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READY IN 15 mins

Sourdough Starter - Wheat

Read Reviews (6)

"This starter is definitely my favorite active starter in my kitchen. It's working better than my white flour starter and yeast experiment." — ZEPHYRAZURE

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Sourdough Starter

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Simple Whole Wheat Bread

Measuring All-Purpose Flour

Original recipe makes 1 cup Change Servings

1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup non-chlorinated water (such as bottled)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup non-chlorinated water (such as bottled)

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Directions

In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the honey, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/2 cup of water. Use a wooden spoon to stir. Cover lightly, and place in a warm place. Stir twice a day for 5 days.
On the 6th day, mix in 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour using a wooden spoon. Don't worry about lumps, for the yeast will eat them! Cover and let stand in a warm place to ferment for 1 day. When you get lots of bubbles and foam on top, you know the starter is active and ready to use. The starter will separate with the flour on the bottom and 'hootch,' a yellow liquid, on top. Just mix well before using or feeding.
Store starter in a wide mouth glass jar. I use waxed paper and a rubber band in place of a lid, as metal utensils or containers will contaminate the starter. Once refrigerated, the starter only needs to be fed once a week. Use half, and feed the remaining half to keep it alive for the next time.

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PREP 15 mins
READY IN 15 mins

Footnotes

This is a wild yeast starter Yeast and bacillus are everywhere in our environment, including the water and milled grains used to make most starters. It is possible to create a new starter in a number of days. See Sourdough Starters for more tips.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 16, 2009

This starter works well with nature occuring yeast. It does not use store bought yeast. It produces a great bread as long as you baby the starter like it states in the directions.

—Divemistress

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 07, 2005

Followed instructions and starter produced a heavy loaf that did not rise. Tried a different recipe that included throwing out half and "feeding" for several days and it worked much better.

—Dragon

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7 Ratings

Oct 01, 2004

Just found this recipe but wondered if yeast is not used or was it omitted

—CCD1

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Sep 26, 2011

The whole wheat starter is great. No store bought yeast needed. Believe it or not, the stuff floating around in the air is enough to produce a great sour dough starter and, according to sour dough aficionados, the only way to make "real" sour dough. Just take care of the yeast, no metal, anywhere from 60 to 80 degrees F temp is the best for beginning the starter. If it is too hot you can get weird things growing, too cold, well it just takes a while to get going. Follow the directions and feed your starter. Store in the refrigerator once it is going and feed every week to keep it alive.

—smandes

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Dec 13, 2011

this is wonderful. followed it exactly except I was out of honey so had to add a pinch of sugar. I can't believe it is as seasoned as it tastes in just a week and a half. Just made my first loaf of bread with it and it came out perfect. used the 'plain and simple sourdough bread' from this site. kneaded by hand, 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes in the oven and it is perfect. truly a great starter. love the wild sour taste.

—TUNISIANSWIFE

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Aug 29, 2012

I'm gonna give this a try. I mixed it all together and I will update my review after a couple weeks. I was looking for a starter that was natural yeast and this sounded like it was it. Does anyone know if there is a way to substitute starter in all recipes that call for yeast?UPDATE: I made sourdough bread and it is awesome. Now time to try pancakes, rolls... etc..... Thank you for posting this great recipe.

—Cherie

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Nutrition

Calories
418 kcal
21%

Carbohydrates
90.2 g
29%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
2.2 g
3%

Fiber
14.6 g
59%

Protein
16.5 g
33%

Sodium
9 mg
< 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Sourdough Starter - Wheat

Serving Size: 1/1 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 418
Calories from Fat: 20

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2.2g 3 %
Saturated Fat 0.4g 2 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 9mg < 1 %
Potassium 488mg 14 %
Total Carbohydrates 90.2g 29 %
Dietary Fiber 14.6g 59 %
Protein 16.5g 33 %
Sugars 3.6g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 47 %
Thiamin 54 %
Niacin 91 %
Vitamin B6 26 %
Magnesium 60 %
Folate 29 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.