There’s something special about new beginnings. A clean jar, a fresh bag of flour, the quiet anticipation of what’s to come.
A sourdough – flour and water, mixed together and left to rest. At first, nothing much happens. Then, after a couple of days, tiny bubbles appear, a sign that wild yeasts and bacteria are waking up. The smell shifts – sweet and slightly tangy, reminiscent of yoghurt and apple cider vinegar.
I’ve made many starters over the years. Some I’ve carried with me across kitchens, feeding them daily. Others I’ve left too long in the back of the fridge, until they turned greyish, then still. But now, in the quiet of winter, I feel like starting again.
I’m doing as I always have – a 100% hydration starter, equal parts flour and water. It’s familiar, reliable, and the foundation of so many loaves I’ve loved. But I’ve been reading about stiff starters – not unlike a sourdough biga – and I’m curious. Perhaps next time!
For now, it’s just organic wheat flour, full of natural yeasts, and lukewarm water.
If you’ve never made a sourdough starter before, now is as good a time as any. The process is slow, but that’s part of the charm. Stir, wait, feed, repeat.
Are you starting one too?
There are as many ways to start a starter as there are bakers – really, you could talk to two hundred people and get two hundred different processes. I like to keep things simple, because it shouldn’t have to be complicated.
I’ve written down my method, the one I follow loosely. Twenty-two hours instead of twenty-four? That IS okay. The “recipe” is in grams, though I’m mostly partial to my Swedish decilitermått [measuring cups that fit 1dl = 100ml]. And while I write 50g/50g on paper, in practice it’s usually a little over ½ dl water (about 60g) and 1dl flour (scooped and scraped, around 60–65g) – especially once the starter is established and I’m discarding or baking, and feeding daily.
DAY ONE
In a clean jar, mix 50g of lukewarm water (30°C and filtered if needed) and 50g ORGANIC plain flour. Stir well, cover with a lid, and place somewhere warm-ish – 22-24°C. You might want to write the time on your starter jar for future reference.
Notes: When mixing water and flour, I ALWAYS start with the water to avoid pockets of flour at the bottom of my mixing container/bowl.
DAY TWO
Timeline: 24 hours after you first mixed the starter.
Add 50g lukewarm water and 50g of flour. Mix well, cover with a lid, and leave to rest. The starter now weighs 200g.
Our feeding ratio for day 2 is 2:1:1 (starter:flour:water) – the first couple of days is possibly the only time I would have more starter than water/flour.
Notes: No discard on the second day!
DAY THREE
Timeline: 24 hours after the last feed. Keep in mind that depending on whether you started your starter in the morning or evening, your next feed will be 12 hours after this step.
You might have started seeing some activity in your starter – totally normal for it to smell slightly cheesy at this stage. This comes from lactic acid bacteria, which are also found in yogurt and cheese.
Stir your starter, then place onto scales and tare. Discard starter so that you get -125g on the scales – we’re saving 75g starter. Now, add 50g lukewarm water and 50g of flour. Mix well, cover with a lid, and leave to rest. The starter now weighs 175g.
Our feeding ratio for day 3 is 3:2:2. Depending on whether you starter you starter in the morning or in the evening, you’re going to have to next feed it 12 hours after this step.
Notes: I like to stir my sourdough starter before discarding and feeding. This ensures the wild yeasts and bacteria are evenly distributed, promoting consistent fermentation.
DAY FOUR & FIVE
Timeline: We’re going to do two feeds today – one 12 hours after the last feed and another one 12 hours later.
I, of course, forgot to feed my starter after 12 hours last night, so it ended up being closer to 20. I couldn’t help myself and added some rye to the mix today. To keep things consistent, I usually mix 350g organic flour with 150g coarse rye flour, which I’ll use for feeding my starter from now on.
On Day 4, you’ll follow the instructions for both the first and second feed. After that – Day 5 and so on – you’ll only perform the second feed but TWICE a day – discarding 100g of starter and feeding as follows.
First feed:
Stir your starter, then place onto scales and tare. Discard starter so that you get -150g on the scales – we’re saving 25g starter. Now, add 50g lukewarm water and 50g of rye flour mix (read note above). Mix well, cover with a lid, and leave to rest. The starter now weighs 125g.
Second feed:
Stir your starter, then place onto scales and tare. Discard starter so that you get -100g on the scales – we’re saving 25g starter. Now, add 50g lukewarm water and 50g of rye flour. Mix well, cover with a lid, and leave to rest. The starter weighs again 125g.
Our feeding ratio for day 4 & 5 is 1:2:2.
DAY SIX & more
Is your starter ready to bake with?
Look for consistent fermentation patterns: it should reliably double in size within 4–6 hours of feeding and have a pleasantly tangy smell. If not, keep repeating the process from Day 5 : discard 100g, feed with 50g lukewarm water and 50g flour mix, twice a day, until it gains strength
If your starter is ready, you can now bake with it – simply mix a levain as written in your bread recipe. Keep in mind that a starter strengthens over time; it typically takes around one month to become fully developed.
Now is also the time to transition to a maintenance feeding schedule: save 6g of starter and feed using 60g lukewarm water and 60g flour mix.
ON FEEDING RATIOS
Feeding ratios are written as starter:flour:water. For example, 1:2:2 means 1 part starter, 2 parts flour, and 2 parts water, all measured by weight. Keeping a consistent ratio helps maintain a healthy, active starter.
Adjusting the ratio changes how your starter ferments. Higher ratios (e.g. 1:5:5) provide more food, slowing fermentation and extending the time before it peaks. Lower ratios (e.g. 1:1:1) speed things up, making the starter ready sooner. The right ratio depends on your room temperature, how quickly you need your starter, and your baking schedule.
Common feeding ratios:
– 1:1:1 A quick feed. Good if you plan to bake within a few hours, as the starter becomes active in 4-5 hours at room temperature.
– 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 A longer fermentation, ready in 8-12 hours.
– 1:5:5 or 1:6:6 A slow, steady feed, great for strengthening your starter. I love using this for overnight feeds or even maintenance (10g starter:50–60g both water and flour), so that my starter is ready to bake with first thing in the morning. It’s also a great way to increase the total weight of your starter, especially if your recipe calls for 200–300g of starter or levain.
– 1:10:10 The ultimate maintenance feed!
More than a strict and unmovable rule to follow, adjusting the feeding ratio is a way to make sourdough work for you – fitting baking into your timeline rather than the other way around.
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