Sourdough Guide
Choose a first recipe, understand the starter in your jar, and know what to do next.
Read the jar
Low in the jar with few new bubbles. Give it time before a naturally leavened dough.
Expanded, airy, and domed. This is the strongest window for recipes that depend on starter lift.
Settled with a visible high-water mark, or cold from the refrigerator. Use recipes labeled discard, unfed, or fallen.
Active-starter recipes depend on natural lift. Discard recipes use starter for flavor and tenderness without requiring a peak rise. A recipe may appear in more than one group when either state works.
Use when the recipe depends on natural lift, open crumb, or a long fermentation.
Use for quick bakes, tender sweets, biscuits, waffles, crusts, and recipes with added leavening.
Build a sourdough starter from flour and water with the day-by-day guide.
Beginner-friendly
Sweet Bakes
Moist, deeply flavored banana bread made with sourdough starter and brown sugar — a quick loaf that comes together in one bowl and bakes up golden and fragrant.
Baking Basics
Tender, flaky biscuits made with sourdough starter and cold grated butter — quick to mix, cut, and bake for a warm, golden batch in under 30 minutes.
Sweet Bakes
A bright sourdough blueberry lemon cake baked in loaf pans with fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and a simple lemon glaze.
Sweet Bakes
Tender sourdough scones with juicy blueberries, bright lemon zest, cold grated butter, and a thick lemon glaze.
Sweet Bakes
Fudgy sourdough discard brownies made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and a small square glass pan for thick, rich slices.
Savory & Snacks
A thin, crisp sheet of cheesy sourdough crackers, scored into snackable squares and showered with savory seasoning.
Lift and fermentation
Use what you have