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From the very first jar · Free baking guide
Where goodness starts
Hey, partner. A little flour, a little water, and a steady routine—that’s where your loaf begins. Make a starter, help it grow, or wake up a dried one. We’ll take it one feed at a time.
No sign-in needed. Reading these guides and watching Sammy never uses your AI questions or photo uploads.
Your starter bench
A kitchen scale, clean roomy jar, loose-fitting lid, wooden Spurtle or spoon, flour, and drinking water. A rubber band or washable mark helps you see the rise.
Aim for a steady 70–78°F (21–26°C), away from direct heat. Leave the jar loosely covered—not clamped airtight—while it ferments.
Starter is a living mix of flour, water, wild yeast, and helpful bacteria. Feeding it simply means giving that community fresh flour and water.
A timer reminds you to check. It does not decide when your starter is ready.
Choose your starting point
Make your first starter
Apron’s small-batch starter recipe, measured in grams. Start with flour and water only; no sugar or packaged yeast is needed.
Day 1 · Mix
Stir 50 g whole wheat or rye flour with 50 g lukewarm drinking water in a clean jar. Scrape down the sides, mark the level, and loosely cover. Leave room for it to grow.
Day 2 · Watch
Following Apron’s method, give it a stir and wait; no feed yet. A few bubbles or an early burst of rising may appear. That first burst does not mean it is ready for bread.
Day 3 · First feed
Keep 50 g of the mixture and remove the rest. Add 50 g flour and 50 g water. Stir, mark the level, and loosely cover again. Unbleached all-purpose flour works for these feeds.
Days 4–6 · Find a rhythm
About every 12 hours, keep 50 g starter and add 50 g flour plus 50 g water. Check the level and bubbles between feeds. A quiet patch is common—keep going, partner.
Day 7 onward · Let it prove itself
Keep feeding until it reliably doubles in roughly 4–6 hours after a 1:1:1 feed in a warm room, across several feeds. Look for bubbles throughout and a pleasantly yeasty, tangy smell. A new starter may need two weeks or longer; the calendar alone cannot tell you it is ready.
Discard means the portion you remove before feeding, so the jar does not keep growing. Throw away the discard from this early developing stage. Do not taste raw starter or raw flour mixtures.
Feed and grow your starter
Keep a small amount of starter, add fresh flour and water, stir, mark the new level, and loosely cover. A feeding ratio lists starter : flour : water, by weight—not by cup volume.
1:1:1
25 g starter + 25 g flour + 25 g water
A simple regular feed for an established starter. Watch its rise and fall.
1:2:2
25 g starter + 50 g flour + 50 g water
More food for a starter that is peaking too early between feeds.
1:5:5
10 g starter + 50 g flour + 50 g water
A longer build for a strong starter. Try it when you know your kitchen’s timing.
1:10:10
5 g starter + 50 g flour + 50 g water
An optional larger feed for an established culture—not a shortcut for a weak or brand-new one.
Equal flour and water weights keep an established starter at “100% hydration”—plainly, as much water as flour. More food usually takes longer to use up. Warmth, flour, and starter strength change the timing; a ratio does not guarantee a particular flavor or number of hours.
Grow enough for your next loaf
Need 100 g for bread? Keep 25 g starter and feed 50 g flour + 50 g water. That makes 125 g. Once it is ripe, weigh 100 g into the dough and keep the remaining 25 g to feed again. Always save some for the next bake.
For a counter-kept starter, a morning-and-evening check is a good routine. Feed around its peak or just as it begins to fall; adjust the amount of food if it runs out long before your next check.
Starter care and troubleshooting
Baking often or taking a break?
Keep an established starter on the counter for frequent baking and regular feeds. For less frequent baking, feed it, let fermentation get started for an hour or two, then refrigerate. Plan a weekly feed. Bring it out ahead of baking and repeat room-temperature feeds until its usual strong rise returns.
A quiet jar is not always a failed jar
New starters often go quiet after their first burst. Stay with the routine, check the temperature, and try a little whole wheat or rye in the flour. Measure carefully. Don’t rush a weak starter into a huge feed.
Liquid on top?
A gray or brown alcoholic liquid on an established starter can be a sign it is hungry. With no spoilage signs, stir it back in or pour it off, then feed. Water separation in a new starter can have other causes; check your measurements and progress too.
When to start fresh
If you see fuzzy mold, pink or orange streaks, or notice a rotten smell, throw away the whole starter. Do not scrape off the top and keep the rest. Clean the jar and tools thoroughly before starting again. Never taste it to check whether it is safe.
Use a clean utensil each time, keep the jar rim clean, and leave plenty of headroom. Established, healthy discard belongs only in recipes that will be fully cooked.
Wake up a dehydrated starter
Have dried starter flakes? Follow the maker’s packet instructions first. For plain dried sourdough starter with no instructions, this small-batch method is adapted from King Arthur Baking.
- Soften 10 g dried starter in 20 g lukewarm water. Stir occasionally; allow about 3 hours, until mostly dissolved.
- Mix in 10 g unbleached all-purpose flour. Loosely cover and keep comfortably warm. Allow about 24 hours for bubbles; a cooler room may take longer.
- Once bubbles appear, add 10 g water + 10 g flour without discarding. Wait for renewed bubbling, then repeat that same feed once.
- When it is bubbling and expanding, keep 40 g mixture and feed 40 g flour + 40 g water. Continue equal-weight feeds until it rises reliably. Allow several days rather than expecting an instant loaf.
- Use it at a strong, bubbly peak; keep some to feed again. If mold or pink/orange color appears, discard it.
Adapted from the Apron starter guide, with added care and revival guidance. Apron · Care reference · Troubleshooting reference
Baker’s math
Build your dough
Hydration
70.0%
Starter
20.0%
Salt
2.0%
Total dough
960 g
Percentages use flour as 100%. Starter flour and water are not split in this quick view.
Weights
Cups to grams
Grams make sourdough repeatable. Use this as a practical estimate when translating a volume-based recipe.
Estimated weight
130 g
130 g per cup
Bake tools
Sourdough timers
Times are guides. Watch the dough, note its temperature, and adjust to your kitchen.
Choose a baking stage or add your own timer.
Your baking partner, in action
At the bench with Sammy
Pick a clip below and bake along, partner.
Choose your clip · Swipe the row on smaller screens
01
Feed for strength
A healthy starter rises predictably after feeding. Track the ratio, flour, water temperature, room temperature, and time to peak.
02
Watch the dough
Recipe times are estimates. During bulk fermentation, look for a smoother, aerated dough with visible bubbles and a rounded edge.
03
Change one thing
Record the flour, hydration, temperature, timing, and result. Change one variable on the next bake so the lesson is clear.