{"id":30906,"date":"2026-01-13T00:05:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=30906"},"modified":"2026-01-12T21:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T05:38:33","slug":"small-batch-baking-how-to-create-a-small-sourdough-starter-and-bake-a-small-sourdough-loaf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/small-batch-baking-how-to-create-a-small-sourdough-starter-and-bake-a-small-sourdough-loaf\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Batch Baking: How to Create a Small Sourdough Starter and Bake a Small Sourdough Loaf"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m pretty sure anyone who has had a really good sourdough has thought about making sourdough at home. After all, all you need is flour and water.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you a fan of sourdough? A long time ago I didn\u2019t like it. That was back in the day when people\u2019s sourdough loaves were literally sour. Artisan bread has come a long way from then and now sourdough is complex, rich, and seriously good.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/picture><\/p>\n

What is Sourdough?<\/h2>\n

Sourdough is a loose term that refers to bread that\u2019s been made with a wild yeast starter rather than commercial yeast. Contrary to the name, not all sourdough tastes sour. Sourdough starter can be used to make all kinds of yeasted breads: sourdough cinnamon buns<\/a>, sourdough, babka<\/a>, essentially anything that uses yeast can be made with sourdough.<\/p>\n

What is Yeast and Why is it Wild?<\/h2>\n

Yeast are the little besties that brings your bread to life! Yeast is what makes breads light and fluffy. Basically it eats the sugars in flour and releases carbon dioxide, which makes bread rise.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s wild yeast everywhere around us. It\u2019s in the air, in flours, in trees, on fruit, it\u2019s everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/picture><\/p>\n

What Can I Bake With My Yeast\/Sourdough Starter?<\/h2>\n

You can use sourdough starter\/yeast to bake anything! Sourdough bread obviously, but also things like pizza crust, focaccia<\/a>, rustic loaves, sandwich bread, baguettes, pretzels<\/a>, doughnuts, and the list goes on. Anything yeasted is a go.<\/p>\n

What About Sourdough Discard?<\/h2>\n

When you feed your sourdough (more on that later) you need to take away some of the sourdough mixture otherwise you\u2019ll end up with too much sourdough. The amount you take away is called \u201cdiscard.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Can I Make With Sourdough Discard?<\/h2>\n

When you have a sourdough starter there\u2019s always going to be discard otherwise you\u2019ll end up with a giant vat of living breathing sourdough starter that will eat you out of house and home. Even with a small sourdough starter, you\u2019ll have discard. But, the good news is that there are tons of things you can make with it:
\npancakes, waffles, English muffins, crumpets, popovers\/Yorkshire puddings, cake, banana bread, quick breads, crackers<\/a>, muffins<\/a>, corn bread, naan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why You Should Make a Small Sourdough Starter
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Right now flour is a hot commodity. Because there will inevitably be sourdough discard the best thing you can do if you want to make sourdough is make a small sourdough starter. Having a smaller starter means less discard and less flour to feed. A small starter will be more than enough for a home baker to bake multiple loaves of bread because you can use your starter to create a levain, which is an offshoot of your starter. The best part though is that you won\u2019t need a huge amount of flour at the beginning. It\u2019s a low investment scaled down starter.<\/p>\n

How to Make a Small Batch of Sourdough Starter<\/h2>\n

What You Need<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Flour<\/strong> – It\u2019s easier to start a sourdough starter with freshly milled flour but you can most definitely do it with AP flour. If you have whole wheat or rye flour on hand, a 50\/50 mix of flour is best.<\/li>\n
  2. Water<\/strong> – Room temperature filtered water or tap water that\u2019s left out overnight so that any chlorine in the water disappeared.<\/li>\n
  3. A container<\/strong> – I like to use a small, tall, straight sided glass container<\/a> so I can see exactly how much my starter grows and when it needs to be feed. You\u2019ll need a jar with a lid but don\u2019t put the lid on tightly, so gases can escape.<\/li>\n
  4. Kitchen Scale<\/a><\/strong> – Technically you could eyeball your starter and use tablespoons but if you\u2019re going to be baking sourdough you\u2019re probably going to want to invest in a kitchen scale. A kitchen scale will give you accuracy and help you bake consistent loves.<\/li>\n
  5. Rubber spatula<\/strong><\/a> – This isn\u2019t technically a \u201cneed\u201d but it makes it really easy to mix your starter and scrape down the sides of your container.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Day 1<\/h3>\n

    In the morning, make a flour mix as food for your starter: Take an empty container and mix in 200 grams of all purpose flour and 200 grams of rye or whole wheat flour. Set aside.<\/p>\n

    Take your jar and put it on the kitchen scale and tare (that is, minus the weight of the jar). Add 15 grams of your flour mix and 15 grams of water. Mix very well until all the dry parts are incorporated. Lightly cover and keep in a warm spot in your kitchen, ideally 80\u00b0F-85\u00b0F (26\u00b0C or higher). If your kitchen is cold, you can help the starter by warming up the water to 80\u00b0F (26\u00b0C). Let the mixture rest for 24 hours. Make a note of the time.<\/p>\n

    Day 2<\/h3>\n

    It\u2019s time to feed your starter! You want to do this the next day, at the same time that you created your starter. Place a bowl (or jar) on the scale and tare. Stir your starter then add 5 grams of your starter, 15 grams of the flour mix, and 15 grams water to the bowl (or jar) on the scale. Mix very well until everything is uniform.<\/p>\n

    The original jar will have some discard in it that you\u2019ll need to get rid of. At this point you can\u2019t really use it to make food (plus it\u2019s so tiny) so just compost it and wash your jar.<\/p>\n

    Put the new sourdough starter in the jar (if you used a bowl), place the lid on loosely and put it in a warm spot for 24 hours.<\/p>\n

    Day 3<\/h3>\n

    This is the day that you\u2019ll probably see some very small bubbles breaking the surface of your starter. But if you don\u2019t, don\u2019t worry about it and stick to the schedule, sometimes starters just take a while to get going. At the same time as you did the feeding the other day, place a bowl (or jar) on the scale and tare.\u00a0Stir your starter then add 5 grams of your starter, 15 grams of the flour mix, and 15 grams water to the bowl (or jar) on the scale. Mix very well until everything is uniform.<\/p>\n

    Pop the starter in a clean jar (if you used a bowl) and let rest in a warm spot for 24 hours.<\/p>\n

    Day 4<\/h3>\n

    Day 4 is the day we will feed twice: once in the morning and once at night.<\/p>\n

    In the morning you should probably start to see some more sides of growth. The level of your mixture will have risen and fallen and you\u2019ll see streaks on the side of the jar where the starter has grown.<\/p>\n

    Feed your starter: place a bowl (or jar) on the scale and tare.\u00a0Stir your starter then add 5 grams of your starter, 15 grams of the flour mix, and 15 grams water to the bowl (or jar) on the scale. Mix very well until everything is uniform. Pop the starter in the clean jar (if you used a bowl) and let rest in a warm spot for 12 hours.<\/p>\n

    Note: If you have two jars by the way, you don\u2019t have to use a bowl, you can just mix the starter into the clean jar.<\/p>\n

    After 12 hours, feed the starter again the same way: take 5 grams of starter and mix with 15 grams flour mix and 15 grams water. Discard the extra, and let the starter rest in a warm spot until the next morning.<\/p>\n

    Days 5 & 6<\/h3>\n

    Keep feeding and discarding twice a day, in the morning and evening (12 hours apart).<\/p>\n

    Day 7 and Forevermore<\/h3>\n

    Place a bowl (or jar) on the scale and tare.\u00a0Stir your starter then add 5 grams of your starter, 15 grams of the flour mix, and 15 grams water to the bowl (or jar) on the scale. Mix very well until everything is uniform. Pop the starter in a clean jar (if you used a bowl) and let rest in a warm spot for 12 hours. By this point you can feel your starter all purpose flour and not have to feed it rye. The rye flour is just what helps it grow in the beginning. I actually feed my starter a mix, but I have successfully fed him only all purpose as well.<\/p>\n

    Hopefully by now you have a starter that is rising and falling in the jar. You\u2019ll know if your starter is alive if it grows, almost doubling in size with an good amount of bubbles, then falls down around the same time consistently towards the bottom of the jar. You\u2019ll want to feed your starter every 12 hours, but keep an eye on it because every starter is different and it\u2019s best to feed your starter right after it starts to fall after peak maturity, before it starts to fall.<\/p>\n

    My starter isn’t growing!<\/h2>\n

    If you starter is not growing, don\u2019t fret. As long as it isn\u2019t moldy, you can still continue to harness wild yeast. Sometimes it might take a little longer to get a sourdough starter growing, maybe even up to two weeks. There are so many factors to consider: your flour, the temperature of your water, the temperature of you kitchen, how fast your starter is feeding, and the list goes on. If your starter isn\u2019t rising and falling, be patient and continue feeding it two times as day until it starts rising and falling predictably.<\/p>\n

    I first tried my hand at sourdough three years ago. It took a while (over a month!) for me to be happy with the strength of my starter. But when I finally made a loaf of bread I was SO PROUD. There really is something magic about making bread out of just flour, water, and salt.<\/p>\n

    \"How<\/picture><\/p>\n

    How to Bake a Small Loaf of Sourdough<\/h2>\n

    Now that your starter is rising and falling predictably with lots of bubbles throughout, it\u2019s time to bake a loaf of bread! We\u2019re going to make a fairly small loaf that\u2019s just about right to feed 2-4 people. It\u2019s a basic white loaf sourdough with a bit of rye for structure and flavor, based off of one of my favorite sourdough bakeries, Sea Wolf Bakers in Seattle. They use barley flour in their white sourdough (based off rumors on the internet anyway) but because I don\u2019t have any barley flour right now or in the foreseeable future, I went with substituting rye. I\u2019m going to be trying an all purpose loaf in the future, so I\u2019ll update this post when I do!<\/p>\n

    What you need to make a small batch sourdough loaf<\/h2>\n