20 starter recipes

Basic sourdough starter uses commercial yeast and milk-based feeding to build a reliable wild-yeast culture in 2 to 3 days. The shortcut starter for sourdough bread baking at home.

Amish friendship yeast starter, the classic 10-day fermented sweet starter you stir daily, feed with milk, flour, and sugar, then divide to bake friendship bread and share with friends.

Sourdough starter for bread machines using just skim milk, plain yogurt, and flour. The yogurt cultures kickstart fermentation in 2 to 5 days.

Stir flour, yeast, and water together to create a simple sourdough starter that bubbles to life in days, ready to bake tangy bread without fussing over wild yeasts.

Start your own sourdough with just flat beer and flour. Stir 3 times a day for 5 to 10 days and you've got a bubbly, tangy starter ready for any sourdough recipe.

Wild yeast sourdough starter made with just milk and unbleached flour. A 2-ingredient no-yeast method that captures natural bacteria over several days for homemade sourdough bread.

Wild yeast sourdough starter made from just potato water and unbleached flour. No commercial yeast needed. A campfire-friendly method that captures natural yeast from the air.

Just milk, yogurt, and flour. This 3-ingredient sourdough starter uses live yogurt cultures to kickstart fermentation, giving you a bubbly, tangy base for homemade sourdough bread in about 3 days.

Old-fashioned milk-and-flour sourdough starter with no commercial yeast. Two ingredients capture wild bacteria for tangy bread. Patience required.

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.

Sourdough starter built from active dry yeast, sugar, flour, and water in 2-3 days. A reliable shortcut starter for tangy sourdough breads without waiting weeks for wild yeast.

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

-Bread Machine CB: A true sourdough starter is nothing more than the flour and milk or water which sits at room temperature for several days and catches live yeast bacteria from the air. Most starter recipes today include yeast as an original ingredient as it is much easier and less time consuming. In addition, many sourdough bread recipes also indicate usage of yeast itself as it does provide a higher rising, lighter loaf. A sourdough starter should be kept in a glass or plastic bowl which has a tight fitting lid. I recommend a bowl instead of a jar as you can "feed" your starter right in the bowl easily.

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.