A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens bread naturally. This guide covers two methods: activating dehydrated culture for quick results, or cultivating one entirely from scratch using just flour and water.
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Prepare two clean glass jars for your starters.
To make the starter from a pre-made culture, empty one packet of dehydrated starter culture into the first jar.
Add 1/4 cup of unbleached bread flour to the jar.
Add 1/4 cup of water.
Stir with a spatula until a thick paste forms and no dry flour remains.
Use a marker to draw a line on the outside of the jar at the top of the starter to track its growth.
To make the starter from scratch, add 1/4 cup of unbleached bread flour to the second clean jar.
Add 1/4 cup of water.
Using a separate, clean spatula to avoid cross-contamination, stir until a thick paste forms.
Mark the starting level on the second jar.
Place the lids on both jars, but do not seal them tightly.
Set the jars in a warm place for 24 hours. Check back tomorrow for the next feeding.
Store starter in a clean jar at room temperature with daily feedings, or refrigerate and feed weekly when not actively baking.
Glass jar (quart-size or larger) · Kitchen scale (for accurate flour and water ratios) · Spoon or whisk for stirring
From-scratch starters typically require 5-7 days of daily feeding to become active and ready for baking. Dehydrated culture activates in 1-3 days.
Dehydrated culture provides reliable, predictable fermentation and is faster. From-scratch relies on wild yeast naturally present in flour and your environment, offering unique flavor but requiring patience.
Yes, all-purpose flour works, though bread flour's higher protein content feeds the culture more robustly and develops stronger fermentation.
A ready starter doubles in size within 4-8 hours of feeding, smells pleasantly sour, and shows consistent bubbles throughout.
Keep it in a jar at room temperature with regular daily feedings, or refrigerate between uses and feed weekly. Bring to room temperature and feed 1-2 times before baking.
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