The Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide

Let’s bust a myth right now: Sourdough is not hard.

It’s slower, yes... but slower doesn’t mean complicated.

If you can stir flour and water together, you can start a sourdough starter. The rest comes with time and repetition. There is no “perfect” starter... just your starter.

How to Start Your Own Sourdough Starter (The Easy Way)

This is a simplified, beginner-friendly guide, perfect if you’re starting from scratch today.(And if you want the original day-by-day breakdown, you can find it right here on my Instagram.)

What You’ll Need (Exactly What I Use)

You don’t need much... just a few basics:

• Glass jar or container (wide-mouth is best)

• Unbleached all-purpose flour or Bread Flour

• Filtered or bottled water

• Wooden spoon or spatula

• A little patience

Things I recommend getting, but not necessary:

Bowl Covers

Wex Jars

Tip: I keep my starter right on the counter no hiding her away.

Let's Talk About the Ingredients

WATER - It's crucial to use filtered water because tap water contains chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine that can hinder the growth of the starter.

FLOUR - Do not use any bleached flour as this too will hinder the growth of the starter. You can mix rye flour or whole wheat flour into your unbleached all-purpose flour to help get the starter going. Rye flour has more of the natural microbes that are beneficial in growing a sourdough starter.

Day 1

• Mix ½ cup flour + ¼ cup water

• Stir until smooth (think thick pancake batter)

• Cover loosely (not airtight)

• Let it sit at room temperature

That’s it. Walk away.

Days 2–4

• Discard half

• Feed with the same ratio of flour and water (add ½ cup flour + ¼ cup water to the starter)

• Stir, cover, repeat daily

You’ll start seeing bubbles. It may smell funky. That’s normal, don’t panic.

Days 5–7

• The bubbles become more consistent

• The smell turns pleasantly tangy

• The starter begins to rise and fall predictably

Congratulations! you’ve made a living starter.

What You Can Make (Beyond Bread)

Yes, sourdough bread is amazing, but the real magic is how versatile your starter becomes.

My starter, Blanaid, has been:

• Rustic loaves

• Soft sandwich bread

• Pancakes & waffles

• Crackers

• Pizza dough

• Cinnamon rolls

• And even a thickener for soup when I used discard as a roux

Once you realize discard is an ingredient—not waste—the possibilities open up fast.

Thinking About Starting? This Is Your Sign

If you’ve been on the fence, consider this your nudge.

Start messy. Start unsure. Start today.

One year from now, you might be writing your own love letter to a jar of flour and water that changed the way you cook, and maybe even the way you move through your kitchen.

Happy baking, friends.