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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Join me as I make a sourdough starter from scratch. This process can take between several days and up to 2 weeks to have a bubbly, active starter, so don't get discouraged if this takes longer than a week. The length of time it takes to create an active sourdough starter depends on several factors, including kitchen temperature, environment, flour, water, and more. Just follow these tips and techniques for the best results.
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After watching your video I finally think I have the confidence to start. Yours is the first video I have ever commented on. You have made my day. Thank you.
I'm so glad! You can do it!
Best sourdough starter video I’ve come across so far. You show the possible mistakes and disappointment and how to overcome them. I can relate because you just taught me how to revive my starter! Also, you are not being too rigid! Love that. Because I don’t like cooking using tablespoons and teaspoons to measure 😂😂
So glad you found it helpful!
Newbie here and your video was a breath of fresh air. Thank you for the simple instructions! I’ve been wanting to try sourdough for years but always felt overwhelmed with the starter process. Thank you fir sharing your wisdom🥰♥️
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
How fun, been looking to start starting starter lol - thanks for all the details!!❤
Enjoy!
Your video was the most understandable recipe for starter I have come across in the last 3 days...thank-you!
Glad it was helpful!
I agree with this 1000%. Just started mine. Thanks Zoe!
Day 4 on my third attempt and it is bubbling and thriving! Thank you for your video showing the daily process and explaining everything in great detail!
That's wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you're finding the video helpful.
You are soo brilliant and I love that you make mistakes too!!! Thank you for sharing so freely.
Zoe, thank you for this video. We all learn something differently, and although I'm an avid reader, when doing so with any on-line instructions it was as if I was reading a foreign language, thus a bit intimidating! This is what I've always loved about your videos - easy to follow with some assurances and humor added into the recipe! Bon Apetite, everyone 🥰
Hi. I am so glad you found it helpful. I am a visual learner, so the videos always make more sense to me too! Enjoy! Zoë
I like your kitchen I like your clear language and your kitchen tools I like all
Thank you so much 😊
Hello, Zoey. You are my inspiration 😊. I am a New Yorker now in South Carolina. I have tried watching oh sooo many videos only to roll my eyes. You are articulate and very expressionable which u r hilarious, but cute. Ok, so I'm starting my starter today. Wish me luck. Ty, Linda.
Yay! Thank you so much for the kind note.
Do you refrigerate or leave out on counter
This seems very simple, am going to make my first starter.
I have had a long-standing interest in attempting this endeavor. I am grateful for your insightful video, as it has prepared me to undertake it. I have attentively watched your program on MAX twice, and I find it to be very user-friendly and intuitive.
I'm glad you enjoy the show!
But have you actually tried to make your own starter? I'm guessing you have and are as frustrated as most who try this. I suggest you stop. People who find this easy are living in an environment conducive to make starter. Most environments are not. You can follow all the instructions on the internet...feed your starter once a day or 15 times a day. If it doesn't happen after about 10 day it's NEVER going to happen. I'm a reasonably intelligent person, and I've been trying to get active starter for two years. I get lucky every 4-5 months. So....now I use my non-active starter for sourdough flavor with a good dose of yeast for the rise. Yeast never fails. Sourdough almost never succeeds for rising. Save yourself a LOT of time and effort and frustration.
Love how happy you are ❤😂
Amazing video! I was totally clueless about sourdough. I definitely didn't know you could make it from just water and flour. I though you had to buy the 100 year old started pack.
A very nice story teller,
I will watch more that is for sure !
Your tutorial was perfect. After trying numerous videos over 2 months. I've got it!!
I'm so happy to hear that!
HI Zoe! Do you have to add the flour and water each day at the same time of day as when you started?
Zoe, when you get to the second discard etc to use in other recipes, do you refrigerate it?
Thank you so much for explaining in such a nice and warm way 😊🙏🏼 I’m gonna try it right away 😬🙌🏼
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
@zoebakes absolutely 😊. It is my first time doing it, so I’m a little anxious 😬😅. I did it yesterday and I’m keeping it into one of my kitchen cupboards. After 5-6 hours, there wasn’t much of a change. I’ll check it in a couple of hours to see what happened, but I wanted to ask you if is it there a particular place for the sourdough starter to grow better than other ones…? Am I doing the right thing putting it inside a cupboard? 😬
Thank you in advance! 🙏🏼
thank you Mam...🤩can i use rain water?
Zoe, you're a rock star. You're super entertaining.
Thank you so much!
Amazing video! I enjoy your personality too! I’m looking to try making sourdough someday ❤
I hope you give it a try!
How do you know when the starter is ready to use?
I heard drop a bit in water, and if it floats, it is ready.
I love the sketchy process of making sourdough on this video it makes me feel more at easy if i mess up the recipe
So do we discard and then feed on Day 7? Thank you for the video I think it's so good I can do it.
Newbie & loved this video! I’m going to try tow as well, why not!
Is it best to use bottled water, distilled water, or filtered tap water?
BEST explanation I have watched!! Love your enthusiasm and smile😍
Thank you!
I LOVE your video and finally have the confidence to make my first starter. It's probably a stupid question, but after the week or so, where and what do you do with your starter. How do you take care of it on a day to day basis if you dont plan on baking every day.
Thanks for all the information and your videos are amazing
I’ve been so afraid to start a sour dough starter. You answered all of my questions. Starting my journey today!! 😊
So glad to hear it! Enjoy!
When you took half of it out, did you weigh it first?
Can you use coconut or almond flour?
Hi Zoe! This is so helpful and clear! Thank you for this video ❤ I’m 3 days in to my starter and it’s very very sticky, even difficult to poor into another jar. It has plenty of bubbles and appears to be rising. Is it normal for it to be so sticky? Thanks!
When you first split the starter, what did you do with the other half? Did you just use that as another starter?
could you use the healthy one at day 7 or did you refeed and use on day 8
Would it be beneficial to add a pinch of yeast to it to start 🌟
I love this channel, thank you OP!
I heard on the @sourdoughjourney channel that that second day rise you saw is due to bacteria, and not the good kind. It's normal for this to happen, the yeast will eventually take over and drive out the bad bacteria (he says after 14 feeding cycles). He also cautions against using the starter until it's a lot more mature than just the two days (due to the bacteria).
I have two questions.
( 1 ) What do you do with the discard ( 1 ) trash it. Or use it for a second starter.
( 2 ) What kind of cook top do you have in the back ground.
Make and model.
Thanks Roy
Hello!
I think her cook top is Wolf brand
Hope this helps! 😊
@@user-ge3zm7nd6i that's what I was thinking, didn't know they made a stand alone cook top.!!!!
Would've been nice if she replied, but thank you for acknowledging my comment.
I think I will unsubscribe from her channel since she doesn't seem to notice or care.
Pro Home Cooks has a great way to use the discard
EDIT:
The video is titled "NEVER Throw Away Your Sourdough Starter!" its by LifeByMikeG, his channel used to be named ProHomeCooks.
This is a nice recipe if you are into that type of stuff
Farmhouse on Boone (I think that is how you spell her name) she has tons of sourdough discard videos.
what a nice person you are!!
Can I use freshly milled flour?
Zoe thank you so much for this! Really great tutorial, especially for a rookie like me! 😊
You're so welcome!
Hi Zoe! Thank you so much for doing this video. I’m an avid cookbook addict but learn so much more when I’m seeing your processes. But could you tell me where did you get your scales from. I love the size and how well you can see the display. Would really appreciate your help 😊
I'm so glad my videos are helpful! Here is a link to my kitchen scale. It is an affiliate link. Cheers! amzn.to/3VzM0iq
I've wanted to make my own sourdough starter and with this video as a guide I will try it. I'm not a fan of videos that skip, but this one is ok. Thanks
Glad to hear it! Let me know how it goes!
goated video. boutta try this next week
Hi! Why do you not discard half after the first time like I see in other starter recipes?
Also I started with whole wheat and was going to switch to AP. What kind of effects will that have?
Hi Zoe. I'm finding it hard to get rid of all the flour lumps when feeding my starter. Should I worry about lumps?
Thank you for this! My starter puffed up and had big bubbles after 24 hours. I’m still feeding it though after 2 weeks! I’m trying! ❤
Wonderful!
zoe, i love this video!!
I love your channel ❤ and your hair🥰 can’t wait to learn from you!
Thanks for watching!!
Wha brand of flour do you use.
Is it necessary to use an airtight container?
Can we do it with whole wheat flour?
Can you cover the jar with a linen cloth?
great clear video i love baking breaf and excited about sourdough journey best wishes from ga
Please don't bother. It's just not worth it. You're likely here because you've failed and are looking for help. You won't find it. Most environments simply aren't conducive to sourdough creation and maintenance. Homes these days are too clean. In the 1800s kitchens were nasty, with bacteria flying all over the place. This was GREAT for sourdough starters. These days homes are clean and disinfected. Those who can get sourdough to double or triple in size are very lucky. Most of us will never get that to happen. Just use yeast for rise and flat, non-active sourdough (about the best you'll ever get) for flavor. The search for genuine sourdough rise will just leave you mad and frustrated.
So once your starter is ready and you don’t use right away do I place it in fridge? Then when I need to use it do I feed it then use it? Thanks
So do I feed my starter everyday? Or do I wait a few days to feed it again?
Great video! Just wondering if you could have put to waste of the good culture into the culture that was struggling? To get it going faster?
I would like to try but look to complicate. Zoe your t-shirt with the picture from your book is awesome ❤. Thank you for compartir all your knowledge with us.
Oh no, I didn't mean to make it seem complicated, I just wanted to show some of the signs people have mentioned when making a starter. At the end of the day you are just adding flour and water to a jar for several days. It's so simple and fun to do. I hope you give it a try just for curiosity if not for the bread! Cheers, Zoë
and my husband designed the T-shirt! :)
@@zoebakes thanks for giving me confidence ♥️
Great video! I started with your “The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day” starter instructions which suggested a little different ratios, and so far (2ish weeks) I haven’t had much success (looks a lot like your second example). I am excited to try it again with your video tips. But I’m curious, can I start with 100% whole wheat rather than all purpose/mix or do you think that might be what’s giving me the trouble? Thanks!
Apparently, all I had to do was ask the question, because I came home that same day to find my reluctant starter had doubled! Yay! Clearly, 100% whole wheat was not an issue. The experiment continues!
Is it possible to use gluten free flour made from fermented cassava flour called mocaf flour? And is it ok to use tap water that is already boiled before?
Hi! Love this and the video. You mentioned instructions were below. I cannot find them...can anyone help me out? Thanks!
How do you identify an organic flour to non-organic?
I started with wholemeal flour and everything works fine, until I feed with AP flour and then it just dies out... What to do? I don't want a wholemeal starter since wholemeal has bad effect on my guts..
I've watched a few videos on this process and they are different. They say pour off 1/3, and put the screw lid on, keep in a dark place. Does any of these change things?
Newbie here. Wanting to start. How do you know how much water and flour each time
Purified water is fine?
I have watched so many videos but this video is the easiest one to follow and understand. I’m on day 2 but already saw bubbles in my jar.
I'm so happy to hear it!
Does the water need to be warm?
First time making a starter and I think I am falling BIG TIME. On day 4, I had water at the top of BOTH my jars. What if after I discard and feed a bit more wheat flour than water and then see no difference the next day? Should I let it sit another day without discarding and adding? On day 5 I had a little bit of water at the top and saw some bubbles. Wasn’t sure if it was ok to let it sit for another day?
You can continue the regular feeding for up to two weeks before it may be ready. It really depends on the environment and sometimes just takes a bit of time! If it isn't ready for baking after two weeks of regular feeding (use the float test to check) you may need to start over. I hope that's not the case for you!
Hi! My starter is in the exact same situation as the one who didn’t go very well in your video, but it’s been 20 days and it still hasn’t shown any progress.. should i just restart?
Can Einkorn flour be used ?
This is so fascinating! Thank you for sharing!! Janet
I’m working on my first starter but it’s been over 2 weeks and it bubbles but it doesn’t float. I don’t know what to do.
Also, how often do you divide the dough into a new jar?
can white or wholemeal spelt flour work with this?
how does the wild yeast get in if the jar is covered?
There should already be some naturally in the air and the flour.
How does your starter look runny? I been doing 50g water and flour just like you but it's so stiff and not runny at all. Using organic rye flour only. Any guesses?
The rye flour makes it stiffer, I'm doing the same!
Hello... I have already made several sourdough breads, but for some reason my last loaves no longer rise as they used to during bulk fermentation.
I think something is wrong with my starter, what can I do to fix it? 🙏🏻
I have King Arthur All Purpose and King Arthur Wheat, but they do not say organic on package, so will these be okay to use?
So upset I didn’t watch this video earlier! I literally threw out my first starter as I thought it didn’t work! Because the first 2 feeds it doubled in size both times. But then just stopped. So I started over and it’s doing the same. On my fourth feed now and hoping it works.
Hey Zoe!! Can you do a video on how to store your starter when you’re not using it?? Thank you!!!
Is it self-rising flour or all purpose?
She’s using organic all purpose flour
You dont reject any starter when feeding it?
Can I use rye flour?
yes it’ll just be stiffer
Thanks for the rubber band tip😊
You’re welcome 😊
Can you taste the difference between a 18- 24 hour poolish for pizza and a 2 week sour dough starter in breads? I think i might try that experiment. I do alot of poolish for pizzas and it does have a bit of sourness to it. Just dont want to wait 2 weeks for a sour dough starter. You are cheerful and funny! 😊
Do t know if the question had been asked already what about unbleached flour will that work
It does. That’s what I use. Unbleached bread flour has been working for me.
What if you forget to feed it on day 3, but fed it on day 4?
What flour is that? In india we have different flours
Okay I have a question I Hooch is Butt It is Yellow Do I have to get rid of it
Did you write out the starter recipe? I can’t find it
Hi! It's available here for my Substack "Extras" subscribers: zoefrancois.substack.com/p/zoes-baking-academy-bread
Did pioneers have discard sourdough?
I never heard of discard until this century. In the 80s I lived in both Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska and read library books about traditional Alaska sourdough and they had no discards. Over my lifetime I've done sourdough periodically, using a potato starter or a yogurt starter. I never did discards until the last ten years because I never heard of it. Fun fact, in pioneer Alaska they took their starter to bed with them at night to keep it from freezing.
@TheNeighbor-s3s I agree, I also doubt that they had a digital scale,
All your trying to do is replace cultivated yeast with wild yeast.
I never throw out the Hooch either. 😂
How do you know if the starter has failed?
I’m going insane watching this
Can you spilt up the starters rather than “discard”?
Good question! I'm sure you could. This is my 1st time doing it and seems like the receipe varies. Good luck! ❤
Not when you’re building your starter. Once you have an established starter, you can definitely save discard (which is essentially just unfed starter).
How much is 50 g..??
1/3 cup . Good luck. I'm on day 2 😂
15 grams is how many in spoons/cup? 🇺🇸
No airbone yeast starts sour dough . It’s the yeast inherent already in your flour .
Mine is not liquidy always thick what am I doing