How to Make a Sourdough Starter With Fresh Milled Flour
Ingredients
- Fresh milled wheat flour hard or soft, red or white
- Water filtered/bottled/boiled and cooled if your tap water smells strongly of chlorine
Method
- Day 1: Mix 10 g fresh milled wheat flour + 10 g water. Stir well, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature.
- Day 2: Add 10 g flour + 10 g water. Stir and cover.
- Day 3: Add 10 g flour + 10 g water. Stir and cover. (Early activity is common, and then it may stall.)
- Day 4:If you see activity: discard all but 10 g starter, then feed 10 g flour + 10 g water.If you see no activity: keep feeding 10 g flour + 10 g water daily for up to 3 extra days before moving on.
- Day 5: Discard all but 10 g starter. Feed 20 g flour + 20 g water.
- Day 6: Start feeding twice a day. Each time: keep 10 g starter, then feed 20 g flour + 20 g water.
- Day 7: Repeat twice daily: keep 10 g starter, then feed 20 g flour + 20 g water. (Doubling within 4 to 6 hours is a good sign.)
- Days 8 to 9: Feed twice daily. Each time: keep 10 g starter, feed 30 g flour + 30 g water.
- Days 10 to 13: Feed twice daily. Each time: keep 10 g starter, feed 30 g flour + 30 g water.
- Day 14: Your starter should be stable and active. Keep feeding the same way, or make it slightly thicker if you prefer. Bake your first loaf when it doubles consistently and you can predict its timing.
Notes
- Temperature matters: Ideal room temp is about 21–24°C (70–75°F). Cooler kitchens slow everything down.
- Don’t obsess over exact grams: These are small amounts. I go by consistency more than numbers.
- Fresh milled starters can look “alive” early, then stall: That’s normal.
- Don’t bake too early: Even if it gets active fast, giving it extra days usually helps a lot.
- Don’t use discard while establishing the starter: Early funky smells mean unwanted microbes are still balancing out.
- Ready = predictable: When it doubles consistently and you can predict its behavior, that’s when it’s ready.
Private Notes
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