Jake Widmann

Everything you need to create your own sourdough starter and begin baking your own sourdough bread, plus 5 of my favorite sourdough recipes.

Guaranteed to get you your own active sourdough starter as well as confidently baking your own sourdough breads!

Sourdough 101

Everything you need to know to take plain water and flour and turn it into an active sourdough starter that you can make a wide variety of bread products with.

Let's get to it!

Creating Your Sourdough Starter

DAY 1: Feed with 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water

DAY 2: Feed with 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water

DAY 3: Discard 100 grams — Feed with 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water

DAY 4: Discard 150 grams — Feed with 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water

DAY 5: Discard 200 grams — Feed with 150 grams of flour and 150 grams of water

DAY 6: Discard 250 grams — Feed with 200 grams of flour and 200 grams of water

DAY 7: By now it should definitely be ready to use. It may have been ready by day 5, but another day or so doesn’t hurt!

Here are a few helpful tips to help you decide what to do with your discard rather than tossing it away.

What Do I Do With My Discard?

It can be a bit heart breaking to take a what is becoming a beautiful living sourdough starter and just toss it in the trash can, so if you’re looking for much better uses than the fate of the trash can, I have you covered.

When you’re creating your starter and you do need to discard some of it, you can do a few different things with it.

Create more sourdough starter. All you need to do is add equal parts water and flour to your discard and you, my friend, have just created more sourdough starter. Share it with a friend, freeze it, or use it in a wide variety or recipes.

You can also create some popular items such as crackers, pancakes, pizza crust, pretzels, cinnamon rolls, and the list goes on forever.

What you should not do is dump it down the sink. It is thick and although I’ve never tried it, it seems likely that it could clog your drain.

Feeding simply means adding equal parts water and flour to your starter so that you can use it in your baking. Your starter is a fermenting living organism that needs food or it will die. More on how to limit the amount of feedings in the pages ahead.

Feeding Your Sourdough Starter

STEP 1: THE FEEDING — In a 1:1 ratio feed your sourdough starter with flour and water. If you have 200 grams of sourdough starter, then you would add in 200 grams each of water and flour.

STEP 2: THE RISE — I like to place my starter into the oven with the oven light on. It's a perfect controlled environment for your starter to hang out while it ripens. It will take anywhere from 4-6 hours before your starter is ready to use for your bread.

STEP 3: THE CREATION — Once your starter has doubled in size it is ready to be used. You're now able to remove as much as you need for whatever you're making, but be sure to always leave at least 100 grams of starter behind, about 1/2 cup. NOTE: Some recipes you'll find will require less than a doubling of size.

I store my sourdough starter in the fridge and it works perfectly for my weekly baking. Below are the options you have for storing your own sourdough starter.

Storing Your Sourdough Starter

STORING ON THE COUNTER: If you store your starter on the counter you will need to feed it daily. Unless you're planning on opening up your own bakeshop I would not recommend this. If you do leave it out on the counter, and you don't feed it everyday it will go bad relatively quickly.

STORING IN THE FRIDGE: If you store your starter in the fridge, which is what I do, then you can get away with feeding it weekly or less. I bake some type of bread about 1 time per week and feed my starter the day of baking (in the morning).

PROLONGED STORAGE: If for some reason you don't need/want to bake for a while it will stay good in your fridge for 2 months or more. You’d likely need to feed it a few times after that period of time to get it rising (usable in baking) again, but it'd be perfectly fine. Also, it could possibly have some "hooch" built up after this time...no worries...just pour it off and you're good to go.

This is exactly how I work my sourdough starter into a bubbly live and active starter. It's too easy and I can't wait to see the process you come up with that works best for you!

My Sourdough Starter Process

FEEDING MY STARTER: I wake up anywhere between 5-6 AM everyday. I usually keep around 200 grams of starter on hand, so I feed it with 200 grams of warm water and 200 grams of flour. 

LET IT RISE: Once it's fed I turn the light on in the oven and then in goes my starter to rise (or ripen). Make sure you remember that it's in there, and don't start preheating your oven to make food. I have almost destroyed my starter by doing this before. I'd place a sticky note on your oven controls to prevent this from happening. You can turn the light off after an hour or so once the oven has warmed up. This will be helpful in the colder months especially...your starter prefers a temp of around 80 degrees F.

BACK INTO THE FRIDGE: If I'm not planning on doing any baking the next day I place my starter back into the fridge once I've used the starter I needed for baking. If I do plan on doing baking the next day I'll simply leave it on the counter and repeat step 1 the next day. However, once I'm done with it for awhile, I store it in the fridge.

Here is every question I've ever received and/or ever thought of and thought you might have during this exciting process. Please trust me that it's not as hard as it might seems, and if you follow the process I've laid out for you then you'll be just fine. Also, I'm here for you and happy to help with any questions you might have!

Frequently Asked Questions!

HOW MUCH STARTER TO DO I NEED TO KEEP: Always keep at least 100 grams left over—about 1/2 cup.

I THINK I KILLED MY STARTER...HELP: Odds are...you didn't. Unless you see actual mold forming, or it smells awful, you're good! The main way you will "kill" your starter is by not feeding it for a prolonged period of time. It should/can smell vinegary, or even have an alcohol smell. If freshly fed, it will have a sour floury smell.

HOW DO I MAKE MORE STARTER: So, you're kind of a pro now and you want to make more starter so you can make more delicious breads. It's simple. Just feed it, but don't use any. Or, once you've used what you needed, feed it, and then place it back in the fridge. Do this as many times as you need until you have...more!

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY STARTER IS READY/RIPE: There are two main ways. 1.) When it's doubled in size. You can do this by marking on your container where the starter...started, so you'll know when it's doubled. 2.) Do the float test. Grab a bowl of water, and drop a small bit of the starter into the bowl. If it floats, it’s ready to be used!

CAN I USE STARTER IN PLACE OF YEAST: Absolutely! It'll require a tiny bit of math (or googling), but 1 packet of yeast (2 tsp) is equivalent to 1 cup (about 300 grams) of starter. You'll likely have to adjust your flour due to the starter adding some additional moisture. Ex: If a recipe calls for 1 tsp of active yeast, you'd use 1/2 cup of your starter.

DO I HAVE TO KEEP DISCARDING: You will hear both sides of this, but personally, after I’ve gotten my starter going I don’t discard it anymore. People will say it’ll become too acidic if you don’t, or you’ll create too much starter, but I haven’t had those problems at all. My starter has worked great for roughly 2 years. Also, I use most of my starter after feeding it so I don’t have to worry about accumulating more than I can manage.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED: It depends slightly on what type of recipes you're going to be making, but here are a few I definitely recommend: •A digital scale—it makes measuring so much easier  •2 bread pans—most recipes yield you 2 loaves  •A wide-mouth 1 quart (32 oz.) mason jar  •A large mixing bowl  •A cooling rack—not required, but helpful for cooling your loaves as they cannot be left to cool in the pans or they will get soggy.

This is the recipe I make most often. Once you give it a try you'll never want store bought bread again. Not only does it have a dozen+ additional and unnecessary ingredients, but it doesn't come close to comparing to homemade sourdough sandwich bread.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Mix together your water and starter, then add in your salt, sugar, and oil. Mix together, then mix in your flour until you have a nice uniform dough mixture. Place a towel or plastic wrap over top.

After 30 minutes, grab one part of the dough, stretch it up and fold it on top of the rest. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve performed 4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes. Cover and let rest until dough has doubled.

Once dough has doubled in size pour out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal halves.

Grab 1 corner of the dough to stretch and fold it on top of itself. Perform this 4 times for each corner of the dough. Place your loaves seam side down in a greased bread pan to allow them to rise. Cover with a towel to prevent them from drying out. Once they’ve risen to the top of the bread pan they’re ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a baking dish or cookie sheet in the oven with a cup or two of water in it. This will create steam which will help your loaves rise properly.

Place both loaves into the oven and bake for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes have passed, remove the water pan from the oven. Bake your loaves for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the bread pans—this is a must. Let them cool on a baking rack or something similar.

Allow loaves to cool completely before slicing into them, unless you’re going to eat most of the loaf right away. Failing to wait will create a drier loaf, as it allows the steam to escape too quickly.

Freeze any loaves you aren’t going to eat within a few days by placing them into a gallon bag. Place the loaf you’re eating in a gallon bag as well and always seal shut. It will last a week or more if bag is kept sealed.

I most often prefer to eat my hamburgers without a bun, because it's hard to justify the added calories of the bun, but dang it...a juicy hamburger with a delicious bun is hard to beat, and these buns are perfect!

Sourdough Hamburger Buns

Add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, salt and egg. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook, or by hands, until smooth & elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8 hours. You can also speed that time up by placing it into the oven with the oven light on (turn off after an hour). Time will vary, but definitely less than 8 hours..

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Shape the buns by flattening slightly then tucking the 4 corners underneath and pinching to hold. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun beneath my hands on a very lightly floured surface.

Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Beat the egg yolk and water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.

Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be golden on top.

sourdough starter, active and bubbly (1/2 cup)

I make an incredible steak sandwich with these rolls, but they could also be used for any type of sub sandwich as well. They're so pillowy soft and delicious...you'll never need another recipe after trying this one!

Sourdough Sandwich Rolls

Add the sourdough starter, sugar, water, salt, and oil to a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Add in the flour and mix by hand or with a mixer until a dry, shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let sit for 1 hour.

Tip the dough out onto a clean surface and knead it until the dough is soft and elastic. It shouldn’t take more than 7 or 8 minutes for the dough to be sufficiently kneaded.

Once the dough is smooth place it back into a covered bowl and place it in the oven with the light on to bulk ferment. You only want the dough to rise about 50%, not double as is usual.

When the dough is ready, tip it out onto a clean surface and divide the dough into four equal pieces. If doing by weight you should end up with pieces about 200 to 225 grams each.

Pull each piece of dough into a rough rectangle, with the long edge in front of you. Then roll the dough up into a log and gently pinch the ends to seal them off. Repeat this for each roll.

Transfer the rolls to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Flatten the dough a little so there is more surface area.

Cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow them to proof. They should about double in size before baking.

When you're ready to bake the sandwich rolls, preheat your oven to 400F. Lightly egg wash the rolls and then slash them with a lame or sharp knife.

Bake them in the oven until just golden. This will take around 25 to 30 minutes depending on your oven. You don't want to over bake them or they will be too crispy on the outside.

To keep the outside soft, brush the sourdough sandwich rolls with butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Allow baked sourdough sandwich rolls to cool on a wire rack.

active Sourdough Starter (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)

I'm not much of a sweets person, but I could darn near live off of cinnamon rolls. These rolls are easy to make, and like most sourdough recipes require a little time, but all that does is make you appreciate the end product that much more!

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into a mixing bowl. Add the flour and then cut the butter into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter. Add the sourdough starter, buttermilk, honey and salt. Mix with a spatula or your hands until the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter until the next morning.

THE NEXT MORNING: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a small bowl, set aside.

Generously flour your counter and turn the dough onto it. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12" x 24" rectangle.

Use a pastry brush or a spatula spread the cinnamon sugar filling over the surface, leaving a one-half-inch bare strip along the outer edges.

Starting on the longest side, roll the dough into a log shape. Use the bench scraper or serrated knife to cut the dough log into 12 pieces (approximately 1.5 inches). Arrange the rolls in a greased cast iron skillet or baking dish, leaving space in between each piece to expand.

Let rest for roughly 1-1.5 hours, until the rolls have puffed up a bit.

Bake the cinnamon rolls for 35-40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Mix the glaze (either option 1 or 2) ingredients in a small bowl while the cinnamon rolls are baking. I prefer a cream cheese frosting, but that's just me. Remove the rolls from the oven and glaze while hot.

Traditional sourdough bread requires a more love and care than the sandwich bread recipe, but it's something you have to try a few times. Once you get it down it gets easier and easier and it's really hard to be a solid loaf of traditional sourdough bread.

Sourdough Bread

Add your active starter to a bowl. Mix in the 735 grams water until well combined

Add the flour & mix until a uniform dough forms...about 3 minutes

Cover the bowl and let it sit for 2 hours.

Mix in the salt with 50 grams of water, mixing with your hands.

Knead the dough for 5-10 mins until water & salt are incorporated.

Cover the dough and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size. OR place it in the fridge for 8-10 hours for a slower fermentation overnight. Either works fine.

Shape Loaves: a) dump the dough onto your counter b) divide in half c) stretch to a rectangle d) fold the sides in toward the middle e) roll it into a cylinder. You can add a little flour to make the dough less sticky.

Once rolled up, push it away from you, then pull towards you to build tension. Do this 3-4 times until your loaf is round & bouncy.

Leave the loaves on the counter uncovered for 20 minutes.

Using a bench scraper, lift and flip over. Repeat the shaping process (Step 10) one more time, but a little more gentle.

With a bench scraper, gently flip the dough over and place into floured proofing baskets, pyrex dish or a large bowl and cover

Place in the fridge for 2 hours to rest and rise.

Pre-heat the oven and cast iron pot (with lid) to 450º.

Take one loaf out of the fridge and gently flip it onto the parchment paper.

Lightly flour the top of the loaf and score it with a sharp blade. A C or O shape works well. Grab the parchment paper and lift into the preheated pot.

Add 2 tbsp water to the pot...under the parchment paper. Then immediately place into the oven.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for another 5-10 mins or until a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and out of the pot to cool completely  before slicing into it.

Repeat steps 16-19 with the second loaf. Enjoy!

Bread making made easy for everyone!

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