New to sourdough baking? Learn the five essential things you need to get started — from a healthy starter to the right flour and tools — in this beginner’s guide to baking with sourdough.
If you’ve been eyeing those golden loaves of sourdough on Instagram or dreaming of baking your bread from scratch, you’re in the right place. Sourdough baking feels old-fashioned in the best way — slow, simple, and deeply satisfying. And while it can seem intimidating at first, getting started is easier than you think.
Here are the five basic things you need to begin your sourdough journey:
A Healthy Sourdough Starter
This is the heart of every sourdough recipe. A sourdough starter is simply a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast from the air. Once it's bubbly and active, it replaces commercial yeast in baking.
When I was building my starter, I used 20 grams of a poolish and started from there. After 2 years, it has grown into what I call Zingy.
Options:
- Get one from a friend or local baker
- Buy one dried online and rehydrate it
- Or make your own (you’ll need flour, water, and patience)
Baker Tip: Your starter should smell slightly sweet or tangy, not like nail polish or rot.
Unbleached Flour
Flour matters! You’ll need good-quality unbleached flour for both feeding your starter and baking. Stick with one kind for consistency while learning, then branch out. I use a blend of all-purpose flour and bread flour. However, fresh-milled flour is excellent.
Start with:
- All-purpose flour for feeding and baking
- Bread flour for stronger gluten and a rise
Optional: Whole wheat or rye flour for extra flavor and a more active starter
Filtered or Non-Chlorinated Water
Water can affect your baking, coffee, and starter by imparting the taste or minerals it carries. This is how NYC Bagels got its name: it is from the water source at the bakery. Chlorine in tap water can hinder the natural yeasts and bacteria in your starter.
Use:
- Filtered water
- Bottled spring water
- Or let your tap water sit out overnight before using
A Digital Kitchen Scale is a Sourdough Must-Have
A simple kitchen scale with a tare function is the key to measuring by weight (grams), which is far more accurate than using cups. In sourdough baking, hydration levels matter, and a scale ensures your dough turns out consistently every time.
It’s an affordable tool that makes a big difference. This is my favorite one that I use in my kitchen.
Time and Patience are Key to the Perfect Loaf
This might be the most important “ingredient” of all. Sourdough is a slow process, but that’s part of the beauty. You’ll learn to watch, smell, and feel your dough, rather than just following a timer. I chose a slow day in my schedule to make our loaves. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I make roughly eight loaves a week, 10 if some dinners are planned with bread to feed our large family.
It’s a rhythm more than a recipe.
Expect some flops. Stick with it. The learning curve is worth every golden, crackly slice.
Ready to get started?
If you have these five basics: a starter, flour, water, a scale, and time, you’re already on your way to baking beautiful sourdough at home.
Stick around and I’ll walk you through the next step: how to feed your starter and bake your first loaf. Because there’s nothing quite like slicing into warm, homemade bread you raised yourself.
Let’s bring back the art of from-scratch baking — one loaf at a time.
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