Learn · Sourdough
Sourdough starts here.
A calm, weight-based guide for your first — or fiftieth — sourdough loaf. Grow a starter, learn the rhythm, run the timer, and keep notes worth coming back to.
01
Start Here
01
Build (or find) a starter
A sourdough starter is just flour and water with wild yeast. You can grow your own in 5–7 days or beg a tablespoon from a friend.
02
Learn the rhythm
Feed, rise, fall. Once your starter doubles within 4–6 hours of a feed and smells tangy-sweet, it's ready to bake with.
03
Mix a simple loaf
Start with one flour, one hydration, one schedule. Boring is good. Repeat the same loaf three times before you change anything.
04
Watch the dough, not the clock
Times in recipes are guides. A jiggly, domed, bubbly dough is ready — no matter what the timer says.
02
Starter Instructions
Grow a starter from scratch
Day 1
Mix 50 g whole wheat or rye flour + 50 g warm water in a jar. Loosely cover. Leave at room temp.
Day 2
Look for tiny bubbles. Stir and wait. No feed needed yet.
Day 3
Discard all but 50 g. Feed 50 g flour + 50 g water. Stir, loosely cover.
Day 4–6
Twice daily: discard to 50 g, feed 50 g flour + 50 g water. Watch for steady doubling.
Day 7+
When it doubles in 4–6 hours and smells yeasty/tangy, it's ready to bake with.
Tip: filtered water and unbleached, unenriched flour work best. Keep the jar between 70–78°F (21–26°C).
Feeding ratios
Read as starter : flour : water by weight.
1:1:1
Active daily baker — quick rise, mild flavor.
Feed every 8–12 hours at room temp.
1:2:2
Standard — bigger rise, classic tang.
Feed every 10–12 hours at room temp.
1:5:5
Slow build, deeper sour, overnight feeds.
Feed every 12–24 hours.
1:10:10
Long sleep, mild flavor, weekend bakers.
Refrigerated, feed weekly.
03
Sourdough Timer
Follow each stage of your bake — from starter feeding through cooling. Adjust durations to match your recipe and save sessions to compare bakes.
Current stage
Not started
Up next
Starter Feeding
4h suggested
Sourdough stages
Bake notes
Saved sessions
Saved bakes appear here on this device.
04
Weights & Measurements
Quick converter
Sourdough is a weight craft — grams beat cups every time. Use this to translate older recipes.
Equals
130 g
4.59 oz
Reference chart
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp | 1 tsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 130 g | 8 g | 3 g |
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 8 g | 3 g |
| Whole wheat flour | 120 g | 8 g | 3 g |
| Rye flour | 102 g | 6 g | 2 g |
| Water | 237 g | 15 g | 5 g |
| Active starter (100% hydration) | 227 g | 14 g | 5 g |
| Fine sea salt | 288 g | 18 g | 6 g |
| Olive oil | 216 g | 14 g | 5 g |
| Honey | 340 g | 21 g | 7 g |
| Sugar (granulated) | 200 g | 13 g | 4 g |
Temperature: 1°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32. Most sourdough recipes assume a 75–78°F dough temp.
05
Ratios & Hydration
Baker's percentage calculator
Enter your total flour and the percentages you want. The recipe scales itself.
Flour
500 g
Water
325 g
Net, after starter water
Starter
100 g
50 g flour + 50 g water
Salt
10 g
Total dough
935 g
Hydration cheatsheet
- 65%Tight, sandwich-style loaves. Beginner friendly.
- 72–75%Classic country loaf. Open crumb, easy to handle.
- 78–82%Rustic, glossy crumb. Needs strong flour and confident folds.
- 85%+Ciabatta / focaccia territory. Wet, slack, baked in a pan.
06
Troubleshooting
Common issues
07
Notes & Bake Journal
Keep a bake journal
Record flour, hydration, dough temp, ambient temp, fold count, bulk length, and crumb. After three bakes a pattern always shows up — your kitchen, your starter, your hands. The timer below saves each session locally so you can compare bakes side by side.
- • Flour brand + blend
- • Final hydration %
- • Dough temp after mix
- • Bulk start + finish
- • Number / spacing of folds
- • Crumb + crust verdict