Easy 7-Day Sourdough Starter: The Best Beginner Recipe
This beginner-friendly recipe guides you through creating a bubbly, tangy sourdough starter in just 7 days with minimal hands-on time. Perfect for anyone who wants to bake homemade sourdough bread without complicated techniques or expensive equipment.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes per day
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 7 days
- Yield: 1 active sourdough starter (about 120g after feeding)
- Category: Starter
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour (unbleached preferred)
- Filtered water
Instructions
- Day 1: In a clean jar, combine 60g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour and 60g (1/4 cup) filtered water. Stir until no dry flour remains. Scrape down sides, cover loosely with a cloth, and let sit at room temperature (70-75°F) for 24 hours.
- Day 2: Discard half the starter (about 60g). Feed with 60g flour and 60g water. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.
- Day 3: Discard half, feed with 60g flour and 60g water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.
- Day 4: Discard half, feed with 60g flour and 60g water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.
- Day 5: Discard half, feed with 60g flour and 60g water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.
- Day 6: Discard half, feed with 60g flour and 60g water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.
- Day 7: Your starter should double within 4-6 hours of feeding. It is ready to use immediately or store in the fridge and feed once a week.
Notes
If your starter isn’t doubling by day 7, keep feeding for a few more days. Cold kitchens slow things down; move to a warmer spot. Save discard for other recipes like pancakes or focaccia.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of bread (fr
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
Keywords: sourdough starter, beginner sourdough, easy sourdough starter, 7-day sourdough starter, homemade sourdough starter