Thank you so much for buying a starter from me!
I am so excited for you to embark on you own sourdough journey!
Add one packet (20g) of dehydrated starter in a sanitized pint jar with a lid (i like to use a mason jar with a sealing lid). Add 6 tbls of room temp filtered water. Stir with a wooden spoon and let sit for 10 minutes. Add 4 tbls unbleached bread flour and stir until there are no clumps. Cover with your jar lid and let sit on your countertop at room temp for 24hrs. Note: if your area is super hot & humid, use cool water.
When your starter has rested for 24hrs, uncover the lid and add another 4tbls of unbleached bread flour, and 2-2.5 room temp filtered water. Your starter shouldn't be super runny, but not too thick either. Stir to combine, cover with your lid and let sit on counter for another 24hrs.
So today your starter might already start showing signs of life, with bubbles that have formed! Yay! Repeat the process of day 2. Throughout your day you might notice your starter growing and getting more and more bubbly. That's great news! This is exactly what we want!
Today you will notice that your starter may have risen and then fallen through the last 24hrs, leaving some "streaks" on the side of your jar. A "fallen" starter shows that your starter is "hungry". I'm sure you know the drill by now, it's time to feed! Repeat steps from day 2, cover with lid, and let sit for another 24hrs. Your starter will show more growth today, so if you need to transfer to a bigger jar, do so.
If you haven't already moved your starter into it's new bigger jar, today is the day to do so! I use a large 52 oz / 1.5l mason jar with a locking lid. Transfer your starter to it's new home, feed with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cups filtered water. By now your starter should grow and get active within 4-5hrs (longer in cooler months). At this point you can keep your starter on your counter and feed it every 24 hrs (using the 1 : 1 : 3/4 ratio - 1 cup starter, 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup water), or you can store it in your fridge if you're not ready to bake yet. If you do choose to store in your fridge, once you're ready to bake, remove your starter from the fridge & feed using 1:1:3/4 ratio & let it become active (4-5hrs) before use.
If you choose to store your starter on your counter, continue to feed it daily, on days that you do not intend to bake with it, remove (discard) 3/4 cups of your starter. You can keep your discard in a separate glass jar in your fridge and use it to make sourdough discard recipes. These are so much fun and even include things like chocolate chip cookies, waffles, pancakes, pizza dough & focaccia.
Thank you so much for buying a starter from me!
I am so excited for you to embark on you own sourdough journey!
- A kitchen scale (weight-based feeding is key!) - Unbleached all-purpose or bread flour - Room temperature filtered water (avoid chlorinated tap water if possible)
- A clean jar or container
Weigh Your Starter: Start with 50g of starter. Feed It: Add 50g of flour and 50g of water. Mix Well: Stir until fully combined. The consistency should be like thick pancake batter. Cover Loosely: Use a lid, cloth, or plastic wrap—not airtight. Let It Sit: Leave it at room temperature for 4–12 hours until bubbly and doubled in size. Repeat Every 24 Hours: Discard all but 50g and repeat the 1:1:1 feeding.
Feed As Above before refrigerating. Refrigerate After It Rises: Once it's bubbly and active, store it in the fridge. Feed Weekly: Once a week, discard all but 50g, then feed 50g flour and 50g water. To Bake Again: Take it out, feed it 1–2 times at room temp until active again.
If your kitchen is warm, your starter may rise faster—check it often. Always stir down and discard before each feeding (unless you're baking with the discard). Want to bake? Feed it and wait until it's at peak rise—bubbly and fluffy! Let me know if you have any questions. Happy baking! – Geneve | Uprooted Journey Sourdough
