Here I go into tools you need, ingredients, and 7 day step by step instructions on how to make a No waste Sourdough Starter with just flour and water.
Let’s Dive In…
No waste, 2 Ingredient Sourdough Starter Step by Step Instructions
(Updated December 2023)
- Day one: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water. Mix well, screw lid on halfway creating a loose fit. Let sit for 24 hours.
- Day two: 1/4 cup flour, no water (yes, just flour today, should turn thick). Mix well, screw lid on to create loose fit. Let sit for 24 hours.
- Day three: 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup water. Mix well, screw lid for loose fit again, Let sit for 24 hours.
- Day four: You should start to see bubbles at this point, should have about a cup of starter in the jar. Today you need 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water to give it a good boost. Mix well, screw lid for loose fit, Let sit for 24 hours.
- Day five: Almost there, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup water. Mix well, screw lid for loose fit, let sit for 24 hours
- Day six: You should really see it transform into a slightly thicker, bubblier starter. One more day of 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup water, Mix, lid, sit.
- Day seven: Day 7 is when you should be able to start using your starter! I would consider this starter to be slightly immature but usable at this point. You should have plenty of starter in your jar to use a cup or more for a recipe or two (a cup is standard measuring in most recipes).
Day 8 and Beyond:
At this point your starter is only going to mature and get better if well taken care of.
More it ages and gets used the better the sourdough taste will become.
At this point, you can ditch the specific measurements.
However much you use in a recipe you replace the same with fresh flour and water to feed your starter.
For example, you used 1 cup starter in your recipe, you add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water. Mix, lid, sit.
Sourdough Starter Tools, Ingredient Notes, and Troubleshooting
Tools you need:
- Mason Jar with a loose-fitting lid
Glass jars are the best for a sourdough starter.
You can easily keep an eye on the starter with glass and avoid any toxic lead or paints in other jars.
Just be sure it has a loose-fitting lid; you don’t want bugs or crumbs in your starter but want to allow breathing room so gases can escape.
Ingredients
- Flour
- Filtered Water
The only ingredients you need to get a sourdough starter going from scratch is flour and water.
You will see some sell their dehydrated sourdough starter. This is an option if you want to cut the time to having an active, bubbly starter down to one day.
If you don’t have access to a dehydrated starter or a friend to share some, then this recipe is for you.
A note on picking out flour for your starter:
The best flour is flour you grind yourself.
Purchasing organic wheat berries and using a home grinding mill to create fresh flour is the best you can get.
The worst flour is bleached flour. I will never suggest buying bleached flour because it is dead flour.
One keynote you have to realize about a sourdough starter is that it is a living ferment full of good bacteria and other microorganisms that give it the ability to raise bread and create the uniqueness of sourdough recipes.
Since most don’t have a flour mill sitting on their counter tops, organic flour or unbleached flour is your best option. With organic flour being preferred.
But I have used sourdough starter using non-organic unbleached, enriched flour too, and it works just fine.
I also encourage you to always use filtered water in your sourdough starter.
Some water, especially city tap water, contains many hidden ingredients that would alter or inhibit good growth in your starter.
Troubleshooting
It’s okay to see water pool at the top. It means it’s hungry! Feeding your starter is just the act of adding fresh flour and water.
Not super bubbly or thick. Add more flour and skip the water.
As time goes on, it’ll get thicker and thicker, and the bubbles and sourdough taste will get more pronounced.
If you ever need a break from using your starter, place it in the fridge for up to a week. After a week, be sure to refeed it.
That’s It!
Remember to use good flour, filtered water, and a glass jar.
There is absolutely no need to dump any out throughout the week.
Your first discard will be your first recipe!
Enjoy!
-Chelsea, The Cottage Vegetable
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