Sourdough Starter From Scratch: Your First 7 Days

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Every sourdough loaf starts the same way: flour, water, and time. Here’s exactly how to build a healthy starter from scratch in about a week, plus how to tell when it’s ready to bake with.

Jump to:

• What You’ll Need
• Day-by-Day Schedule
• Signs It’s Ready to Bake With

What You’ll Need

• A clean glass or plastic jar (at least 24 oz, with room to grow)
• Unbleached all-purpose or bread flour (whole wheat or rye speeds things up for the first few days)
• Filtered or dechlorinated water, room temperature
• A kitchen scale for accurate ratios
• A rubber band or marker to track the rise

Day-by-Day Schedule

• Day 1: Mix 50g flour with 50g water in your jar. Cover loosely and set somewhere warm (70-75°F).
• Days 2-3: You may see a few bubbles or none at all — that’s normal. Discard half and feed with another 50g flour and 50g water once a day.
• Days 4-5: Activity should pick up noticeably, with visible rising and a stronger sour smell. Keep discarding half and feeding once a day.
• Days 6-7: Feedings become more predictable, roughly doubling within 6-8 hours. Switch to feeding twice a day if it’s moving fast.
• Day 7+: Once it doubles reliably within 4-8 hours of a feeding, it’s ready to bake with — see the Sourdough Starter Maintenance Guide for keeping it healthy long-term.

Signs It’s Ready to Bake With

• Reliably doubles in size within 4-8 hours of a feeding
• Full of visible bubbles top to bottom, not just on the surface
• Passes the float test: a spoonful dropped in water floats
• Smells pleasantly tangy — not like nail polish remover or something off

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