Go Back
Side view of bubbly sourdough starter in a white bowl, highlighting its rise and fermentation activity.
Stephanie

How to Make a Fresh Milled Wheat Sourdough Starter (From Grain to Jar)

Create a lively sourdough starter completely from scratch using freshly milled wheat flour and water. This simple, old-fashioned method walks you through feeding, stirring, and building your starter each day until it becomes bubbly, active, and ready for baking. Perfect for anyone wanting to bake the traditional way — starting right at the grain.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 minutes per day 7 days
Total Time 7 days 35 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 100 grams freshly milled flour
  • 80–100 grams water filtered or dechlorinated
  • 1 clean jar or glass container
  • Spoon for stirring
  • A warm place at room temperature around 70–75°F

Method
 

  1. Combine 100 grams of freshly milled flour and 80 grams of water in your clean jar. Stir until smooth, then cover loosely. Leave it at room temperature for 24 hours. You may not see much change yet. This is the quiet stage where wild yeast and bacteria begin settling in.
  2. Discard half of your mixture. You can save the discard for one of our sourdough discard recipes if you’d like to avoid waste. Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water, then stir well. You may start to notice small bubbles or a slight rise, which is a good sign of early activity.
  3. Continue feeding every 24 hours using equal parts fresh milled flour and water. By Day 4 or 5, your starter should smell pleasantly sour and begin doubling in size between feedings. If your kitchen is cooler, fermentation may take a little longer. Every home environment is different, so simply keep feeding and watching for steady activity.
  4. By now, your starter should be bubbly, airy, and rising reliably after each feeding. Place a rubber band around the jar to track its rise. Once it doubles within 4 to 6 hours of a feeding, it is ready to use.

Notes

Once your fresh milled wheat sourdough starter is strong and rising well, a simple feeding routine will keep it healthy.
At room temperature: feed once a day.
If stored in the refrigerator: feed once a week.
Each time you feed:
  • Discard half
  • Add equal weights of freshly milled flour and water
  • Stir, cover, and let it sit at room temperature until bubbly again
If you plan to bake often, keeping your starter warm and active on the counter works well. If you bake only occasionally, store it in the fridge and give it a feeding a day or two before you plan to make bread, leaving it out to get to room temperature before baking.