Sourdough Starter and First Loaf
Sourdough begins with patience and a jar. The starter is not a ingredient you buy; it's a culture you build, tend, and keep alive. Once it's strong, it becomes the engine for bread that tastes like nothing else—fermented, tangy, with a crumb that holds moisture and a crust that shatters. Your first loaf won't be perfect. It will still be better than most.
You are not making bread yet. You are growing something alive.
A starter needs consistency and time. Feed it at roughly the same time each day. Use filtered or dechlorinated water if your tap water is heavily chlorinated—chlorine can slow fermentation. Keep the jar at room temperature (65–75°F is ideal, though anywhere between 60–80°F works). The warmer the room, the faster the starter develops.
- 1-quart glass jar (wide mouth is easiest)
- kitchen scale (essential—volume measurements drift)
- wooden spoon or spatula
- Dutch oven or covered baking vessel
- bench scraper
- banneton or bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel
- instant-read thermometer (helpful, not required)
What goes in.
- 50gall-purpose or bread flour
- 50gfiltered or dechlorinated water
- 500gbread flour (for first loaf)
- 350gwater (for first loaf)
- 10gsalt
Reading the starter, not the calendar
A starter is ready to use when it reliably doubles in size 4–8 hours after feeding. This happens when the wild yeast population is strong enough to leaven bread. You cannot rush this by adding more flour or keeping it warmer. You can only feed it consistently and watch. The first sign is small bubbles on the surface; the second is a rise that you can see. When it reaches its peak height and starts to recede slightly, it is ready to mix into dough.
The method.
Day 1: Mix the starter base
In a clean jar, combine 50g flour and 50g water with a spoon until no dry bits remain. Cover loosely (a cloth is fine; it needs air). Leave it at room temperature. Do not expect anything to happen yet.
Day 2–5: Daily feeding
Once a day, discard half the starter (about 50g), then feed what remains with 50g fresh flour and 50g water. Stir well. Cover loosely again. On days 2 and 3, you may see nothing or only a few bubbles. This is normal. By day 4 or 5, you should see a clear rise within hours of feeding. The smell will shift from floury to slightly sour and alive. When you see a consistent double after feeding (usually by day 5–7), the starter is ready.
Prepare for the first loaf
Use your starter when it peaks—about 4–6 hours after its last feeding. At this point, it should smell tangy and pleasantly sour, with visible bubbles throughout. If it has already begun to collapse, it is still usable but less vigorous. Measure out 100g of active starter into a mixing bowl.
Mix the dough
Add 350g water to the 100g active starter. Stir until the starter dissolves into the water. Add 500g flour and stir until all flour is wet and shaggy. No kneading yet. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This rest is called the autolyse, and it allows the flour to fully hydrate.
Add salt and begin folding
After 30 minutes, add 10g salt and about 10g water (to help it dissolve). Fold the dough over itself several times with wet hands until the salt is fully incorporated. The dough will feel rough and will not come together into a smooth ball. This is correct. Cover again.
Bulk fermentation: fold every 30 minutes for 2–3 hours
Set a timer. Every 30 minutes for the next 2–3 hours, wet your hand and fold the dough over itself four times (top to center, bottom to center, right to center, left to center). Between folds, it should feel increasingly smooth and stretchy. After 2–3 hours, the dough should have grown visibly and feel full of gentle tension. It should not fill the bowl to the brim—there should still be room for more rise.
Pre-shape and rest
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper, fold it into a loose round shape without deflating it much. Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 20–30 minutes. This rest makes the final shaping easier.
Final shape
Flip the dough over so the seam side is down. Fold the top third down toward you, press gently, then fold the sides in slightly, then roll the dough away from you, using tension to create surface tautness as you go. Flip the seam side up into a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured towel. The seam side should face up so it bakes smooth.
Cold proof (overnight, 8–18 hours)
Cover the banneton loosely and place it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 18 hours. The long, cold fermentation develops flavor and makes scoring easier. Cold dough also stays open longer in the oven, giving you a more open crumb.
Preheat the Dutch oven
About 30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven (or any heavy covered pot) in the oven and preheat to 500°F. The pot traps steam around the loaf, which helps it expand and develop a crisp crust.
Score the dough
Carefully remove the cold dough from the refrigerator. Turn it seam-side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a very sharp knife or a bread lame, make one or two long slashes at an angle across the top, about ¼ inch deep. The slash controls where the loaf will burst as it bakes. A cold loaf from the fridge is easiest to score cleanly.
Bake covered
Carefully place the parchment paper and dough into the hot Dutch oven (use tongs or a bench scraper to help). Cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to 450°F. Bake covered for 20 minutes. The dough will still be relatively pale; this is when steam is being trapped and the loaf is expanding aggressively.
Bake uncovered until deep brown
Remove the lid. The loaf should have puffed significantly. Continue baking at 450°F for another 25–35 minutes until the crust is deep golden-brown. You are looking for color that suggests caramelization. The darker the crust, the more flavor. If the bottom is browning faster than the sides, rotate the loaf halfway through.
Cool completely
Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and place it on a wire rack. Do not slice it for at least 1 hour, ideally 2–3 hours. The crumb is still setting as it cools. Cutting too early releases steam and creates a gummy interior. When you finally cut it, you should see irregular holes and a slightly sour smell.
Other turns to take.
Higher hydration for open crumb
Use 375g water instead of 350g. The wetter dough is harder to handle but produces a more open, hole-filled crumb. Add water in small increments—even 25g changes the feel significantly.
Longer bulk fermentation
Extend the folding period to 4–5 hours instead of 2–3. This deepens sour flavor and gives the dough more strength. Useful when your kitchen is cool (60–65°F).
Room-temperature final proof
After shaping, let the dough rest on the counter at room temperature for 3–5 hours instead of overnight in the fridge. The loaf will be lighter and more open but with less sour flavor. Useful for tasting how fermentation stage affects the bread.
Whole wheat or rye blend
Replace 50–100g of bread flour with whole wheat or rye flour. These absorb more water, so reduce the total water by 10–15g. The loaf will be denser and nuttier. Whole wheat ferments faster, so reduce bulk fermentation time by 30 minutes.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your starter smells like acetone or nail polish, it is very hungry. Feed it twice daily for a few days. If it smells like paint thinner, discard the top layer and feed again—this is normal, not dangerous.
Use a scale, not cups. Volume measurements of flour vary wildly depending on how densely it is packed. A scale removes this guessing.
The poke test tells you when bulk fermentation is done: gently poke the dough with a floured finger. If the hole springs back slowly and partially, it is ready. If it springs back fast, it needs more time. If it does not spring back at all, it has fermented too long.
Cold proofing (the overnight fridge step) is your friend for a first loaf. It gives you flexibility and makes the dough easier to handle. Do not skip it.
When your starter is very active and you are not baking often, you can switch to once-a-day feeding at reduced amounts: discard most, keep 20g, feed with 20g flour and 20g water. Or refrigerate after a feeding and feed only once a week.
Room temperature matters. A starter in a 78°F kitchen will be ready faster than one in a 65°F kitchen. Expect 5–7 days, but do not assume it by a specific day.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know my starter is ready to use?
It should reliably double in size within 4–8 hours after feeding. This means the wild yeast population is strong enough to leaven bread. If it has only risen 50% or stays flat, it needs another day or two of feeding. Doubling is the key sign, not a specific time.
What if my starter develops a dark liquid on top?
That liquid is called hooch, and it means your starter is hungry. Stir it back in or pour it off—either way is fine. Just feed the starter. Hooch is a sign that fermentation is happening, not that anything is wrong.
Can I use my starter straight from the fridge?
Not for bread. A cold starter is dormant. Feed it and let it come to room temperature and peak (usually 4–8 hours) before using. If you forget and mix cold starter into dough, the fermentation will be very slow and unpredictable.
What if my first loaf is dense and heavy?
Likely causes: the starter was not active enough (not at its peak), the dough did not ferment long enough, or the bulk fermentation was rushed. On your second loaf, use a visibly active starter at its peak, and trust the dough's feel more than any timing. A good bulk fermentation takes as long as it takes.
How long will my starter last?
Indefinitely, with regular feeding. Sourdough starters have been maintained for centuries. Even if neglected in the fridge for weeks, most come back to life with a few feedings. It is very hard to kill a starter.
Do I have to throw away starter every time I feed it?
No. You can keep 100g and feed it to grow a larger quantity if you bake frequently. You only discard (or feed away) to prevent the jar from overflowing. Many bakers use discard in pancakes, crackers, or other recipes instead of throwing it away.
Why does my loaf have a very thick crust?
The Dutch oven trapped a lot of steam, which is good, but the baking temperature or time was high. On your next loaf, reduce the temperature by 25°F or shorten the uncovered baking by 5 minutes. Thick crusts develop from very dark browning; slightly lighter color will give you a thinner crust.