Dough & BrineSourdough starter from scratch
Whole grain rye flour and water develop into a bubbly, fresh-smelling starter for naturally leavened bread. Daily feedings and a steady 24 °C (75 °F) support fermentation, but reliable growth, not the calendar alone, tells you when it is ready.
- Hydration
- 100%
- Fermenting
- 7 days
- Hands-on
- 35 min
- Jar
- 0.5 liter
- Keeps
- 7 days
Food safety
- Do not taste raw dough: raw flour can carry pathogens. Wash your hands and the counter after handling the dough.
- Contains: gluten (rye).
- Use a clean jar and serve with a clean utensil, so no food scraps end up inside.
- A layer of gray or brownish liquid on top is normal: pour it off or stir it in. Pink or orange streaks, or fuzzy or colored mold: throw everything out and clean the jar thoroughly.
Method
- On day 1, mix 20 grams whole grain rye flour with 20 grams drinking water in a clean jar, scrape down the sides, and mark the level. Set the lid loosely on top and keep the jar at 24 °C (75 °F), out of direct sunlight, throughout the startup period.Do not seal the jar airtight. If your kitchen is cooler than 24 °C (75 °F), put the jar on top of the fridge, or in the oven with the light on and the door slightly ajar; check with a thermometer that it stays below 26 °C (79 °F), and tape a note to the oven so nobody preheats it. At 20 °C (68 °F) doubling takes 8 to 12 hours instead of 4 to 8. The listed 140 grams each of flour and water cover the seven-day schedule, including what you discard.
- On day 2, after 24 hours, stir the starter, keep 20 grams, and discard the rest. Mix the retained starter with 20 grams rye flour and 20 grams water, mark the new level, and cover loosely.
- On days 3 through 7, repeat the feeding every 24 hours: keep 20 grams starter, discard the rest, and mix in 20 grams rye flour and 20 grams water. Use a clean spoon, keep the jar walls clean, mark the level, and cover loosely.Each feeding leaves 60 grams of starter. A burst of growth on day 2 or 3 followed by a quieter period is normal and does not mean the starter is ready.
- After feeding on day 7, check the starter against its marked level. Consider it ready for baking only when it at least doubles within 4 to 8 hours after two consecutive feedings, has plenty of bubbles, and smells pleasantly sour.A single strong rise is not enough to establish reliable activity.
- If the starter is not reliably active after seven days, continue the same daily feeding until it meets the readiness checks. Allow an additional 20 grams rye flour and 20 grams water for each extra feeding.Keep the temperature steady rather than changing the feeding routine on a quiet day. If nothing happens after about 14 days, check the temperature, switch to filtered or boiled and cooled water (chlorinated tap water can slow the start), and start again if needed.
- Discard the entire starter if you see mold or pink or orange discoloration, or notice a rotten smell that persists after day 5, and start again with a clean jar. Do not taste raw starter or use discard from the startup week in food.A sharp smell on days 2 to 4 (cheese, sweaty socks, nail polish remover) is part of the startup; discard for mold, pink or orange discoloration, or a rotten smell that persists after day 5.
- Once the starter is ready, feed it and leave it at 24 °C (75 °F) for 1 to 2 hours. Then cover it and refrigerate at no more than 4 °C (39 °F).
- Feed the refrigerated starter at least once every seven days, keeping 20 grams and adding 20 grams rye flour and 20 grams water. After feeding, leave it at 24 °C (75 °F) for 1 to 2 hours before returning it, covered, to the refrigerator.Store the established starter covered at no more than 4 °C (39 °F) for up to 7 days between feedings. Out of the fridge, give it 1 to 2 feedings at room temperature and bake only once it doubles within 4 to 8 hours again. For a loaf, mix 20 grams starter with 50 grams bread flour and 50 grams water 6 to 10 hours ahead at 24 °C (75 °F); use it once it has at least doubled. That gives 120 grams active starter.
In your log
Tick it off and it goes into your log with the date.
Stays in this browser only.
When it goes wrong
| What you see | Likely cause | Next time |
|---|---|---|
| A strong rise on day 2 or 3, followed by little activity | An early burst of microbial activity rather than an established starter | Continue daily feedings at 24 °C (75 °F) and judge readiness by repeated growth. |
| Little visible growth during startup | The culture is still developing, or the jar is cooler than 24 °C (75 °F) | Check the temperature and maintain the feeding schedule. |
| Bubbles appear, but the starter does not reliably double | Fermentation is underway, but the culture is not yet consistently active | Continue feeding until it meets all the readiness checks. |
| The starter rises strongly after one feeding but not the next | Its activity is not yet stable | Wait for at least doubling within 4 to 8 hours after two consecutive feedings. |
| Growth is difficult to judge | The starting level was not marked, or residue obscures the jar | Scrape the walls clean and mark the level after each feeding. |
| Mold, pink or orange discoloration, or a rotten smell that persists after day 5 | Contamination or spoilage | Discard the entire starter and begin again with a clean jar. |
| A refrigerated starter becomes sluggish | Feedings may have been missed or spaced too far apart | Feed at least once every seven days and check its activity before baking. |