Sourdough Starter Recipe (Natural Fermentation) (2024)

January 26, 2016 By Jill Selkowitz / 40 Comments Updated March 20, 2020 / As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases; see all disclosures.

This Sourdough Starter Recipe is all you need to make your own homemade bread using natural fermentation. Give your tummy a break from processed bread.

You will find all kinds of opinions on sourdough starter. I like to keep things simple.

I keep a small amount of starter in my refrigerator since I only bake about once a week. Starter is alive and needs to be fed. Join my Facebook Group, Natural Fermentation Real Sourdough Bread Bakers.

I have theBaker’s Math Kitchen Scale, which I absolutely loveand always weigh in grams. Weigh your Flour and the fresh water. Really for bread baking, it is super important to use weight measurements, rather than measure in cups.

Pretty soon you will be baking wonderful bread like myCountry Sourdough Bread Old World Style. With only this Sourdough Starter, water and flour, you can make thousands of different types of bread.

Whisk it all together.

The starter should be nice and smooth.

What To Do With Discard

• For the next two weeks, you will be removing some of the starter and replacing.
• I like to keep a separate container for the what I have removed (the discard). Once I have collected enough, I make English Muffins in a case iron skillet on the stove.
• Anytime starter is removed, it should be replaced with fresh flour and water. Once your starter is active you can use it to make a bread.

When you remove starter to make a bread or to save for discard, always replace equal amounts of Flour and water to keep a 100% Sourdough Starter. If you need a stiffer starter, you can easily adjust your starter, or you can keep a separate one.

I like to use the Rosle Flat Stainless Steel Whisk when I prepare starter as it mixes really quickly and really well. Make sure all the Flour is mixed into the water.

Pour the starter into aGlass Jar with Rubber Gasket (but removed the gasket) or another jar that you prefer. I like this particular style jar because when it is not locked in place, it stays open enough for my purposes.

The starter will grow and triple in size.

Cover the jar with a towel. I like theKay Dee Designs Tea Towels since they are light and cute.

Where to Keep Starter

• When first developing a starter, it needs to stay in a warm area of your house.
• A good place is in your laundry room on top of the washing machine or dryer. You can also keep the starter in the oven or in the microwave.

The starter should always be covered, but not sealed as it needs air to live. Remove the gasket that comes with your jar so that the jar will not be air tight.

For the next two weeks, you will be developing and feeding your starter twice a day.

It is fun to watch it grow. Once the starter is nice and active you will be able to use it in recipes in place of store bought yeast. Your digestive system will love you. Many people who think they are gluten intolerant actually aren’t. Processed breads from the grocery store are made so quickly using dried yeast. The dough rises quickly and the dough doesn’t get a chance to develop like it does when making sourdough bread.

My favorite sandwich bread is myHokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf. The bread is very buttery, soft and fluffy. It is so delicious and you will never buy sandwich bread again.

If you plan to use once a week, place the Glass Jar without the rubber gasket in the refrigerator after feeding and then take out what you need. Always feed your starter after using.

If you do not plan to bake once a week at least, you will still need to feed your starter. I keep another glass jar in my refrigerator for “discard,” which I use to make pancakes, crumpets and other goodies.

If you plan to bake daily and want to leave your Sourdough Starter on the counter, feed it daily by removing half and then feeding.

Sourdough baking takes time, but it is so relaxing and you almost forget about anything else in the world while you are mixing and shaping your bread. With this one starter recipe, you will be able to make loaves of bread, cinnamon bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, onion buns and more. You have the tools with this simple Sourdough Starter recipe.

More Bread Recipes to Make

• Japanese Hokkaido Milk Hotdog Buns
• Instant Pot Yogurt Whey Indian Chapati / Roti {Flatbread}
• Oats and Seeds Sourdough Country Loaf

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Glass Jar with Rubber Gasket
• Baker’s Math Kitchen Scale
• King Arthur Unbleached Flour
• Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk – a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
• Kay Dee Designs Tea Towels

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