Sourdough Beginners Week One Baking Schedule

Starting sourdough can feel overwhelming. There are so many terms, techniques, and conflicting opinions online that it is easy to freeze up and never actually begin. So I made this guide to cut through all of that. This is a simple, day-by-day plan for your first week. By the end of it, you will have a living sourdough starter and your first loaf of bread. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just the fundamentals done right.

I wrote this the way I wish someone had explained it to me when I started. No jargon without explanation. No assumptions about what you already know. Just clear steps you can follow.

What You Need Before Day 1

• Unbleached all-purpose flour (a basic supermarket brand is fine, just make sure it says unbleached)
• Whole wheat flour (a small bag, you only need a little for the starter)
• Bread flour (for the actual bread, higher protein makes better sourdough)
• A tall, narrow jar (pint-sized mason jar works perfectly)
• A kitchen scale (essential, sourdough is measured by weight, not volume)
• A large mixing bowl
• A Dutch oven (this is the one special piece of equipment you need)
• A bench scraper (helpful but not essential, you can use a flexible spatula)
• A razor blade or sharp knife (for scoring)

Days 1-2: Create Your Starter

Day 1 Morning

In your jar, mix 50g whole wheat flour and 50g water (room temperature tap water is fine unless your water is heavily chlorinated). Stir vigorously until combined, you want to incorporate some air. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Cover loosely (a lid set on top without screwing it tight, or a cloth held with a rubber band) and set it in a warm spot in your kitchen. That is it for day 1.

Day 2 Morning

Check your jar. You might see a few bubbles, or you might not. Either is fine. Discard about half the mixture (just scoop it out and throw it away, I know it feels wasteful, but discarding is essential to keep the culture balanced). Add 50g unbleached all-purpose flour and 50g water. Stir vigorously. Cover and return to the warm spot.

Days 3-5: Feed and Wait

For the next three days, repeat the same routine each morning: discard half, add 50g all-purpose flour and 50g water, stir vigorously, cover, and wait.

What to expect

Day 3: You will likely see some bubbles and maybe a slight rise. This looks exciting, but it is usually from leuconostoc bacteria, not the sourdough organisms you are cultivating. Do not get too excited yet. Keep feeding.

Day 4: The activity from day 3 often disappears. The jar looks dead, no bubbles, no rise, maybe a slightly unpleasant smell. This is completely normal and it is the phase where most people panic and think they failed. You did not fail. The leuconostoc are dying off and the real sourdough cultures (lactobacillus and wild yeast) are starting to establish themselves. Keep feeding.

Day 5: You might start seeing some small bubbles again, or it might still look quiet. Both are normal. The starter may smell like vinegar or acetone, that is the acetic acid from the bacteria, and it is a sign that things are working even if you cannot see much activity. Keep feeding.

Days 6-7: The Starter Wakes Up

Day 6

By now you should start seeing consistent bubbles forming between feedings. The starter may be rising a little (mark the level with a rubber band after feeding to track this). The smell should be shifting from harsh and vinegary to something more pleasant, tangy, slightly sweet, maybe yeasty. Feed as usual: discard half, 50g flour, 50g water.

If your starter is still showing no activity at all by day 6, two things to check: (1) Is your kitchen warm enough? Below 68°F, everything slows dramatically. Find a warmer spot. (2) Is your flour unbleached? Bleached flour can seriously inhibit starter development.

Day 7: The Float Test

Feed your starter in the morning as usual. Then watch it closely over the next 4 to 8 hours. When it has risen significantly (ideally doubled) and looks bubbly and puffy, do the float test: drop a small spoonful into a glass of room temperature water. If it floats, your starter is active enough to bake bread today.

If it sinks, your starter needs more time to strengthen. Continue feeding for another 2 to 3 days. Some starters take 10 to 14 days to become strong enough to bake with, and that is perfectly normal.

Day 7 (If Ready): Bake Your First Loaf

Morning, Mix the Dough

Assuming your starter passed the float test, here is the simplest possible bread recipe:

• 375g bread flour
• 265g water (about 70% hydration, forgiving for beginners)
• 75g active starter (bubbly, just passed float test)
• 8g fine sea salt

Combine the flour and water in your mixing bowl. Stir until no dry flour remains. This is a shaggy mess, and that is correct. Let it rest for 30 minutes (this is called autolyse, the flour is absorbing water and starting to develop gluten on its own).

After 30 minutes, add the starter and salt. Squeeze the starter through the dough, then fold and press until everything is incorporated, about 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will feel rough and uneven.

Morning and Afternoon, Bulk Fermentation

Over the next 4 to 6 hours, your dough will ferment and develop. During the first 2 hours, do 3 to 4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. Each set: grab one side of the dough, stretch it up until you feel resistance, fold it over the top. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, 4 stretches per set.

After the last set of folds, leave the dough alone. Check it periodically, you are waiting for it to grow by about 50 to 75 percent. It should feel puffy, jiggly, and airy when you tilt the bowl. This could take 4 to 6 hours depending on your kitchen temperature.

Late Afternoon, Shape

Flour your countertop lightly. Turn the dough out and let it spread. Fold each of the four sides toward the center. Flip it over so the folds are underneath. Using your bench scraper or hands, gently drag the dough toward you in small movements to create surface tension, you want a taut, smooth top.

Let it rest for 20 minutes (bench rest), then shape it once more into a tight ball. Place it seam-side up in a floured bowl or banneton. If you do not have a banneton, line a bowl with a kitchen towel and dust it generously with flour.

Evening, Cold Proof

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and put it in the fridge. It will cold proof overnight (8 to 14 hours). This develops flavor and makes the dough much easier to handle and score tomorrow morning.

Day 8 Morning: Bake

Place your Dutch oven (with lid) in the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C) for 45 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge, do not let it warm up, bake it cold. Turn it out onto parchment paper. Score the top with a single bold slash, about half an inch deep.

Carefully lower the dough (on parchment) into the hot Dutch oven. Lid on. Bake 30 minutes covered, then remove the lid and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until deep golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting.

What You Just Accomplished

In seven days, you created a living culture from flour and water, nurtured it into a powerful leavening agent, and used it to bake real sourdough bread with nothing but flour, water, salt, and time. No commercial yeast. No machines. Just ancient fermentation science and your own two hands.

Your first loaf might be a bit dense, or a bit flat, or have a gummy spot, or crack in a weird place. That is completely normal and expected. Every baker's first loaf is imperfect. What matters is that you did it, and now you understand the process. From here, every loaf gets better.

For a deeper dive into any of the steps mentioned here, check out Starting a Sourdough Starter, Stretch and Fold Technique, and Understanding Bulk Fermentation.