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Sourdough starter

Baking essentials · Leavening

Sourdough starter

Living culture of flour and water hosting wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria; leavens and sours bread.

Also called: levain, sourdough culture, mother dough, ekşi maya

5 recipes with it

Photo: PilotChicago, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water fed regularly so wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria multiply. The yeasts make gas to raise dough; the bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids for tang and better keeping. Hydration is the weight of water as a percentage of flour: a 100% starter uses equal weights of each and is like thick batter, while a stiff starter (around 50–60%) is dough-like and tends to taste more acetic. A levain is a portion built from the starter for a specific bake.

How it’s used

  • Sourdough country loaves and baguettes
  • Rye breads
  • Sourdough pizza and focaccia
  • Pancakes, crumpets and waffles from discard
  • Panettone (stiff starter)

Characteristics

Taste
Tangy, yoghurty or vinegary depending on feeding.
Aroma
Pleasantly sour, fruity, beery when active.
When cooked
Use when bubbly and roughly doubled after feeding; a spoonful floats in water when well risen. Grey liquid ('hooch') on top means it is hungry.
Sold as
fermented
Cooking uses
Used for leavening, Suitable for baking

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep at room temperature with daily feedings, or in the fridge fed about weekly. Discard if pink, orange or fuzzy mould appears.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Usually made from wheat or rye flour: contains gluten. Do not eat raw starter.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
182 kcal
Protein
5.165 g
Carbohydrate
38.155 g
Fat
0.49 g
Fibre
1.35 g
Sugars
0.135 g

USDA FoodData Central: Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached × 0.5 (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Instant yeast — A small amount of yeast plus a long, cool rise gives some depth, but not the sour flavour; reduce flour and water by the starter's weight.

Related ingredients

Recipes with sourdough starter

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