Easy Sourdough Starter

A good sourdough starter is the foundation of artisan-quality bread. This Easy Sourdough Starter recipe is beginner-friendly and uses just two ingredients: flour and water. With simple daily steps over 7 days, you’ll create a lively, bubbly culture ready to bake soft, fluffy loaves or crusty artisan-style sourdough. It’s a must-have for every serious home baker!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This sourdough starter is ideal for beginners—no complicated tools, no guesswork, and no fancy flours required. Whether you’re dreaming of baking Italian-style white bread or more traditional wheat and rye sourdoughs, this starter gives you a solid foundation. You’ll learn how to build and maintain it with confidence, setting yourself up for decades of sourdough success. Once active, your homemade starter becomes a lifelong baking companion. Plus, you’ll never have to rely on store-bought yeast again.

Ingredients

• 700 grams white all-purpose flour (see Note #1)
• 700 grams filtered water

Instructions

Day 1

• In a medium glass bowl, mix 50g water and 50g flour. Stir well and cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature.

Day 2

• Add 50g water and 50g flour to yesterday’s mixture. Stir well and cover. Let rest at room temperature.

Day 3

• Discard half the mixture. Add 100g water and 100g flour. Stir, cover, and let sit at room temp.

Day 4

• Discard half. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Stir, cover, and rest at room temp.

Day 5

• Discard half again. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Stir, cover, and allow to rest.

Day 6

• Discard half. Add 200g flour and 200g water. Stir and cover.

Day 7

• If the starter is bubbly and has doubled in size (like photo C, if applicable), it’s ready to use. If not, let sit one more day.

Notes

Note #1: Use high-quality all-purpose flour for best results. Trusted brands like King Arthur Flour provide consistent, tested quality.

Note #2: Weigh ingredients using grams for accuracy. Always tare the scale between flour and water measurements.

Note #3: Always feed the starter equal parts flour and water by weight.

Note #4: Discarded starter (days 3–6) is not usable. Compost or throw it away.

Note #5: On Day 4, the starter may begin to bubble and smell sour—this is normal and desired.

Note #6: Transfer the starter to a glass jar starting on Day 5 for long-term maintenance.

The Goods

Easy Sourdough Starter

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Learn how to make a reliable 7-day sourdough starter using just flour and water. Perfect for baking soft sourdough loaves and rustic artisan bread.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Recipes

• 700 grams white all-purpose flour see Note #1
• 700 grams filtered water

Instructions

Day 1

• In a medium glass bowl, mix 50g water and 50g flour. Stir well and cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature.

Day 2

• Add 50g water and 50g flour to yesterday’s mixture. Stir well and cover. Let rest at room temperature.

Day 3

• Discard half the mixture. Add 100g water and 100g flour. Stir, cover, and let sit at room temp.

Day 4

• Discard half. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Stir, cover, and rest at room temp.

Day 5

• Discard half again. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Stir, cover, and allow to rest.

Day 6

• Discard half. Add 200g flour and 200g water. Stir and cover.

Day 7

• If the starter is bubbly and has doubled in size (like photo C, if applicable), it’s ready to use. If not, let sit one more day.

Notes

Note #1: Use high-quality all-purpose flour for best results. Trusted brands like King Arthur Flour provide consistent, tested quality.

Note #2: Weigh ingredients using grams for accuracy. Always tare the scale between flour and water measurements.

Note #3: Always feed the starter equal parts flour and water by weight.

Note #4: Discarded starter (days 3–6) is not usable. Compost or throw it away.

Note #5: On Day 4, the starter may begin to bubble and smell sour—this is normal and desired.

Note #6: Transfer the starter to a glass jar starting on Day 5 for long-term maintenance.