How To Make A Small Sourdough Starter
A mini sourdough starter is a good idea, whether you're looking to create less waste, spend less of flour or even just want a little more flexibility with the size of your starter. It takes at least 14 days for your small sourdough starter to be viable.
Equipment
- Clean Jar
- Digital Scales
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 20 g Flour Bread, All Purpose, Rye, Whole Wheat - whatever you'd prefer
- 20 g Water Filtered
Instructions
- DAY 1:All you need for today is 20g of water and 20g of flour plus a clean jar. Mix the water & flour together in the jar, pop the lid on loosely (or a piece of paper towel & elastic band). Place the starter somewhere warm for the next 24 hrs. You'll find ideas for how to keep your starter warm here.
- DAY 2:Once your starter is 24 hours old, you need to check on it and give it a good stir. You do not need to add anything today - just get some oxygen into your mixture and then recover it and pop aside for another 24 hours.Your starter may already have some bubbles forming - this is a great sign. But it's also totally fine if it's not doing anything. Time is everything!
- DAY 3:On day 3 remove half of your starter (20g) and then add 20g of flour and 20g of water to the remaining 20g of starter in your jar (so there will be 60g in the jar).Mix it together with the end of a wooden spoon, being sure to get lots of oxygen into your mixture. Replace the cover and pop it away until tomorrow.See notes below for more info on using a clean jar vs same jar.Don’t worry if you keep checking it - it’s completely normal It’s good to notice how it changes in shape, size and smell over the 24 hours.At this stage it's completely normal for it to smell really bad and to have developed a layer of liquid on top (this is called hooch). It might look like the water has separated from the flour but it's just telling you that it's hungry. Stir the hooch in when you feed your starter. It's also quite normal for it to double in size. Keep going - it will be fine
- DAY 4:Step 4 is to feed your starter in the same way as you did yesterday. Remove 40g of your starter (so there is 20g left in the jar) and then add 20g of flour and 20g of water to the remaining 20g of starter in your jar. Mix it all together and replace the cover. You’ll need to do this twice today, around 12 hours apart. While your starter will be fairly forgiving, set a reminder on your phone if you think you’ll forget it’s just like having a pet.
- DAY 5:Step 5 is to feed your starter in the same way as you did yesterday. Remove 40g of your starter and then add 20g of flour and 20g of water to the remaining 20g of starter in your jar. Mix it all together and replace the cover. You’ll need to do this twice today, around 12 hours apart. It's a good idea at this stage to pop an elastic band around the jar you are using. Put the elastic band at the level of your starter when you feed it. This helps you to be able to see how far your starter is rising when it peaks.
- DAY 6:Step 6 is to feed your starter in the same way as you did yesterday. Remove 40g of your starter and then add 20g of flour and 20g of water to the remaining 20g of starter in your jar. Mix it all together. Replace the cover. You’ll need to do this twice today, around 12 hours apart.
- DAY 7:YAY! Your sourdough starter is a whole week old. Keep feeding twice a day as you have been for at least 14 days.Now I know you want to get to baking bread … but just remember that the most important thing about this whole process is time. Your starter will be viable after 14 days, however, it will take much longer before it makes really great sourdough bread!You need to keep feeding your starter the same way as you have been, twice a day (discarding before you feed) until it's consistently doubling within around 2-6 hours after you've fed it. Once it's consistently doubling after every feed you can try and bake with it. Your starter will keep maturing as you use it.For more information on how to know when your starter is ready, go here.
Notes
Method of Feeding - Clean Jar vs Same Jar:
It's up to you how you want to feed your starter - you can just pour half out and then put the flour and water directly into the same jar (you can clean the sides and rim with a silicone spatula). This will not be super accurate and may mean your starter takes longer to build - but it will still work!
You could also weigh the jar with starter in it, then remove 50g from there (keeping your starter in the same jar).
Alternatively you can place 50g of your starter into a clean jar and feed into that so you have a clean jar each time.
You'll find my guide to the best jar for sourdough starter here.
When Is My Sourdough Starter Ready To Bake With?
A sourdough starter takes at least 14 days before it is viable (although you can use the discard to bake with from around day 7). While your starter may be doubling and bubbling from day 14, it won't make amazing bread until it's mature (around 3 to 4 months old). You should continue to feed it twice a day and keep it on the counter until then. Once it's mature, you can store it in the fridge and feed it less often.
Nutrition
Calories: 4kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg
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