Make a sourdough starter

Name: Make a sourdough starter
Yield: About 1,050 g after the day-5 feed
Ingredients: 500 g per day Whole wheat flour 2,000 g total for these four feedings.; 500 g per day Water Warm; 2,000 g total.; 400 g White wheat flour; 100 g Whole wheat flour; 400 g Water Warm

Makes: About 1,050 g after the day-5 feed
Heat: No oven needed
Cooking time: No baking in this starter recipe

Use the active starter in a final dough and follow that recipe for baking.

Starter & maintenance

Make a sourdough starter

Build a starter with whole-wheat flour and water, then transition toward 80% feed hydration.

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Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Days 1–4 · each day	Whole wheat flour	500 g per day	2,000 g total for these four feedings.
Days 1–4 · each day	Water	500 g per day	Warm; 2,000 g total.
Day 5 feed	White wheat flour	400 g
Day 5 feed	Whole wheat flour	100 g
Day 5 feed	Water	400 g	Warm

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Covered 5.7 L tub with its empty weight recorded	Use a food-safe container of similar capacity with a loose lid or plate. Leave room for rising; do not seal fermenting dough airtight.

Timing & recipe details

Time & temperature

Heat: No oven needed
Cooking time: No baking in this starter recipe

Use the active starter in a final dough and follow that recipe for baking.

Makes: About 1,050 g after the day-5 feed
Heat: No bake
Plan for: At least 5 days; may take longer

Method

01 · Day 1
Before noon; rest about 24 h
Use: 500 g whole wheat + 500 g water
Mix until incorporated. The source leaves uncovered 1–2 h, then covers; use a clean, protected place. Keep warm, ideally 24–32°C.
Ready when: Loose, fully moistened mixture.
01 Start with flour and waterMix the whole-wheat flour and water until fully moistened.
02 · Day 2
Before noon; rest about 24 h
Use: Retained culture + same fresh feed
Remove about ¾ of the culture. Add 500 g whole wheat and 500 g warm water. Mix; after 1–2 h cover and keep warm.
Ready when: Small bubbles may appear; timing varies.
02 Retain part of the cultureRemove the excess culture before feeding the retained portion.
03 · Day 3
Before noon; rest about 24 h
Use: Retained culture + same fresh feed
Again remove about ¾. Mix the remainder with 500 g whole wheat and 500 g warm water. After 1–2 h cover and keep warm.
Ready when: Bubbles and an increasingly fermented aroma.
03 Feed the whole-wheat cultureMix fresh flour and water into the retained culture.
04 · Day 4
Before noon; rest about 24 h
Use: 200 g culture + same fresh feed
Accurately retain 200 g and remove the rest. Add 500 g whole wheat and 500 g warm water; mix, cover and keep warm.
Ready when: Aerated culture with a webbed structure.
04 Weigh the retained starterWeigh the retained culture, then mix in the fresh flour and water for this feeding.
05 · Day 5
Morning feed; assess 7–8 h later
Use: 150 g culture + day-5 feed
Keep exactly 150 g. Add 400 g white flour, 100 g whole wheat and 400 g warm water. Mix and cover.
Ready when: Vigorous expansion, bubbles and a webbed interior; if weak, continue daily feeding.
05 Feed with white and whole-wheat flourMix the retained culture with fresh flour and water, then cover.
06 · Establish maintenance
Continue daily
Use: Ripe culture
Once reliable, use the amount your bread needs and retain a separate portion for daily feeding or refrigeration. Never add salt or final dough back to the culture.
Ready when: Repeatable vigorous activity after feeding.
06 Use the ripe cultureOnce activity is reliable, use the needed portion and retain a separate culture for future feedings.

What to look for

Stage	Look and feel	Needs attention
Activity	Feedings lead to repeatable expansion, bubbles and an internal web.	Calendar age alone does not show that a new culture can raise bread.

Troubleshooting

If you see	Likely cause	What to do now	Next time
Starter is not vigorous yet	A young or cool culture needs more development.	Continue regular feedings and wait for reliable activity before using in bread.	Keep feeding amounts and temperature consistent.
Pink/orange colour or fuzzy growth	The culture is contaminated.	Discard it and start again in clean equipment.	Keep the container covered and utensils clean.

Recipe notes

No commercial yeast, sugar, fruit, pork or added alcohol is used. Fermentation itself naturally produces small amounts of ethanol; this is not a guarantee of chemically zero alcohol.
Day-5 feed is 80% new-water/new-flour, but 150 g retained 100%-hydration culture makes the combined day-5 mixture about 82.6% hydration. It approaches 80% through subsequent feeds.

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Recipe