What is a sourdough starter?
Learn the basics of what a sourdough starter is and how to care for it so you can have sourdough success!
Sourdough is Living Bread
The sourdough starter is a living ingredient.
It’s teaming with millions, even billions of microorganisms that perform different functions to rise your bread, create incredible flavor, and make your bread more digestible and healthy.
Since this is a living ingredient, it requires special care and maintenance.
What is a sourdough starter?
Starter is a combination of flour, water, wild yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. The yeast and microbes from the soil are on the surface of the wheat.
The wheat is made into flour, then when water is added to the flour in the right conditions, the microorganisms colonize the flour and water mixture.
Most sourdough starters are 100% hydration starters since they are easy to care for and very common among sourdough recipes. You can read about this type of starter and other common starter varieties in this post: What does a 100% Hydration Sourdough Starter mean?
After that happens, you have a sourdough starter! The sourdough starter can be kept and maintained indefinitely. It is also called “leaven”.
An established sourdough starter is alive with these cultures and yeasts, you will keep it alive by regularly feeding and using or discarding any unused starter. You can feed and discard as often as daily or as seldom as weekly (if you plan to keep your starter in the refrigerator).
How do I know when it’s ready to use?
There are some indicators to look for to know when your sourdough starter is active and ready to use in your bread recipe.
You will want to look for the volume to be over doubled, a ripe fresh fruit smell, lots of bubbles, and a few more key signs.
Learn about 8 signs to look for in this post: How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)
Benefits of Sourdough
Is sourdough healthy? What are the benefits of sourdough?
The long fermentation process of sourdough as well as the way the lactic acid bacteria breaks down gluten proteins during fermentation makes a true sourdough bread more digestible.
For many people who have a gluten sensitivity, they find that they can enjoy bread again! You can learn more about my story here.
How to Refresh a Sourdough Starter
See the video excerpt from below to learn the basics of sourdough starter, including how to care for it by refreshing. Refresh your starter daily if kept at room temperature. If you keep your starter in the fridge, refresh it at least once a week. Regularly refreshing keeps the starter alive and healthy!
You must refresh 8-12 hours before you plan to use it in a bread recipe. I usually mix bread dough in the morning so I do this step before bed and let the starter sit out at room temp overnight. This information with illustrations, visuals, and more to help you understand sourdough is included in my Sourdough Quick Start Guide.
The Continuous Cycle of Sourdough
How do you take care of a sourdough starter?
The key part of caring for one is the continuous cycle of using or discarding and feeding.
Always keep a small portion of the old batch to use to start the next batch of starter.
After that small portion is fed with flour and water, it is left at room temperature to become active for 6-12 hours (the variation in timing is due to water and room temperature in changing seasons).
Once active, the bulk is used in a recipe which leaves a small remainder to feed to start the process again.
What happens if you don’t use your starter when it’s active?
If you don’t use your sourdough starter when its active, after several hours it will completely collapse and become inactive as the yeast activity is too depleted. This stage is called discard.
Once your starter is in this stage, you will need to discard 90% of it. That 90% can be thrown out or can be saved in the fridge for up to 4 weeks as emergency backup or to use in a delicious sourdough discard recipe like Sourdough Discard Crackers or Sourdough Graham Crackers. Then, the 10% left is fed and left at room temperature to become active as the cycle begins again!
See the video at the bottom of the page to see this process called refreshing (discarding and feeding) which is essential to care for your starter and create an active sourdough starter to use in bread.
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is what the starter is called after the yeast and good bacteria have broken down and eaten all the food (the fresh flour you fed it).
This stage looks like a very liquid like mixture with a strong sour smell.
Sourdough discard does not have rising power but it can be useful. Most importantly, you can take a portion, feed it and your starter will become active and healthy again!
How do you get a sourdough starter?
First, someone can give a portion of their sourdough starter via gift or purchase.
You can purchase my batch tested dehydrated starter here. Other online retailers like Breadtopia or Cultures for Health sell sourdough starters as well!
Second, you can make one at home. The process takes about 7 days but will give you a better understanding of sourdough! You can get my free guide for how to make a sourdough starter from scratch here: How to Make a Sourdough Starter Free Guide
Beginner Sourdough Articles
Here are some articles and pages that will help you start or improve your sourdough baking:
- Beginners’ Guide to Sourdough Bread Baking Tools on a Budget
- Learn to Bake Sourdough
- How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)
- How to make Sourdough Bread step by step
- Sourdough Resources
- How to Store Sourdough Discard for Starter Discard Recipes
- Want to try something sweet? Here’s a great recipe for beginners: Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Soft and Fluffy)
Just getting started with sourdough?
A competent guide transforms sourdough baking from overwhelming to uncomplicated and fun!
Get My Free Quick Start Sourdough Guide: Learn the key terms and concepts in sourdough baking, including the differences between active sourdough starter and sourdough discard, and how to care for your starter.
Start Baking Sourdough Confidently—Take the Intro to Sourdough Course for Just $27!
Time Planning Help for Sourdough Baking
The #1 need for sourdough bakers is help with time planning, so I created a resource for you.
Sourdough Time Planning Workbook: Perfect for new or experienced bakers, this workbook includes 8 templates ready to fill in and a baking journal. The templates cover 4 different ways to make classic sourdough country breads, 3 time planning worksheets for enriched sourdough bread depending on serving time target, and a blank template. The baking journal goes over baker’s percentages and how to take notes on your sourdough bakes.
Get a free sample of the workbook: Use this sourdough time planning worksheet sample to simplify your baking.
Living Bread Baker posts mentioned
Beginners’ Guide to Sourdough Bread Baking Tools on a Budget
How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)
How to make Sourdough Bread step by step
How to Store Sourdough Discard for Starter Discard Recipes
What does a 100% Hydration Sourdough Starter mean?
How to make a Sourdough Starter
Shop this post
FREE Sourdough Quick Start Guide
My Intro. to Sourdough online course
Hi Jenny. I’m just new to making my own sourdough starters and breads, Follow you on Instagram, I’m in Australia by the way.
This is my 2nd attempt at making starter, but I’m so confused by the science of it (or maybe I’m over-thinking it) and I’m not sure its working out as it should and it’s safe to use.
Question::— when the original starter has stopped rising, you say it then is inactive and becomes discard, but you can refresh by taking out a small amount into another jar and feeding it etc. But then, when this becomes active, do you put it back into the original starter jar or not?? Or do you use the new smaller jar one for baking? What do you then do with the starter that’s in the original jar you started??
Appreciate your suggestion. By the way, I love your videos, starter guide and information on your website. I just need to understand the process now and finally win this.
Hi Litsa, Thank you for watching and I’m glad the guide has been helpful! You can get this, and the deeper you dive by asking these questions and learning will make you a better sourdough baker in time! I find it helpful to think of this process in two jars to simplify…. One jar is refreshed and then it becomes old and sinks to become discard in about 24 hours. That first jar is discard. So a second, new jar comes out and gets about a tablespoon of the old batch and is refreshed/fed fresh water and flour. The first jar of discard can be composted, tossed or can be saved for discard recipes. The second jar has the new batch and once active, it can be used in a bread recipe.
Eventually jar #2 will become discard or old as well. And then, jar #3 will go through the same process as jar #2.
Think of it as generations if that’s helpful to you. You are always carrying on a small amount to a new jar, so that there’s two jars in general with one holding the older batch and one holding the new batch (or new generation).
This post on sourdough discard is helpful as well and links to a lot of other sourdough discard info. This post on how to tell when your starter is active is helpful as well: How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)