🌾 How to Grow Your Own Sourdough Starter from Scratch

Your complete beginner-friendly guide to creating a bubbly, thriving sourdough starter at home.

Have you ever wanted to bake beautiful sourdough bread from scratch? It all starts with one simple thing: your very own sourdough starter — a natural culture of wild yeast and friendly bacteria that gives sourdough its signature flavour, texture, and rise.

The best part? You don’t need fancy ingredients or equipment. Just flour, water, and a little patience.

Here’s how to create your starter from scratch in easy, daily steps.

What You’ll Need:

✔️ Good quality bread flour or whole wheat/rye flour
✔️ Filtered or dechlorinated water
✔️ A clean glass jar or container
✔️ A spoon or spatula
✔️ A digital scale (highly recommended)

Day 1: Mix It Up

In your jar, combine:
50g flour (whole wheat works great to kick-start fermentation)
50g water (room temperature, filtered if possible)

Stir it well to form a thick paste. Scrape down the sides and cover the jar loosely with a lid or breathable cloth.

Leave it at room temperature — somewhere warm and cozy (ideally around 21-25°C).

Day 2: Feed & Wait

You might notice a few bubbles or a slightly tangy smell — a great start! If not, no stress — it’s early days.

  • Discard about half the mixture (this keeps your starter manageable).
  • Add another 50g flour + 50g water, stir, and cover again.

Days 3 to 7: Build the Strength

Keep feeding your starter every 24 hours:

  1. Discard half
  2. Add 50g flour + 50g water
  3. Stir and cover

By Day 3 or 4, you should see more bubbles, rising and falling action, and a pleasant yeasty aroma.

If your home is on the cooler side, fermentation may take longer — just be patient.

How to Tell When It’s Ready

After about a week, your starter should:
✔️ Double in size within 4-6 hours of feeding
✔️ Be bubbly and airy throughout
✔️ Smell pleasantly tangy, yeasty, or fruity (but never foul)
✔️ Pass the "float test": A spoonful of starter floats in water (optional)

At this stage, your sourdough starter is ready to bake with!

Tip: If you don’t have time to start your own from scratch, you can purchase our 100% organic rye starter flakes that will have you making bread within 24 hours. Please see our Organic Sourdough Starter Flakes. 

Note: Please head to our Starter Maintenance page for more information on how to keep you starter alive.

 

Need help with your starter? Join our new Facebook Support Group

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