Make Your Own Sourdough Starter
If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you may want to try creating your own sourdough starter from scratch. Baking bread from scratch is satisfying in its own right, but when you’ve also had a hand in the creation of one of the most fundamental components, the leavening agent itself, you’ll feel an even greater satisfaction and connectedness to the process.
Are there kids in your house? This little science project is ideally suited to sharing with any children you can convince to join in. Culture their budding scientific minds while creating your own bread culture.
This video outlines one simple method that worked for me the first time I tried it. In the video, I give credit for this technique to Peter Reinhart. It has since come to my attention that Debra Wink, a chemist and accomplished baker, is the mastermind and author of this Pineapple Juice Technique. A lot of research and testing went into developing and refining the technique. The choice of pineapple juice over other juices is from much trial and error. Debra was kind enough to email her essay on the Pineapple Juice Technique. Click here for a printable copy of it.
As I mention in the video, the wild yeast spores and lactic-acid bacteria that give your starter its leaving properties are all around you. You are simply creating the conditions ideally suited for them to thrive and multiply. I used whole wheat flour in this recipe because fresh whole wheat flour may harbor greater numbers of yeast spores than ordinary all-purpose flour and so increase your likelihood for success. It worked for me, so you might try the same. If, at any time, you wish to transition your whole wheat sourdough starter to a regular white flour starter, it’s super easy to do so.
I’ve listed the ingredients and approximate steps here to save you the note taking.
- Step 1. Mix 3 ½ tbs. whole wheat flour with ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice. Cover and set aside for 48 hours at room temperature. Stir vigorously 2-3x/day. (“Unsweetened” in this case simply means no extra sugar added).
- Step 2. Add to the above 2 tbs. whole wheat flour and 2 tbs. pineapple juice. Cover and set aside for a day or two. Stir vigorously 2-3x/day. You should see some activity of fermentation within 48 hours. If you don’t, you may want to toss this and start over (or go buy some!)
- Step 3. Add to the above 5 ¼ tbs. whole wheat flour and 3 tbs. purified water. Cover and set aside for 24 hours.
- Step 4. Add ½ cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 to 1/3 cup purified water. You should have a very healthy sourdough starter by now.
Notes: I do wonder if the fact that I bake all the time with a sourdough starter (and so theoretically have wild yeast floating around our house by the gazillions and covering everything we own) would increase the likelihood that I would have success creating my own sourdough culture from scratch. So I anxiously await feedback from anyone who attempts this process at home. (You’ll see a nifty little form below for comments and feedback. If you’re shy; you can use the Contact link at the top of the page. While I may report your (mis)adventures, I’ll keep your identity anonymous. 
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Thanks Eric!
April,
I go straight from the long rise. (12-18 hours). I found that if I messed with it too much I would not get those big wholes. Maybe it is because I am at altitude in Park City. I do not need to shape because my Le Creuset is about 8″ round and it shapes itself automatically. I cook it with the lid on at 450F for 20 minutes and then turn it down to 425F for 40 minutes. If you want it browner… depending on your oven. Take the lid off for the last 10 minutes..
Enjoy
John,
Do you bake directly from the long rise, or are you folding the dough and doing a second, short rise (without shaping) before baking?
Thanks a lot! I would like to try your method.
Thanks for the sourdough starter video. I have been toying around with my starter for a couple of years
and needed a little refresher. The “pineapple” citric acid I think will be key for me. The reason is because I keep two
starters all the time. One is my key strain that is primarily in stasis in the fridge. And the other is my working
starter that I refresh from the key strain and keep at room temperature. The issue was that the room temp
would get moldy. Now I add a two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and problem solved.
I have used the “natural method” many times but I was never really satisfied.
So here are my secrets:)
I decided to go after the source of the sour. To Belgium where the Trappist monks basically invented beer brewing with
wild yeasts. The process has been basic since 1200AD but then in 1950 a monk, trained as a chemist, at the Chimay Brewery
in Belgium isolated the single cell organism that is now in every bottle of Chimay. I use the red Chimay and basically substitute
where you use pineapple juice. Then I add a 2Tbs of lemon juice and feed as normal. Not only does it take off faster but the
distinctively sour taste of a Trappist ale persists ever so delicately.
I have only tried with unbleached white flour and I use the no knead method.
And I think the key to really airy rounds is to flash it. By that I mean I do not
work with it at all. It goes straight from sponge to a 450F preheated oven with
as little manipulation as possible. I don’t have to shape them because I have
a little Le Creyset that is perfect for a 1lb round.
The results have been very satisfactory. My wife and our three small boys will consume a 1lb round every day. And that is a fresh 1lb round made everyday of every month of the year. We truly
are in breadtopia!
Hi Agustin,
You can use white flour just the same. Supposedly whole grain flour has a higher probability of harboring yeast so might give you a better chance of success getting a culture going. But I don’t know if the difference, if any, is significant.
Thanks Dorothy, I will give it some more time on the 2nd rise. – Kira
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Hi Kira,
Your sourdough loaf looks really good. I think as a rule of thumb, the no knead method makes a heavier and chewy crumb, which is what most people like. However, the last time I made my sourdough loaf, I increased the ingredient proportion by 25%. Then becuase of my timing in the second rising, I left it much longer than the 2 hours (although I don’t remember how long the second rising really was). I baked my loaf in a 4 quart French White casserole and the end result was great. The crust was chewy, but the crumb was light. It tasted like it was a store bought loaf. Maybe try a longer second rise and see what happens.
I have been baking bread for two years now and every loaf is still pretty unique. I’ve only had one failure with my starter in the beginning. The loaves spread, instead of rise and it was really not edible. But I have been quite successful with my sourdough starter since.
Dorothy
This is my 3rd bread that I made with the sourdough starter, and it’s really heavy. I don’t know why it’s so heavy and not light and fluffy. The crust was perfect. I baked it at 450 on a pizza stone in the oven.
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Hi, Eric! I have a question. Making the starter with white flour, has the same results as with whole wheat flour? Thanks.
I have used your method to start a successful sourdough starter. To the previous post. Getting the dough in my le creuset knock off is easy using the Cook’s Illustrated method of using parchment paper.
Hi Sara-Anne
I started out my no-knead experimentations with a knock-off Le Creuset dutch oven that I got from one of the shopping networks. It was what I had and was ok but 1) getting the dough in is trickier than the clay oven alternatives 2) less control over shape of your loaf. I finally broke down and ordered a Romertopf and then someone GAVE me a La Cloche oven. The deal was I store it and use it and she will ‘borrow it back’ if she ever gets the urge. I highly recommend investing in a La Cloche or a Romertopf if you are going to remain serious about this. There’s nothing like having the right equipment and you don’t need an expensive Le Creuset (though now I’m eyeing those petite Le Creuset casseroles for small loaves of bread!).
Hi Sara-Anne,
If you can find a relatively inexpensive cast iron Dutch oven, they work well. Some people even invert clay flower pots over the dough when baking. They are just a few dollars.
If I have not given thanks before – here goes now. Each bread is better and better. The crust perfect, the remaining starter healthy and vibrant. I am starting a separate rye starter today. How can I achieve this crust other than using the expensive Le Creuset pots (or buying cheaper ones)?
Began mine yesterday but I’m not using pineapple juice as I can’t find unsweetened stuff for the life of me. So, encouraged by other online friends, I’m simply using flour and water. I seem to have hooch already – it began forming about four to five hours after I mixed the paste. Or is my mixture simply settling out?
It’s the middle of summer here (Western Australia) so I wouldn’t be surprised if my starter is acting like it’s on amphetamines.
I too have a wonderful starter. I m experimenting with different recipes for plain sourdough with marginal success. The bread is wonderful, the taste rather bland. I shall make bread in my cast iron Dutch oven tomorrow to see if I can get a better crust. Love this site.
Nice, Kira!
Thank you so much!!! I made my first ever sourdough starter from scratch. I’m so excited. Thank you! Thank you!
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Just to add this note, a healthy sourdough starter will tend to fight molds and stray bacteria. If you are getting mold it can mean the starter is being stressed out from being fed to infrequently and with too little flour and water. It is also not a bad idea to clean your container now and then because the top and sides are more likely to grow stray cultures. But generally, things have to get pretty bad for the starter to go bad. Did that just make sense?
Wil
Hi Katy,
When I feed my starter, I always sterilize my spoon, measuring cup and wide mouth quart jar in boiling water then I transfer my fed starter to the sterilized jar. I have a lid with holes punched in it and rinse that too. That way you won’t get any mold. We have spring water so I also boil my water and keep it in the refrigerator and use that for my starter in case there might be some bacteria in it.
Hi Katy,
If the mold is indeed on the upper edge/top of your container, this is not unusual for a new starter. Just stir your starter a little bit in the middle of your container being careful not to knock any of the moldy substance into it. Carefully spoon out an amount of starter, say a quarter cup or more if you can. I don’t know how much starter you are keeping. What ever amount you take out, put it in a clean container. Add an equal amount of flour and water, stir and that’s it. If you want to continue to use your old container, just clean it out real good and pour your starter back into it. Your good to go, don’t start over.
Wil
Katy
I suggest you wipe the jar clean with hot water. Pour out your starter from the uncontaminated side into a new clean jar. See ‘Suite101.com’, under sourdough starter & mold. The writer says if there is mold around the starter pour it out jnto a clean jar & “pick out the moldy pieces!”. I don’t know about that, but yours doesn’t sound that bad.
I have been keeping my starter alive, I think! It is bubbly and has a sour, yeasty smell but I’ve noticed some mold growing around the top edge of the jar that I have it in! Is that bad? Do I need to stsrt over? Please help!
Sorry, touchy computer! Any way as I said day four, good thing I looked at the starter, after adding more flour and H2O, in about 15 min. it was overflowing. Had to put in a larger jar. Can’t wait until tomorrow to bake some bread!
Well it’s day 4
7 after adding to my sta
I started a batch of pineapple juice starter last Sunday afternoon. It’s a little cool in our kitchen so it took a while to get going, but it now is nice and bubbly. I grind my own wheat flour, so made the whole wheat version.
The starter looks good, but I have to admit that it smells a little funky. I have used sourdough before, but it was always the kind you start from regular yeast and AP flour, so maybe I am expecting the wrong kind of sour smell. I also have a batch of starter from Eric’s dried starter and AP flour going, it is just now starting to bubble, no smell yet.
I know it’s very difficult to discuss/describe smells, but any comments on the sour smell would be appreciated.
Les
Day 3 of pineapple starter and right on track! Amazing how elated bread baking makes one feel! It is good for the soul.
Alain,
I’m guessing that you are new to “no knead” bread. The dough after the first rise is wet and flat, but it is stringy and has lots of holes. BUT after the second rise and is bakes, it will “dome” and the texture of the bread is chewy and dense and the crust is very crisp. Unlike the conventional bread that needs kneading, the texture of the dough is smooth, elastic and will rise up in a domed shape.
Follow the “no knead” recipe exactly and you will be rewarded with a very tasty loaf with good bite like the artisanal bread that you can buy in the supermarket, except this is much healthier. The NKB will never taste or look like the “wonderbread” type loaves.
Dorothy
Just bake it! Don’t forget about oven spring. Don’t give up on it at every stage. Assume success. (instead of failure)
What recipe did you use? Sounds like the no-knead and its a pretty wet dough. I’m very persistent too. I think you have to be persistent because there are so many variables, but the good news is its hard to produce something inedible… really! I had to experiment a lot with proofing containers and I also prefer the Almost No-Knead. The classic no-knead always produced a flatter bread. I like being able to handle the dough and wanted a bread like I see in pictures which I finally achieved recently by 1) using the Almost No-Knead recipe 2) choosing proofing containers that aren’t too big so the only direction to go is up 3) being methodical and persistent and finally 4) not overproofing. Persistence is a good thing. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive. Don’t be discouraged.
I am a very persistant person butttttt , when I got up and opend the oven door this morining there it was “the blob”a flat as a pancke mass of something it had a lot of elasticity, and is sticky but has no fimness i tried putting it in a bowl and it imediately took that shape !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess soemthings are not meant to be ,,,,all I can think of is the Seinfeld episode
“No Sour Bread For You”
Ok so still a problem I have gone to stage 2 but the batter is rising but on the flat side!!!!! it does not rise up but goes flat …so I did the double fold thing and put it in the oven with the light on………
well I have come to the conclusion that it was just my ignorance of the product (sour dough starter ) i kept throuwing it out, and now I realize it was good all along
this moring I took out 1 cup of starter and fed the left over and put it in a new jar and all is fine ( i think ) I made the first stage at 11:00am and it has been sitting all day it has risen, ( yeah!!!)I will take it out and kneed it at about 11:00pm and let it rise untill 8:00an and will cook in than wiil let you know how it went, my main concern so far is that it has not risen as much as my regular white bread that I cook all the time, it appears to be “heavy”or dense” ”
getting more and more encouraged
Alain
OK, it’s 1:15 am & the starter is already bubbling, I knew the Clementines would work just as good as pineapple juice, ,, more later
Alain,
I started my sourdough following Eric’s pineapple juice recipe but used only all purpose white flour. Mine never had the volume that Eric or Wil described in their experience. When I let my sourdough starter sit, there is always hooch on top and my starter is not thick and full of bubbles like theirs. My starter has a liquidy pancake mix consistency. But it has lots of tiny bubbles which tells me that it is “alive” and it smells sour. I have used it three or four times and always add in what I take out, meaning if I use 1/4 cup of the starter, I will add back 1/4 cup of flour with almost 1/4 cup of distilled water or boiled and cooled water. Don’t give up, try putting it in the oven with the oven light on to see if it will get it bubbling.
After reading all the blogs on sourdough, and looking at mine, I think everybody’s sourdough is slightly different.
Good luck.
Dorothy
Ok thanks everyone TOMORROW is “D” or should I say “B”day for bread day I will attempt to start a loaf and see what happens, will keep you posted
not so discourage Alain
thanks for the quick response greatly appreciated
I, too, have suspected you are tossing good starter. That’s why I asked why do you think it’s dead. I don’t really think it is. Mine never doubled or tripled in volume and I have been maintaining mine and baking bread regularly (at least 2x per week) since December. I never made sour-dough starter before December, so I don’t think I have a lot of wild yeast floating around helping me out. The directions don’t say it has to double. It only says, “some activity of fermentation”… its just sorta bubbling. I think you are expecting too much volume increase. Once you see activity, even just bubbling, I think you’re good to go. That’s all mine does. I’ve made so many loaves with this starter that now I have it in my head that using a packet of yeast is cheating.
I’m an old cook. I used to have starters at different stages in my life, but never heard of one using pineapple juice!. Guess it would be a good substitute for sugar & water. Well don’tcha know I didn’t have any pineapple juice in the house, ( I had a cored pineapple a few days ago, but ate it already & of course drank the juice)! However never being afraid to substitute, I did have 6 clementines and squeezed the juice from them & used that. Will let you know how this turns out.
Ok. I think I know what’s happening. In order for starter to grow substantially, you have to feed it a significant percentage of what you’re starting with. By the time you get to your 4th feeding, you have a lot of starter, so you have to feed it a lot of flour and water to get it to respond noticeably.
The next time you feed it, take a 1/2 cup or so of your starter and feed it a cup of flour and 2/3 cup water and watch it take off after several hours.
So basically, you’ve been apparently tossing good starter each time. If you still have your latest batch handy, you should be about ready to bake with it.
Of course I could be wrong about all this, but that’s my best guess.
Hi it’s Alain again,
When I say it doubles I mean that after I feed it with flour and water it doubles in size in the next 12 hours there are lots of bubbles in the sour dough , it smells sour and the consistancy is what you show. Kind of “spongy” but as I write I have 2 on the go that were up to thier 4th feeding which should have doubled this AM but as usual when I got up and looked at them they were both the same volume as last night and they take on a more “soupy consistancy they still smell good but have no volume increase!! This is when I would throw the batch out, thinking it is a dud. Am I discarding it to quickly?
I tried feeding them again just to see and now 10:00PM still nothing, the only other person in the house is my wife and she is as anxious as I am to finaly make a loaf, so no sabotaging on her part .
Thanks for replying so quickly.
frustrated Alain
Please describe “seems to die”. Why do you think its dead?
I’m waiting too
. Hoping someone else has a clue.
Alain, I’m not sure what you mean by “starter doubles every time”. Do you mean you double the volume by feeding it or that after you feed it, the starter doubles (grows on its own) to 2x the volume you started with?
If the starter is growing on its own, then that would normally be considered a healthy starter and having it die 11 times in row at exactly the 4th feeding is something out of the twilight zone. I think someone (or something) is conspiring to sabotage your efforts.
It’s also odd that you would have such success in the first 3 feedings about 11 times. Everyone should be so lucky.
I must not understand your situation.
Day one – started the pineapple starter. Waiting to read comments as to why Alain’s appears to fail at 4th feeding.
I am new to sourdough starters and can’t seem to get going, for about the 11 time now I get up to feeding # 3 alnd all is well starter doubles everytime but when I get to the 4th feeding it just seems to die
any guidance would be greatly appreciated
thanks
Alain
Wil
Thanks for your informative response. In this case more info is better
My starter is very strong. It doubles in 2 hours and triples in 3; it smells wonderfully yeasty and is a bubbly, spongy mass at full expansion. I’m happy to hear that there should be no need to alter it at this stage.
Thanks again and I’ll let y’all know how my first batch of bread comes out.
Best,
Angela
Angela,
No need to add pineapple juice to your already established starter. Not sure it would hurt but feel it is unnecessary at this point. If your starter looks, smells, taste and acts (bubbles, expands,etc. after feeding) like a good starter—it is a good starter. At this point it’s bacteria and yeast are superior to anything bad floating around. If you are getting ready to bake, just replace what you use in equal amounts of flour and water, stir it up and put in your refrigerator until you bake again. If you go a week or more without using your starter, take out of the refrigerator, take out half and discard or make pancakes or waffles. Replace what you take out with equal amounts of flour and water, stir and replace in the refrigerator.
You can use whole wheat flour or rye or a mixture of both for your starter with no problems. Many of us keep such a starter. Personally I have used a 50/50 white whole wheat and rye starter for years. It tends to be a robust starter with good sour taste and keeping qualities. I personally do not use a high gluten flour such as bread flour because SD starter purist say in time, it can become gummy and a little hard to manage. I experienced this although I am sure some people on here have only used bread flour with no problems. A last note about amount of starter to keep and manage. I have found that no more than a cup is plenty and less is more. I keep 1/2 cup and use 1/4 cup at a time. Some recipes call for as little as 1/8 cup in a “retardation/refrigeration process” to improve dough sourness and quality. More on that can be found here in Breadtopia.
This is probably more than you wanted to know. Happy NK SD baking!
Wil
Hi I just found your site via the Thesis portfolio. I started a starter from scratch on 12/8/09 using the method found here: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/startermyway.html. It’s been doing just fine doubling rapidly twice a day after feedings, but I’m concerned after watching your video about possible harmful bacteria. Could I give my starter a few feedings of pineapple juice in stead of water now, to kill any errant germs? I have not used the starter yet (no time at the moment) nor have I refrigerated it. It sits in my kitchen, bubbling happily.
As per the instructions I used, I started my brew with rye flour and after it was doubling reliably, switched to white flour because the author states that whole grain flours add large numbers of stray organisms you don’t want into the starter. He says the organisms are helpful at the beginning, but after the initial 4-6 feedings “we want to refine the starter, encouraging the growth of the organisms we want and discouraging the ones we don’t want”. What is your take on this idea?
Also, half of the starter is discarded just prior to each twice daily feeding. I noticed in your video that you did not discard any. Wouldn’t you end up with a mountain of starter, or do you bake so often that your use of it is like discarding half?
I’m thrilled to have found your site! So full of helpful information. I used to bake breads several times a week but other priorities have taken me from this pleasure. I’m gearing up to start again as a patch of free time approaches. This will be my first foray into sourdough.
It’s ALIVE !!!!! yes conceived just 5 days ago My Ground Hog Day “mother” (Sourdough Starter) was born.. Alive and Kickin’ Next up, Awesome Sourdough Bread !!!! I love making the Wheat and White No-Knead breads… I make a really good Onion and Poppyseed variation. Who would have thought you could make crusty great bread like this at home !!! Breadtopia Rules……
I’m not exactly a novice baker but was a novice bread baker when I made this sour-dough starter over the holidays in December. I’ve been baking bread regularly almost exclusively with my starter. Lately I thought my yeasties were dead but they seem to be just a little lazy. On the last few attempts they seemed to need an extra proofing boost. I have a proofing setting on my oven, so when I mix up the dough I put it in the oven on the proofing setting and wait until I see some action. Once there is action then it seems to continue, even at a lower, cooler house temperature. But if I don’t wake them up with a little warmth, the dough just seems to sorta sit there inactive. Maybe they go to sleep and need to be woken up.
I know my starter is alive because I take it out of the fridge from time to time, feed it and let it sit at room temperature. I always see a little bubbling action. I think they are just lazy and prefer a more temperate climate!
I bake bread daily – many different kinds. I have not been successful with sourdough. I cannot capture wild yeast spores in my house but like one of your other commentators my starter reacts very well within 48 hours, I see the hooch and smell a wonderful sour aroma – as I continue to feed it, it seems to die. I shall try your method, once made beer from pineapples, can I use White High Gluten Bread flour?
I am 20 years old and a very novice bread baker, but I am extremely intrigued but the whole process and i am trying to learn everything I can. I browsed around for a while before I made my starter about three days ago, unfortunately I didn’t come across this site until the deed was done…I had action in my starter very early into day two. Yesterday, I had very little bubbling, but I had what I believe was hooch and a sour smell. Should I be worried? Should I have hooch so soon?
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