58 sourdough starter recipes

Potato flake sourdough starter: a simple three-ingredient base of water, sugar, and instant potato flakes left to ferment for 3 to 4 days. The sweet, old-fashioned starter used in friendship bread and soft white loaves.

Milk-based sourdough starter using just flour and warm milk. A two-ingredient pioneer-style starter that ferments into a tangy base for biscuits, pancakes, and rustic loaves.

Yeasty sourdough starter is the shortcut version: unbleached flour, a packet of dry yeast, and water mixed into a thick batter and left warm for a day. A fast track to bread baking when you don't want to wait two weeks for a wild starter.

Sourdough starter from scratch in two days using water, active dry yeast, sugar, and flour. The fast-start version that skips the wild-yeast wait, refresh with flour and water as you use it.

Wild yeast sourdough starter made from leftover potato water and unbleached flour. The old farmhouse and camping method, no commercial yeast required.

This basic recipe requires a carefully scalded container.

Three-ingredient whole-wheat sourdough starter made with whole-wheat flour, active dry yeast, and lukewarm water. Ferments in 18 to 24 hours at room temperature.

A milk-based sourdough starter jump-started with yeast: flour, water and yeast left to ferment, then enriched with milk, sugar and flour. Keep it in the fridge and feed it after each use for ongoing baking.

White flour sourdough starter made with just water, flour, yeast, and sugar. Ready in 2-3 days and keeps indefinitely with regular feeding.

Sourdough starter with potato uses starchy potato water to feed wild yeasts faster and more reliably. Builds in 2 days at 85F with active dry yeast as a jumpstart.

Learn how to make a sourdough starter with this simple recipe that's easy to understand.

Sourdough biscuits from starter: old-fashioned fermented biscuits with a tangy, tender crumb, naturally leavened from a flour-and-water sponge and lifted with a touch of baking soda. Pioneer-style comfort.

Old-time potato sourdough starter made with just four ingredients: unbleached flour, potato water, sugar, and salt. No commercial yeast needed for this traditional wild-fermented starter.

Old-fashioned potato sourdough starter: a yeast-and-flour starter fed with raw potato for biscuits, breads, and pancakes. Pioneer-style starter that improves with age.

Vegan whole wheat sourdough waffles made with soy milk and active sourdough starter. Overnight ferment for tangy flavor and a crisp, airy texture. Dairy-free and egg-free.

Sourdough biscuits made with 1½ cups of active starter for tangy, fluffy biscuits with crisp golden tops. The classic chuckwagon recipe that uses up extra discard.