King Arthur has quite a few on their website. As of now, the two recipes I have on the blog using this starter are the ones linked below the recipe for the starter.
Debbie
How frequently can you bake something? Can you use and feed the starter once a week or more often, if you love to bake for the neighborhood? What is your favorite sourdough roll recipe and where can I find it? Can I use the starter one day and feed it and then use it again the next day? My starter went crazy when I first made it the other day so I must have loads of yeast in my utility room, which is warm. And there was a very strong smell of sourdough in there. I've got it in the refrigerator now and it appears to be dormant. Should I add to it by feeding it or just wait until I bake in a week? Thanks
alexandra
You can feed the starter more often than once a week, even daily if you want to keep it at room temperature. If you want to do that, just feed it, let it get active, use the amount you need for the recipe, and repeat. If you keep it in the fridge, you should feed it before using and at least once every week or two weeks. I haven't made sourdough rolls yet (I need to get on that!) but this is my favorite sourdough loaf. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Noel
Thank you for this information, I am looking forward to trying this as a SF native I miss the bread so much. I have a question though, I was reading the recipe you gave for making sourdough bread, it says "fed starter" only, so does that mean, if I feed it one time, then the next I go to feed it, I can take that "1 cup" of starter I'm going to remove and use that for sourdough? Or does that mean I have to use that one cup again for something else and feed the starter and THEN get another cup of starter that was just fed 5 hours earlier?? Maybe this is basic info, but I'm new to bread. THANK YOU!!!
alexandra
The idea behind fed starter is that you remove a cup of the starter, feed the remaining portion, and then use what you need in the recipe once the remaining portion expands a bubbles up a few hours later. Bake your bread, and feed the starter once more (to make up for what you took out). I realize it's kind of a pain to have cups of starter you either need to bake with or throw away, but it's all about keeping the natural yeast in your starter well-fed and maintaining a proper pH. If you try the sourdough recipe without feeding a few hours ahead of time, your starter won't be active enough to leaven your bread.Let me know how your bread turns out; I'd love to hear!
Noel
Ok, now I understand. THANK YOU for your help~ I will let you know how it works out! Going to start my starter this week!
alexandra
You're welcome! Sounds good. :)
Rachael
I'm going to make this RIGHT NOW! Thanks for the inspiration and recipe. :)
alexandra
I'm so glad I inspired you! Good luck with your sourdough. I think you'll love it!
Lindsay
Hello from Sydney! Your starter recipe looks the most straightforward of all I've seen, so I'm giving it a go. Thanks so much for the super straightforward instructions!
alexandra
Hi! Let me know how it goes with the starter, and if you have any questions at any point. This is the first starter I've ever used that worked for me, and I've been using the same batch since!
Chocolate Lady
I just told my daughter a few minutes ago that I needed to try my hand at making sourdough bread. I've been making all of our bread but have never attempted sourdough. This recipe is a must try. Thank you for sharing all of your recipes and tips. I just made your DIY cinnamon chips this morning; they are delicious, and I can't wait to try them out in a few recipes.
alexandra
You should try it! I had such a hard time finding a sourdough recipe that works for me, and I haven't looked back since I found this one! I'm so glad you're appreciating the blog and like cinnamon chips. :)
Amanda Munhollon
Awesome! I used your San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe-it turned out wonderfully, so good in fact that I am making more of the S.F. Sourdough Bread this weekend!
brighteyedbaker
That's great! I'm glad you tried that recipe; it's my favorite.
Amanda Munhollon
I made the Sourdough Bread last night & I am excited to let you know this recipe came out awesome-my husband even agrees it is very close to what we used to buy back in California. Thank you so much for all of your help & these recipes. 1 Loaf is already gone-making more this Saturday! Your rock!!
brighteyedbaker
I'm so excited that everything worked out well for you. Which recipe did you use for the bread?
And you're very welcome. I love feedback, and you've made my day with yours!
Amanda Munhollon
Fed it tonight & it is all bubbly just like the original batch-thanks so much! I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
brighteyedbaker
Good! You're welcome. I'm waiting to hear!
Amanda Munhollon
The first night after I made my starter, it grew up & over the largest bowl I have-what's left is about 2 cups worth . It has not done anything like that since then. I have stirred it everyday to mix in the liquid that pools in it. Today is day 4 & its smelling pretty potent. It is a little runny though-do you think it would still be ok? Or would the overflow & loss of some of the starter would have any ill effects?
brighteyedbaker
I don't claim to be a sourdough expert, but here's my advice:
You say it smells potent. Does it smell very sour (like sourdough) or a bit like alcohol, or does it smell like it's gone bad? If it smells like it's gone bad, you should start over, but a strong sour or alcoholic smell is okay.
If you've determined that the smell is okay, you can try feeding the sourdough to increase the bulk. Don't discard anything, just add 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water, stir in, and let sit until bubbly. Then, you can either store it in the refrigerator for later use or use some right away. Just make sure that once you do use some, you feed it again, and when you store it in the refrigerator, you take out a cup of starter every two weeks for use and replenish the starter with more flour and water.
Mickey
that 'alcohol' smelling liquid is hootch...really! 49ers (miners) drank it! good luck! I will have to try this recipe... used to bake all my bread ..sourdough!
alexandra
I think I've read that before! It's crazy and kinda cool history too. :) You should try the bread for sure!
Amanda Munhollon
I live in Texas, but from Northern Ca. & you cannot find a good Sourdough out here anywhere! I am making the starter now- one question though, after you have made the starter & need to feed it, you it sit out "covered"-do you use a towel again to allow the wild yeast to enter again? Thanks ahead of time- Keeping fingers crossed!
brighteyedbaker
I always use a towel. I think you could probably cover loosely with plastic wrap as well, though, if that works better for you.
When it comes time to make your bread, I would suggest this San Francisco Sourdough recipe if you want a sourdough with real tang. Also, know that the flavor or a sourdough starter develops and improves over time. Good luck!
Diane Weber
I do not have a large glass or ceramic bowl and the starter is making a mess out of the towel I have covering the largest glass container I have. Can I put it in my big tupperware bowl?
brighteyedbaker
I would say yes. I checked out what King Arthur had to say on the matter, and they say you can use "glass, crockery, stainless steel, or food grade plastic". Hope that helps :) As far as your towel goes, let it dry completely and then you should be able to scrape off the dried starter. That's what I did.
Amy
Gotta try this... last time I tried to cultivate a sourdough starter, I ended up with a moldy mess! Hopefully this time is the charm :)
Thanks!
brighteyedbaker
Do give it a go. I had my share of sourdough failures until I made this starter. Nothing else was working for me, but I've had this one going for months!