How to make sourdough (and start a sourdough journal)
Jun 25, 2025
The basis of every bread: how to make sourdough
Before you start baking, you need to cultivate a reliable baking partner – sourdough or kvass. Believe it or not, every kvas is original and there is only one. Although it seems incredible, no two are the same in the whole world.
In this article, we'll walk you through step-by-step how to start a sourdough starter at home - and why it's worth keeping a diary. It will save you a lot of stress and flour.
Why bake with your own sourdough?
Baking with sourdough means baking the real thing. No yeast, no shortcuts, and the result is a taste, aroma, crust, and fluffy interior, or custard, that's like something out of a fairy tale. Plus, sourdough naturally extends the shelf life of baked goods, promotes healthy digestion , and smells so good you'll want to bake at midnight. The great news is that starting a sourdough starter isn't rocket science , so let's dive in:
What to prepare for starting a sourdough starter
To get started, prepare:
– flour and whole grain flour (ideally wheat or rye)
– clean water (ideally settled)
– a transparent jar with a lid (e.g. a mason jar)
– a scale, a small spatula and a spoon
– time, patience and a notebook
– Greek yogurt or honey
You can add a teaspoon of plain Greek yogurt or a teaspoon of sugar or honey to start the fermentation process, or simply gently kickstart the first feeding process.
How to make sourdough step by step
Day 1
In a clean glass or glass bowl with a capacity of about 800 ml, put 80 g of water ( Mari recommends: at this stage, add the aforementioned teaspoon of white Greek yogurt or sugar/honey and mix ), 70 g of plain wheat flour and 30 g of whole wheat flour . Mix, cover with a lid (loosely placed, not tightened, or with a cotton cap) and let the sourdough stand at room temperature of 24 °C until the next day. If it is colder where you are, somewhere up in the cupboard the temperature will definitely be a little higher.
Day 2
Check if something is happening with the sourdough in the jar. You should see small bubbles. If not, don't despair. Add 80 g of water, 70 g of plain wheat flour and 30 g of whole wheat flour. Note, from this feeding we do not add any more yoghurt, sugar or honey. Mix thoroughly, cover with a lid in the same way as the previous day and let stand at room temperature of 24 °C until the next day. It is important that the sourdough slowly starts to "breathe".
Day 3 and 4
Today you should see bubbles and more volume in the jar. So start “feeding” the yeast: take a larger part of the mixture and set it aside (which is about 250 g on the third day and about 150 g on the fourth day), add 80 g of water again, 70 g of plain wheat flour and 30 g of whole wheat flour. Mix thoroughly, cover with a lid in the same way as the previous day and let it stand at room temperature of 24 °C until the second day.
Day 5
After 5 days it should be active: the volume should double, it should smell pleasantly sour (not like nail polish), the surface should have visible bubbles on the surface and when you poke it with a spoon it should be full of bubbles. You could start baking from today. The yeast is not that strong yet, but the yeast is there to bake.
Yeast diary: a guarantee of how to make sourdough better every time
All you need is a pencil and paper or a notebook. Why start a diary? Write down everything from the moment you start the sourdough starter and the reward will be better pastries:
– the first entry in the diary should be when you started the starter
– what specific flour did you use?
– when did you feed, in what ratio and what temperature was the water used
– how the yeast gradually looked and when and what bubbles gradually formed
– how yeast behaves in dough during baking
– record the smell of the sourdough and over time you will learn how to recognize spoiled sourdough
– temperatures in the kitchen and outside (yes, both affect the yeast), yeast temperature
Thanks to these notes, you will gradually learn what works or what needs to be changed when the dough does not rise .
How do I know when the sourdough is ready for baking?
– it will double in size within 4 to 6 hours of feeding (feeding at a ratio of 1:1:1)
– has a slightly sour, clean aroma
– it is full of tiny bubbles on the surface and inside
What to do if baking fails?
Don't throw away the yeast. It's a living organism and sometimes it just needs more time. Help it:
– try a different flour (some flour brands contain less live enzymes)
– increase the temperature (ideally around 24 to 26 °C)
– extend the time between feedings, sometimes it helps to shorten the time
– try other feeding ratios (e.g. yeast:water:flour in a ratio of 1:1:1 or 1:2:4 depending on activity)
If you write down what you did with the sourdough every day, you will soon know how it is doing and what works for it. This little baking diary will lead you to the bread of your dreams in a few weeks.”
And now you know how to make sourdough for home baking
Now you know that starting a sourdough starter is not rocket science. It's more of a patient baking adventure. If you don't succeed the first time, don't worry. The important thing is to get started and don't get discouraged. The sourdough gives the bread its character. And it's worth a little extra flour and patience.
Do you want to be sure that the yeast will grow like water?
Download the free e-book How to Feed Yeast Like a Pro and keep it handy at all times, or take Mari's baking class . She'll walk you through starting your sourdough starter step by step - in person.
