Learn sourdough
Clear, practical help for every stage: starting and feeding a starter, fixing what went wrong, and making good use of your bakes.
Start here
The four complete guides. Each one links out to everything below it.
Sourdough starter: the complete guide
Everything about a sourdough starter in one place: what it is, how to make one, how to feed it, how to read it, and how to store it between bakes.
Sourdough troubleshooting: find your symptom, get the fix
A sourdough troubleshooting index. Match what went wrong (flat, dense, gummy, sticky, too sour, no ear, a starter that won't rise) to the cause and the fix.
Sourdough bread recipes
Sourdough bread recipes in grams, from a first loaf to a 75% hydration country loaf, plus overnight and same-day schedules you can fit around real life.
Sourdough discard recipes
Sourdough discard recipes that use up the starter you'd throw away: easy pancakes, crisp crackers, and moist banana bread, plus how to store discard well.
Guides
Start a starter, feed it, and bake your first loaf.
How to make a sourdough starter from scratch
Learn how to make a sourdough starter from flour and water in about two weeks, with a clear day-by-day feeding schedule and signs it is ready to bake.
How to feed a sourdough starter
How to feed a sourdough starter step by step: what to keep, which ratio to use, how often to feed by temperature, and how to read the peak before you bake.
Sourdough feeding ratios: 1:1:1, 1:2:2, and 1:5:5
What a sourdough feeding ratio means, how 1:1:1 compares with 1:2:2 and 1:5:5, and how to pick the ratio that makes your starter peak when you need it.
How to tell when your sourdough starter is ready
Is my sourdough starter ready? Read the rise and fall, run the float test, and check smell and texture so you know exactly when to bake.
Sourdough starter feeding schedule by temperature
Your sourdough feeding schedule by temperature: how often to refresh a starter in a warm or cool kitchen, with ratios and timing cues you can actually use.
How to store a sourdough starter
Learn how to store a sourdough starter in the fridge, refresh it once a week, revive it before a bake, and keep it safe through long breaks away from home.
Stiff sourdough starter: what it is and when to keep one
A stiff sourdough starter is fed at 50-60% hydration instead of 100%. Learn how it changes flavor and timing, how to convert one, and how to bake with it.
What should a sourdough starter smell like
What should sourdough starter smell like? A healthy one smells tangy like yogurt. Sharp acetone means it is hungry, so feed it and read the rest here.
How to dehydrate and revive a sourdough starter
Learn how to dehydrate a sourdough starter into dry flakes for long-term backup, store it airtight, and revive it with a few feeds when you want to bake again.
How to bake your first sourdough loaf
Bake your first sourdough loaf in a day: a 500g flour formula plus mix, bulk, shape, proof, and bake steps you can judge by feel at home.
What is bulk fermentation, and how long does it take
Bulk fermentation is the first rise of your dough as a single mass. Learn how to tell when it is done by feel and rise, plus how temperature sets the time.
Sourdough baking schedule: plan the day backward
Build a sourdough baking schedule around your day. Four worked timelines, how dough temperature moves every stage, and how to work backward from the bake.
Sourdough hydration explained
Sourdough hydration is the weight of water as a percent of flour. Learn the typical ranges, how it changes crumb and handling, and how to calculate it.
Sourdough hydration chart
A sourdough hydration chart in grams: water for every flour weight from 300 g to 1000 g at 65-85% hydration, plus flour adjustments and starter contribution.
Choosing a sourdough starter app
What actually matters in a sourdough starter tracker app: reminders that fit your schedule, real baker's math, privacy, offline use, and honest pricing.
Troubleshooting
Read the symptom, find the fix.
Why isn't my sourdough starter rising?
You feed your starter and it barely moves.
Why is my sourdough too sour, and how to fix it
Your loaf tastes sharply sour or vinegary.
How to fix a gummy sourdough crumb
The crumb feels wet, sticky, or paste-like.
Why is my sourdough flat, and how to fix it
The loaf spreads wide and flat with little oven spring.
How to fix a dense, tight sourdough crumb
The bread is heavy with small, even holes and little rise.
Why is my sourdough dough so sticky
The dough sticks to your hands and the bench.
Why your sourdough has no ear, and how to get one
Your scores do not open into a raised ear.
Bread recipes
Loaves in grams, with schedules that fit a real day.
Sourdough country loaf
A classic 75% hydration sourdough country loaf in grams: one boule with an open crumb and a deep crust, with timings you can adjust to your kitchen temperature.
Overnight sourdough bread
An overnight sourdough schedule that fits a workday: mix in the evening, let a cool bulk run while you sleep, shape and bake in the morning. Gram-based recipe.
Same-day sourdough bread
A same-day sourdough recipe: mix in the morning, bread out of the oven by evening. A warm, faster bulk with more starter, in grams, with every stage timed.
Discard recipes
Put the starter you would throw away to work.
Sourdough discard pancakes
Make fluffy sourdough discard pancakes with this gram-based recipe. Ingredients, numbered steps, and tips for using up unfed starter without waste.
Sourdough discard crackers
Make crisp sourdough discard crackers with this exact recipe: weights in grams, herbs and salt, rolled thin, baked at 175C/350F until snappy and golden.
Sourdough discard banana bread
Sourdough discard banana bread made with ripe bananas and unfed starter. Get weights in grams, numbered steps, and a 175C/350F bake of about 55 minutes.
Sourdough discard pizza dough
Sourdough discard pizza dough you can make the same day, with discard for flavor and a little yeast for lift. Gram-based recipe for two 12-inch pizzas.
Sourdough discard tortillas
Make soft sourdough discard tortillas with no yeast. A gram-based recipe, a short rest, then a hot griddle for pliable rounds that fold without cracking.
Sourdough discard blueberry muffins
Sourdough discard muffins packed with blueberries and a tender crumb. Get gram weights, numbered steps, and a 200C/400F bake that yields 12 muffins.
Sourdough discard waffles
Make crisp sourdough discard waffles two ways: an overnight batter for deep tang or a same-day version in 25 minutes. Gram weights, steps, and tips.
Sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies
Sourdough discard cookies that stay chewy with a faint tang. Get gram weights, a chill step, and a 180C/350F bake of about 11 minutes for soft centers.
Sourdough discard biscuits
Make flaky, buttermilk-style sourdough discard biscuits with this gram-based recipe. Cold butter, a fast fold, and a hot oven give tall, tender layers.
Sourdough discard cinnamon rolls
Soft sourdough discard cinnamon rolls made with unfed starter and a little yeast. Get gram weights, a cinnamon filling, and a 175C/350F bake of 25 minutes.
Sourdough discard flatbread
Make soft sourdough discard flatbread in a skillet with no yeast. Gram-based recipe, numbered steps, and tips for a puffy, pliable bread in under an hour.