Sourdough Starter the Easy Way that Actually Works with LESS Flour

Sourdough starter doesn't have to be difficult and you don't have to have a huge vessel that you're feeding flour to all the time. For the full written instructions, visit the blog here: melissaknorris.com/podcast/5-...
Starting a sourdough starter only takes two ingredients, flour, and water. But there are definitely some tips with what kind of flour, the temperature of your water, and other tips for keeping your sourdough starter alive and thriving.
The best news? You can keep just a very small amount in a pint-size jar to successfully bake bread and all sorts of other sourdough goodies.
Grab my Sourdough Recipes for the Home Kitchen e-book here melissa-norris.mykajabi.com/o...
For the sourdough chocolate bread recipe, visit the blog here: melissaknorris.com/sourdough-...
You can also check out my 9 Tips for Better Sourdough Starter (That You Probably Aren’t Doing)
melissaknorris.lpages.co/ever...
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Listen in to the top #10 rated Pioneering Today Podcast for Home & Garden for Simple Modern Homesteading Tips melissaknorris.com/podcast-2/
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My Books:
The Family Garden Planner: melissaknorris.com/planner
The Family Garden Plan: melissaknorris.com/family-gar...
Hand Made 100+ From Scratch Recipes: melissaknorris.com/handmade-book
The Made-from-Scratch Life: melissaknorris.com/made-from-...
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Howdy! I'm so glad you're here. I'm Melissa from Pioneering Today and a 5th generation homesteader where I'm doing my best to hold onto the old traditions in a modern world and share them with others.
Click any of the below links for FREE resources and training to help you on your homestead!
Homemade Sourdough Starter Series melissaknorris.com/learnsourd...
How to Pressure Can Series melissaknorris.com/pressureca...
Beginners Home Canning Safety melissaknorris.com/canningclass
For raising, cooking, and preserving your own food, come hang out with me on Instagram / melissaknorris
and Facebook / melissaknorris
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#sourdough #sourdoughstarter #sourdoughtips #sourdoughfeeding

[@marisaperez3890]

Just started my very first sourdough starter! I named her Dough-lores 😆

[@betts258]

love that name !!

[@hf15123]

Mine is Bready Mercury.

[@melunited90]

Looool i love it 😂😂😂😂

[@TJ-qp4po]

May be is Pasty Cline.

[@andreabeydler5107]

Mine is Turtle since it's in a crock with a shell. A friend named hers Willow and another friend has Pascal. Love the name!

[@petedavis7970]

Really good info on starters. You really know your stuff. Here are a couple tips for avoiding waste, maintaining a sourdough starter: 1: You can keep your starter in the fridge and only feed it once a week or so. I make a loaf about every 5 days, so I just feed it the morning I'm going to use it and warm it to room temp and once it's ready, use it, then feed it again, and put it back in the fridge. 2: Instead of discarding the unused starter, you can spread it out on a cookie sheet and let it dry in the open air. Once it's dried, you'll get chips of dried starter. Throw those into a blender to make powder and keep it in the freezer. Whenever you need starter, take a tablespoon or so of the powder and add some water and then feed it flour & water, like normal. The next day, feed it again and it'll be ready to go. I did this a few years ago before I started refrigerating my starter. I still have a big jar of powdered starter if I ever need to start some more, or I want to share some with someone else.

[@pilardasto]

WHOA ... curious to hear Melissa or anyone respond to the powder idea! Sounds brilliant.

[@crystalmyrick9429]

I bought some powder from someone’s on marketplace but have kept in fridge not freezer for 6 mos do u think it still good

[@petedavis7970]

@@pilardasto KZbin doesn't let me post links, but King Arthur flour has a page on their site talking about how to do this as well. They didn't grind theirs into a powder, though, but otherwise, just drying the discard. I found out about it on the internet, as a way to safely long-term store starter.

[@roundtheworld2737]

@@crystalmyrick9429 I have mine kept in the fridge for more than 6 months and it is still active after I feed it 3 times a day before using it.

[@snowbird6855]

@@petedavis7970 Would this also work if using einkorn flour?

[@martypoulsen1840]

Straight to the point, much appreciated. No endless segments of banjos, 3 yo children, dogs, and cows in the pasture. What you've done in 10 quick minutes takes others 30-35 minutes. This will be my second go at sourdough after a yearlong hiatus following an earlier messy out-of-control disaster. lol. Pray for me.

[@kennethgardzinski]

I did this starter for 5 days and made the sourdough bread from your 'Hand Made' book. Eating the bread now warm out of the oven. It's from heaven. Thank you.

[@MJ-wrty]

FINALLY!! a video that is not long winded! You get right to the point!

[@colleenchamberlain6959]

ohmygosh, I have been trying my hand at making a sour dough starter for over 8 months and its never worked out until now when I followed your recipe and schedule. I now am a happy owner of a beautiful, healthy sour dough and I couldn't be more happy. Thank you so much for making this video.

[@MelissaKNorris]

So happy to hear this

[@marlenebornman1841]

After how many feeds is the starter ready for use. I have never baked a sour dough loaf have eaten it and love it

[@lizhewes]

@@marlenebornman1841 on her blog post she says about 28 days.

[@marlenebornman1841]

@@lizhewes 👍

[@gofigure4920]

@@marlenebornman1841 ...I watched a video and stated 7 to 10 days.

[@lr6844]

For a free plastic lid on a mason jar, use the plastic lid from a parmesan, grated cheese container. Fits perfectly on any standard mouth screw jar. I used these lids on our pint and quart jars for iced tea in the summer months; keeps ice and lemon slices in and flies out. Not airtight so it works perfect for this application of proofing. Thank you so much for this sourdough starter. I plan on starting it this morning. Looking forward to using this method. Thanks a lot.

[@kellyname5733]

Please dont use grated parmesan cheese. It is full of unhealthy and unwanted ingredients like sawdust and binding agents. Yes they are legal in the US but it is so easy to grate your own or cut a chunk or two and pop it into your blender for a light spin/pulse or two. I use my Vita-mix for this and it comes out perfect.

[@keepdancingmaria]

Do you mean the lids from those cheaper grated cheese jars, the green ones, that are in the aisle with the noodles, not with the cheeses? That's so awesome that you know that. Thanks!

[@clemayk]

Melissa, when u said your starter is already 10yo… immediately this is proof that you know your stuff. I’ve watched many videos on starters and yours is the simplest and best to follow. Thank you.

[@nikkispethman5043]

100% I refere everyone to her Instagram page or website.

[@danalowery7746]

Qqaqa

[@Rtoeres25]

Your beginner sandwich bread is so delicious and easy that I haven't don't much else! No longer buying bread. Thanks so much :)

[@mjc4942]

I just got my first starter from my brother and sister in law as a holiday gift. 😃😋

[@Itsabountifullife]

I'm so beyond excited I found this. Thank you for sharing

[@Gadgeteer32952]

Love this woman! Enjoy your videos so much. I've seen every one of them at least 2 times now. Learned so much.

[@lizh7812]

I made my first sourdough starter after I watched your video. It took 14 days because my house is so cold, but it is beautiful!

[@dooshimastone]

When you say your house is cold, what’s the temperature you’re referring to. My house is like 12-18°C.

[@julianamartins-gt5ck]

😮 here too, day 6 and not much progress 😅

[@jemsmom97]

How did you know it was ready on day 14??

[@laocchi]

Thank you so much finally I found someone to teach how to make a perfect starter !🙌🏻

[@andreacremeans1055]

Awesome! I just got 2 of your books and I immediately started a sourdough starter. So excited 😁 (I also made homemade yogurt, yum 😋) Signed up for the 4 part video series and got n invite to the session today. I hope I didn’t miss it. I set a reminder but I’ve been sanding drywall all day. (I’m going to make some Vanilla extract once my beans arrive) lovley video and books.

[@mirandafreyberger9553]

Hii!! Love your channel and longtime podcast listener!! Love taking in all the information and insight you provide, thank you so much! I just took the plunge and started my first starter this week!! Can’t wait to put it to good use!

[@andreaallen1988]

You are the best teacher ever!!! So easy to learn with u!! Thank you :)

[@agrarianarc]

Thank you for providing an UNcomplicated yet thorough explanation to this. There are too many blogs/vlogs making this complicated!

[@sandydickinson6193]

Thank you for explaining the purpose for discard. I’ve watched several videos as a sour dough newbie and this made sense. 😊

[@stmcgarret]

Excellent presentation and information. Thanks for posting.

[@salenamann8532]

Great Video and very informative. Easy to follow. Exactly what I need!!!

[@mrs.creeksidemaples2866]

You are my absolute FAVOURITE teacher… thanks Melissa for ALL your abundant knowledge 🍀

[@dtorrice5101]

This is the best explanation video I have come across. Thank you 😊

[@angelleangelique]

Thank you for giving a simple plan and explaining why you need to discard. I appreciate you!

[@khadiyabayraktar4603]

Thank you for a realistic, not overly sophisticated instructions. Much appreciated!

[@crazyleaf257]

Love this. U make it so chill and helpful

[@suz6173]

What en excellent instruction video. Thank you for explaining why we need to discard. I really had a problem with that. 🙃

[@tional5266]

Thank you so much for this lesson I’m going to go get one started right now, my gf has a 100 yr old starter but I moved and now she’s a state away when I want to get some! I’m fairly new to bread making so I guess I’m starting from scratch!! ❤️

[@tzeeco9152]

This is the best explanation on the internet! Thank you!!!

[@lailingngan1828]

wow, Melissa, thank you very much for your video. I have watched many videos on KZbin because I want to start baking my own sourdough bread. You explained things so clearly and dial the anxiety level down a notch or two. You make it sound doable. I will definitely try. Thank you. Lai Ling

[@ashjeansmi]

I followed your instructions and my starter has been a success! Thank you for making it plain! 😊❤

[@courtneysinthekitchen2696]

I have been trying with sour dough my aunt gave me a couple complicated recipes that her friend gave her so did my great aunt and I just gave up then I found your video and I’m so excited cause it’s actually coming along and I’m so happy

[@saramoulson7808]

Thanks Melissa. I love the simplicity of your video. I can't tell you how confused I've gotten over other videos I've watched about this.

[@kathypileggi7650]

Such common sense , a BIG THANK YOU !!! so many over kill recipes out there

[@aguilacec]

I'm just here to thank you. I watched your video around a month ago and after two failing attempts to make starter, I was able to finally make it. Your explanation does work and was the easiest. Today, I was able to make my first sourdough bread. I'm so excited! This wouldn't happened without your starter recipe. Thank you!!!

[@howe2homestead]

Just followed the instructions and started my first batch!

[@melissawellesley]

I started mine in march of 2020 and it worked! I make sourdough bread one to two times a week. Thank you Melissa!

[@johnmcclain3887]

I've been trying to get my starter going for almost two weeks, have discovered a couple of "truths" you mention, and will go in the kitchen and discard half mine, and not throw it away. Thanks for the tips, my daughter is also Melissa, and I enjoyed your presentation, I don't like weighing and cups and spoons work for me, I'm old. Thanks!

[@mikekvtz1812]

Started my first starter today. I've watched about 10 videos, including Paul Hollywood's, about making a starter, and this is the best one. Short and to the point.

[@IamKyuTee]

1st discard I would put in another jar and feed it as well and once I make it into sour dough starter gift it to someone or if near the holidays start new jars with the discard to make enough for the many holiday breads and baked goods. My grandmother on my father's side had 9 children and my grandfather she cooked for during the great depression. She also made the bread for the local church to feed the needy during that time during the great depression. She also was part of the canning, victory garden, etc volunteer. My grandparents had a farm that Orofino took for pennies on the dollar to expand their city. They forgot all my grandparents did to feed the people of Orofino during the great depression. All of my family moved from Idaho. The way things are heading now when there is a need for such things in Idaho my family won't be there to share the knowledge nor the fruits of our labor of produce, chickens, eggs, goats, goat milk, and rabbits. They treated my family like dirt after saving so many lives which my grandparents had a letter of thanks for but ended up with Orofino STEALING tye family farm. They can find another farming family to screw over, we are done with Idaho.

[@coyotetrail2124]

Best starter video I’ve seen. Love you Kerr jar.

[@anall3l3]

I wish I followed your tutorial a few days ago lol I love your ease and concise explanations.

[@EmilyRhinier]

Thank you for making a simple to follow Sourdough starter along with explanations of why we are doing discard, etc, and how long to wait to use. I followed another recipe 2 years ago and gave up (too much flour being used and thrown away, and my starter never really got going). I started my new Sourdough started yesterday, and I already feel like I can keep it going by following your advice 😊😊.

[@prisscillamartinez94]

Thank you 😊 I needed this I'm on day 8 and almost gave up again lol because of exactly what you said day 4 was so great and now I'm not seeing the same activity that I was but I'm going to keep it up

[@TheMudduck61]

Great tutorial, easy to follow. Thanks for taking the angst out of making sourdough starter.

[@deliber8cre8tor]

I came here after seeing someone in a freeze dryer group showed how they had freeze dried their starter... They shared that they had the dried chunk on Wednesday added the flour and water 2 separate times and by Friday they had live starter again! Was fascinated by that, so here I am! Love all the tips and tricks included in this video to reassure people about how easy it is!

[@ajeebkahani007]

Thanks. I was tired of technical details on other channels and I felt we were not making a sourdough starter , but building a rocket 🚀!!! Subscribed

[@harryharris7663]

Brilliant video, thanks Melissa

[@kathytripp1684]

Thanks for the recipe!!

[@grifbabe]

😍Thank you so Much. I can't wait to do this. I have been waiting for ever for this.👍👌🐾🐾🐾🐾⚘

[@scuanganation29]

I just wanted to thank you for sharing these sourdough starter instructions. This is by far the best one that’s worked for me. I looked and looked at other KZbin videos and had to discard so much flour because it was not working. The equal amounts of flour and water are not necessary. Mine was always so runny. Too hydrated? And it smelled like beer but not in a good way, Idk. I followed your steps and on day 5 my sourdough starter has lots of beautiful bubbles, it’s rising and it actually smells like sourdough bread. I can’t wait to bake my first batch!! Thank you! ❤

[@pamschonfarber1041]

Love the explanation, thank you.

[@sonshineandsong]

I really appreciate your knowledge. I've never had a strong starter, always had to add yeast. Anyways it died and I'm starting over, determined to get it strong enough this time. On day 3 it was so active, then it looked dead yesterday day 4 and I panicked! I've been searching KZbin for help and added raisin water last night and learned to feed it twice a day. Now you have provided exactly what I needed. Thank you so much! Happy baking!

[@auburnhillhomestead6565]

I like how you emphasized not to throw away, and gave ideas. So many don't do this.

[@rarejer]

Exactly right! I just sent her a comment about that. The discarding has been a stumbling block for me; I have tried many, many times over 20 years to get the starter going. I didn't do this, and just made a more common bread, which continues to be excellent and keeps me and others happy. Wish you tons of singing loaves!

[@CraigsOverijse]

It makes super pancakes or crumpets

[@suzannegiachetti2583]

I cant wait to get your books! I love all your videos!

[@jesskan9828]

Thank you for making this video!

[@ElaiisTaiE]

Started my starter on Monday, it’s now Thursday and the starter filled up the jar overnight 😊. Nice and active so I think it will stay on the counter instead of the top of the fridge now. Using rye flour because it was the only unbleached I had on hand. Thank you for the tutorial.

[@michellemooney4225]

So glad I found u on here. Thank u for this video!

[@leeow3n]

I didn't know bread could taste this good, and it's so easy

[@beerbuzz62]

Thanks Melissa this looks like a great opportunity for sourdough starter

[@MelissaKNorris]

Never too late to start!

[@cyn4rest]

Good info. Thanks. Haven’t made my own starter for decades, so your vid is very helpful. New subbie 😊

[@paulineclarke5940]

Thank you for very clear information ❤

[@ginamiller6754]

I’m a new subscriber. Thanks for making a sourdough starter simple! I will be starting my starter tomorrow. I have watched so many videos & yours is the best as far as giving enough info to make sense! (But not so much that a newbie gets lost) Thanks!! 😁

[@rarejer]

Hi Melissa! I have been baking bread for over 20 years at home. And have tried, at least 20 times to start a sourdough. I never succeeded yet! My daughters, now adults, made some, so I would like to join them. One thing that was a barricade for my mind was the discarding portion. No one addressed this in the way you have! Your are the first! I am now going to the kitchen, and discarding what is needed! Thank you a thousand times!

[@MelissaKNorris]

I'm so happy this helped 😊

[@soniahofmann4969]

I must be slowwhat do you do with the discards I don't bake everyday if I'm discarding everyday what do I do with all that dough can I freeze it

[@snowbird6855]

There's videos on a no discard method using scraps by Jack

[@suew4609]

​@@soniahofmann4969 yes, you can freeze it you'll have to reactivate it for a couple days I believe before you can use again. You can also use it to make anything that you put flour into, like pancakes, crackers or pizza dough, etc.

[@nickyg2059]

Thanks Melissa!

[@MichaelLloyd]

I made my first starter last night. It doubled in size and I'm about to do my first feeding. I came back to this to get a reminder for the feeding process.

[@aidd1938]

I enjoyed watching this video. Most of the ladies I see doing sour dough starter videos waste so much flour discarding. You’re truly a down to earth mom. Thank you. I’m going to give sour dough a try.

[@CP-sz6os]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@lolam.9291]

I wish I had watched this channel when I began my sourdough starter journey... Thank you!

[@TheHomemadeHaven]

I've used this method twice now and have had great success both times! Oh, and your discard pancake recipe.. YUMMY! Thanks for sharing!

[@MelissaKNorris]

You are so welcome!

[@Legend0222]

I like your channel and I have have a sourdough starter I started last year, My starter is going great but I cant seem to get the actual bread to work, going to scope your videos for making the bread now 😊

[@johannaetrishamorgan6850]

Thank you for sharing 👍 appreciate it

[@kurtak9452]

Great and informative video...much appreciated. Yeah...I had that "explosion" on day 3.....was wondering about it.

[@joannadavis6716]

Thank you for including the gluten free flour that could be used to make a sourdough starter. You are the ONLY channel that offers this. I am a celiac, but can tolerate spelt flour if it is sourdough, buckwheat also. Suspect rye would be ok too added to a bread recipe that is sour dough since rye flour has less gluten than wheat flours. So happy I found your channel, I am a new subscriber. Looking forward to your channel in the future.

[@Our_Hive_of_Five]

Thank you, Melissa Norris. I should've known to come to you first!

[@valnicoson4835]

Can't believe I've got sourdough starter going!! Still an "infant" for sure though. Only been feeding it each morning and this morning was the second feeding. Found it to be doubled in size and bubbly with a distinct "sour" smell to it. Removed about half of it (guessing not weighing) and found it to be a bit liquid-y in the bottom. Not sure if this is normal or not but pressing on. Excited!!

[@gla8174]

Hawaii is a great place to make sourdough starter 😊

[@corneliamont]

👍🏻started mine today 😁

[@donaldfamilyadventures2795]

I let me starter go to waste a while back and when I wanted to jump start a new one I took the flour water combo and brushed it up against the flowers in my garden and started came to life in a day. First round of loafs were awesome.

[@christimcgeoghegan707]

I have been timid to make sourdough starter because it always seemed so time consuming and, well, actually kinda scary. You’ve convinced me to start some! Thank you for explaining everything so well and helping me realize it’s not that scary!

[@deemarie3524]

I’m two weeks in. Patience is key. I had to use the oven method because my house is chilly but now it holds it’s own on a shelf. Bread this weekend!!

[@MelissaKNorris]

You got it! Keep me posted!

[@bbayless84]

I’ve followed all of your gardening, canning and homesteading tips for over 2 years now and love this starter video. I know I’m a year out 😂 but I started mine today and I’m hoping to keep it alive!! After 10 days can I go down to feeding it once per day?

[@marjeanstalewski2915]

I've tried doing this in the past and I'm going to redo it again and see if I can do this because I really wanna start making fresh read again

[@mihaelalahav310]

I finally decided to embark on the sourdough bread making wagon. Your explanations are so easy to follow. My question is re the discards. How should I keep them for later, how long can I save them for and how to use them for other recipes? TIA.

[@romariobryan1224]

This was so simple this is all I wanted to know

[@pamelafoster1273]

I recently participated in your live sourdough class. I have been trying for years to get a sourdough to properly mature! After your class I gave it another try and success!!! I have made my first successful sourdough loaf from fresh ground Einkorn and my husband loves it! It is an amazing sandwich bread because it holds together so much better than my regular Einkorn loaf. Thank you so much for the class!

[@MelissaKNorris]

So happy to hear this!

[@Psalm2710_]

THANK YOU! My goodness, some guy on YT has 3 videos over an hour each to explain what you just did in a few minutes!

[@faithhopelove5734]

Your recipe is the only one that has worked for me!! Now I’m addicted. ♥️ I’ve found myself needing more starter for different recipes. How do I make a larger starter from this existing starter?

[@MelissaKNorris]

Just feed it a larger volume if you need more, so happy it works for you

[@lovesteadfarm8759]

I love this! Measuring vs weighing is way more my style. We've had our starter for about a year now and it smells so fruity we named it fruit loop. I did kill it though but had some stored in the freezer that I'm reactivating. I'll be following your tips moving forward! I just love doing things more by sight and feel than numbers.

[@MelissaKNorris]

so much more my style too!

[@lynn9957]

@@MelissaKNorris is the starter supposed to have a smell to it? Mine really stinks 😕. Should I start over, I'm on day 3? Looks beautiful but smells horrible.

[@inky3944]

@@lynn9957 describe what it smells like, compare it to something

[@crawwwfishh3284]

My granny was the best cook ever and she never measured anything in her life.

[@malvanlondon8683]

Thanks for the very clearly expressed video. Very helpful. If making pizza bases etc. rather than a loaf that rises - it should be useable by day five. Got it! Thanks.

[@katherineficker8955]

This video really gave me the confidence to start my starter 😄. I have question as to whether a ceramic crockery bowl will work just as well as glass? I had issues using the Mason jar and wonder if that will do better.

[@Julian-zy1em]

OMG sourdough I love it.

[@Julian-zy1em]

Awww....ty

[@johnbrooks6521]

We enjoy watching your videos. I was curious about the flowers growing randomly in the gardens. What are they? Thanks

[@sophiegordon7189]

Thank you for a great video. I’m really excited about doing my own starter. I am still unclear about couple of things: do I understand correctly that the feedings on days 2-5 need to be twice a day but the discard is only once a day? How soon will the starter be mature enough to make the first sourdough bread if after 5 days it is still not mature enough? What do I do past day 5 to bring the starter to full maturity?

[@gardengirl11ify]

Thank you. Started mine last night. Can’t wait. How do we know when it is strong enough to use?

[@lesliepease3988]

Thank you for this wonderful video. I began this journey when my daughter told me she loves sourdough bread bowls. LOL! Is it normal to name a starter? I called my Dough-nor because it donates a little bit of itself for each recipe I make. My husband thinks I am a nut, but it's FUN!!!!!

[@haou132]

Merci! Très clair !!! Blessings +++!!!

[@adja6002]

This is the easiest way. Perfect

[@joem2745]

My house is 63 degrees, using tap water, only feeding once a day, and not discarding every time. It is a beautiful bubbling mass of goodness.

[@nickyg2059]

You’re the best!❤ Thanks I want to know how many days we have to feed the Starter?