My dad had told a story a few times about my grandma’s sourdough starter. Apparently this thing had a mind of its own and grew so big it became hard to manage. With all the regular feeding and growth it sounded kind of like a pet! The story made me laugh but also sparked my curiosity. I’ve been making my own pizza dough for several years already. It was about time I step up my game and make a sourdough starter day by day.
The first step for me was finding a sourdough starter container for my sourdough starter. Glass is ideal, along with a lid that allows air to escape. If you use an air tight lid on your starter it can very well explode. When I read this I began to understand why some people are scared by sourdough! The container should be two to three quarts, allowing enough space for the starter to grow.
Sourdough Starter Day by Day
I purchased this Anchor Hocking 1-Gallon Jar for my sourdough starter, which has worked perfectly. I researched multiple sourdough starter recipes online and decided on this easy sourdough starter from The Kitchn.
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In addition to the gallon jar, you will need water (I prefer distilled) and flour.
If you don’t want to buy distilled water you can also invest in a water distilling system, which turns tap water into distilled water for drinking or cooking. It’s really that simple. I took photos of my sourdough starter day by day. Take a look…
Sourdough Starter Day by Day
After one week I made my first batch of sourdough bread. It turned out wonderfully. A week later I made my second batch. Amazing again! I’m hooked. The only issue is figuring out a way to store fresh bread.
Usually when we buy bread from the store we freeze it right in the bag. I’m looking at probably purchasing some plastic bread loaf bags (initially) and then later sew cloth bread bags myself.
Sourdough Starter Day by Day
*This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated and republished for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
O. M. Geeeee!! I am starting a series in February called “I’ve Never Made…” and sourdough bread is on the list. Never made it. Totally clueless. But the hubs loves it and I should know how to make it for crying out loud. Thank you so much for the tutorial. Will totally give a shout out when I am ready to post. 🙂 Thank you for your comment today. Subscribing!
Good luck! That sounds like a fun series too!
Oh wow, I never knew that an airtight container could explode with starter inside it! Clearly I am not a sourdough expert–though I like to eat it!
I’ve just started experimenting with sourdough starters, too. I think it’s just too cold in my house these days, though it did start to ferment. My bead didn’t rise well (despite trying to create a warm environment). But our cold snap is coming to an end, so maybe I’ll try again.
Julie, for my starter I placed it on top the fridge. Then once it was established it went inside the fridge. When I make the bread itself I have found placing the bread bowl by a heater vent is very helpful with the rising process. Good luck!
My house is cold too and sometimes it can take 14-18 hours to get a full rise
I have a starter that is over 100 years old. It’s in my fridge in a mason jar. Its been a while since Ive used it. Do you think its still good?
Vanessa, I think it would depend on how long “a while” is. I have read about re-starting your starter by feeding it again after neglecting it for a few weeks. Beyond that it can go bad. If it has a pinkish liquid in the jar that is a sure sign it is bad. If you don’t plan to make bread year-round, you can freeze some of your starter and then unfreeze it and start back up again when you are ready.
I made starter and on day two a hard crust formed on top. I removed it. Did I do wrong?
Hi Pauline, I have not had that happen. It sounds like maybe it dried out. Make sure you keep the lid on it. Also it’s been really warm out if you do not have the AC on in your home right now maybe it’s too warm.
Hey! I am jumping full in to try and make my first starter and have been reading and researching but havent found a solid recipe, everyone recommemds something different. Do you have a solod set of rules for a starter?
I used the recipe from The Kitchn as linked to in the post.
Do I need to subscribe to get the bread recipe? I have starter that I’ve been working on for 5 days now so I’m looking for recipes. My husband is a diabetic so I like to make whole wheat bread for him.
Hi Ann – Great question. I used the ‘Beginner Sourdough Loaf’ recipe from the The Kitchn.
Hello! I’m at the beginning of my third day…I dontdon’t have that wonderful sour scent, mine spells like it’s spoiling. House is pretty warm, container is plastic, help! What have I done wrong?
Hi Tina: I would suggest starting over with a glass container.
Hello, I’ve been making sourdough for many years, but with instant potato flakes. I’m on day four and your starter recipe smells like feta. I’m used to a yeasty smell. Should I continue , and will the sour smell go away? Thanks
Hi Terri, It’s hard to interpret smell without being there myself but I do not remember a strong odor of any kind with mine, just a mild yeast smell or almost like a mild vinegar. Definitely not strong. I hope this helps. The worst that can happen is to start over but you can get a new starter going within a week so hopefully not too much time is lost!