This sourdough starter recipe (levain) is a natural leavening agent I build from whole wheat, bread, and rye flour, fed daily with water until it is bubbling and strong enough to raise a loaf. It takes me about 5 days to get going. Once it is active, I use it in everything from breads to pizza dough.

Sourdough Starter

A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria that ferments flour and water. That fermentation is what raises bread without any commercial yeast. It is the most natural way to get lift in a dough. The same fermentation that gives you flavor also helps break down some of the gluten, which is part of why a lot of people find it easier to digest. One thing worth knowing is that a sourdough starter changes its name to levain once it is actually fed and used in a recipe. In this recipe, you will see me use both words.

Building it is more about patience and a steady schedule than anything hard at the stove. You mix whole wheat flour and water and let it sit open to catch the wild yeast in the air. Then you discard most of it and refeed it every day. Switch to a whole wheat, bread, and rye blend as it matures, until it is strong enough to double and smell alive.

Seriously, none of it is difficult. It just asks you to show up at the same time every day for a few days. Stick with the feeding rhythm below, pay attention to the two chef tips on the flour blend and feed ratio, and you will have a starter that is genuinely active rather than the boring, sleepy kind. It is also pretty classic to name yours, so go ahead. This thing takes on a life of its own and honestly needs a little parental care. Ha!

I have killed more starters than I can remember, and because of that I have gotten exceptionally good at keeping them and bringing them back to life. The secret is not complicated. It is daily feedings around the same time. I hold myself to a strict 24-hour rule, though I will be honest that I have accidentally left one sitting out for 2 or 3 days, fed it, and had it come back just fine. A lot of it depends on the environment. Warmer means much more active much faster. I am up north, so in the cold of a Northwest Indiana winter, a starter can last a little longer between feedings than it would in July.

If you want the flavor, the rise, and the easier digestion that come with a real natural leavener, this is the one to make. You can absolutely do this.

Ingredients and Substitutions

There are only 4 ingredients in a starter, but the flour you choose and the ratio you feed at do most of the work. Here is what I use and why:

• Whole wheat flour – This is where much of the richness and earthy, nutty flavor come from. It is the flour I start with because it is the best at capturing wild yeast from the air. It builds a strong active culture from day one. I usually reach for King Arthur, the 365 brand from Whole Foods, or Sunrise Flour Mill.
• Bread flour has a high protein for gluten strength with a good W value. This is what gives you a starter that actually expands instead of just fizzing.
• Rye flour – Earthy and nutty with a gentle sourness. It is the fastest way I know to make a starter active or bring a slow one back to life. A little goes into the daily blend for complexity.
• Water – I use purified or bottled water for all my bread baking. Tap water can carry chlorine and other things that sometimes knock back the natural yeast. There is no reason to fight your own starter.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter (Levain)

Mix the first starter: In a large plastic container, mix 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour with 3 tablespoons of room-temperature water just until combined. Rest, uncovered, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours so it can catch the wild yeast in the air. Then cover it and keep it in a warm place between 70° and 90° for 20 to 24 hours.

Discard and feed: Remove and discard 2/3 to 3/4 of the mixture. Add another half cup of whole wheat flour and 3 tablespoons of water to the young starter. Mix just until combined. Rest uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, then cover and keep it warm for another 20 to 24 hours.

Repeat the feed: Do the previous step again in its entirety. By now you should start to notice the mixture rising and a leathery, faintly sour smell coming off it.

Feed the teenage starter: Remove and discard half of the starter. Add 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix just until combined, then cover and keep warm for 20 to 24 hours. It should have plenty of bubbles and air pockets by this stage even if it is not doubling yet.

Switch to the daily blend: Remove and discard 3/4 of the starter. Add 1/2 cup of the daily feeding blend, which is 75% bread flour, 20% whole wheat flour, and 5% rye, along with 3 tablespoons of water. Mix until combined. Cover and keep warm for 20 to 24 hours. From here, it is ready to use within about 8 to 8 1/2 hours of a feed.

Keep it going: Continue discarding and feeding every day.

Once it is mature and active, it is a levain the moment you feed it and take it to a recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Once the starter is active, this is the part I actually look forward to. Now it gets turned into a real loaf of bread. On a weekend when I have time, I feed it in the morning. Then, I use it that afternoon to make a sourdough bread. The kind with an open crumb and a crackly crust that we tear into warm. It is just as good in a batch of naan puffed straight off a hot skillet. The rise you get from a healthy levain is a different thing than what commercial yeast gives you.

The one I have been most excited about lately is my sourdough pizza. A well-fed levain gives the crust a chew and a flavor that a same day yeast dough just cannot match. Friday nights around here have turned into pizza nights because of it, with my daughter topping her own before it goes in the oven

When I want to bake with something other than plain wheat, I use it in a kamut flour bread, keeping the sour restrained so the flavor of the grain itself is what you taste.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: I plan a starter about 5 days ahead of the first bake I want to use it in, since that is how long the daily feeding cycle takes to get it fully active. Once it is mature, I feed it the morning of a bake and it is ready to go within 8 to 8 1/2 hours.

How to Store: I keep mine at room temperature, around 72° to 77°, and feed it every day when I am baking regularly. When I need a break from feeding, I discard some, feed it, transfer it to a container, add a thin layer of purified water over the top, seal the lid, and put it in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

How to Reheat: Bring a chilled starter back to life by taking it out of the fridge and running it through the daily discard-and-feed cycle at room temperature until it is bubbling and active again. Rye in the feed speeds this up. I have actually revived a 7 month old fridge starter this way using my flour blend with a higher ratio of dry to wet, so do not write one off too quickly.

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