Recipes / Sourdough & baking

Wheat sourdough starter

Start a sourdough culture with flour and water using King Arthur Baking’s method. Consistent rising after feeding is the best sign that it is ready to use.

Recipe author: King Arthur Test Kitchen · King Arthur Baking

5 days and 50 minutes; allow longer if neededMakes: A starter to keep and feed for regular baking
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Wheat sourdough starter · Serving suggestion
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Instructions

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  1. Day 1: mix

    Mix the whole wheat flour and water thoroughly. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours in a warm spot, at about 21°C (70°F).

  2. Day 2: feed

    Keep 50 g starter and discard the rest. Mix in 50 g water and 50 g all-purpose flour. Cover and leave for 24 hours.

  3. Days 3–5: feed twice daily

    Feed roughly every 12 hours. At each feed, retain 50 g starter, discard the rest and mix in 50 g water and 50 g all-purpose flour. Cover again.

  4. Check it is ready

    The starter should at least double within 6–8 hours of feeding, be full of bubbles and smell pleasantly tangy. If it does not, continue feeding every 12 hours on day 6, day 7 and beyond as needed.

Tips

Use cool water in a warm home and lukewarm water in a cool home.

The first batch can also be made with 50 g whole grain rye flour.

The author updated this recipe in February 2026; it now starts with 50 g flour and 50 g water.

Storage

Once it reliably doubles after feeding, follow King Arthur Baking’s maintenance guide: feed daily at room temperature or weekly when kept in the fridge.

How to serve

Use for baking once it reliably doubles after feeding.

Ingredients / history / science

Discover the ingredients and their stories

What goes into the jar? Where does the flavour come from? Open a topic and explore its sources.

About the ingredientsWhat lives in a sourdough starter?

A wheat sourdough starter is a fermenting mixture of flour and water. Yeasts and bacteria form its microbiome, producing gas and compounds that contribute to its aroma. Regular feeding provides fresh flour. In this recipe, we look for a rise in volume after feeding, rather than just a few bubbles.

History on a plateDough saved from the day before

In Book XVIII of Natural History, Pliny the Elder described using a little dough saved from the previous day to make the next batch of bread. This documents the practice of keeping a leaven going in antiquity. Saving some starter before feeding follows a similar principle, although the ancient method was not identical to this recipe.

A closer lookA living culture fed with flour

A sourdough starter is a mixed community of yeasts and bacteria. Gas production makes it rise, while acids and other fermentation products contribute flavour. Feeding supplies fresh flour. A reliable rise after feeding is more useful for judging baking readiness than one bubble or a fixed number of days.

Recipe sources

This recipe is based on the sources listed above.

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