STORY BY JOANNA GAINES
PHOTOS BY CARSON DOWNING
FOOD STYLING BY ANNA CORNETT
ILLUSTRATIONS BY BELLA JOHNSON
THE BASICS OF MAKING SOURDOUGH AND THE WAYS THE PROCESS CAN STRETCH AND SHAPE US
It’s no surprise that time in the kitchen always fills my cup, and I’ve got a particular love for baking (and butter). But it wasn’t until recently—and I know I’m late to the game on this—that I finally attempted something I had historically avoided: making sourdough. The process just seemed too daunting to me. But then a friend gave me her starter, almost as a gentle nudge to say, “You’ve got this.” To my surprise, my motherly instinct to nurture won over my intimidation, and I finally decided to give this whole sourdough thing a shot.
Of all the endeavors I’ve attempted in the kitchen, none has felt more experimental—as in, scientifically, loaded with trial and error—than this. I saw my friend’s starter as this precious baby that needed around-the-clock attention and feeding. And if I’m being honest, I kind of swooned at the chance to care for it. For a while there, it wasn’t uncommon to see me walking into the office with my jars of starter, a bowl of dough riding passenger in the car, or me up at 2 a.m. for a feeding because I thought that’s what was required to keep it alive. It’s funny to look back now … clearly, I went a little overboard. But finding my rhythm felt like playing double Dutch—trying to get the timing just right so I could jump in without throwing everything off course.
After reading a lot of blogs and getting advice from close friends who know what they’re doing, I’ve finally figured out a simpler schedule that works well for me (no more 2 a.m. feedings!), and I now have a handful of back-pocket recipes that my family asks for weekly. Even Ella, our eldest daughter who’s away at college, recently called to see if I could overnight her a loaf of my homemade sourdough.
But the real surprise of this process is how it’s led me to find inspiration in unexpected places. During a season of serious decision-making last year, I was feeling stuck, and turning to my typical muses—like journaling and late but quiet nights at the office—wasn’t working. And then, one afternoon as I stood at the island, folding and stretching a fresh batch of sourdough, vision came to me with exhilarating clarity. That’s the beauty of trying something new and diversifying your output: You never know how or what it might inspire in other realms of life.
I want more people to experience that same kind of aha moment that comes with experimenting and creativity (not to mention the satisfaction of really delicious and comforting baked bread), which is why my team and I put this simple guide together. It’s filled with tips and recipes that have worked well for me. You don’t have to be an expert to do this—I’m certainly not. If sourdough is new for you and you just want to learn some basics so you can make a loaf this season, these pages will get you there.
I hope this guide does for you what my friend’s starter did for me: serve as a nudge to try something that stretches you. I also hope that the process will yield delicious results—in more ways than you imagine.
There’s something really satisfying about seeing a starter that’s ready for baking, and there’s no place I love making sourdough more than my butler’s pantry at the farm.
SOURDOUGH STARTER
Make your own from scratch in eight days.
If you want to try your hand at making your own starter, begin here! If a friend or relative has a starter you can use, or if you’ve already been gifted one, skip this page and begin with the steps for caring and feeding (below).
INGREDIENTS:
- Whole wheat flour
- All-purpose flour
- Filtered water
SUPPLIES:
- Two ¾-liter (or larger) jars
- Small silicone spatula
- Food scale
DIRECTIONS:
DAY 1
60 g whole wheat flour
60 g warm filtered water
In a medium jar (¾ liter or larger), stir together the whole wheat flour and warm filtered water until fully combined. Loosely cover and let rest in a warm spot in your home for 24 hours.
DAY 2
60 g all-purpose flour
60 g room-temperature filtered water
Transfer 60 grams of the starter to a clean jar and discard the remainder. Add the flour and water to the jar, and stir until well combined. Loosely cover and let rest in a warm spot for 24 hours.
DAY 3
Repeat the process from Day 2. You may see bubbling activity at this point. This is called a “false rise” and is not real sourdough activity. It’s normal for the starter to go quiet for a few days afterward. Don't worry—just keep feeding it!
DAY 4
60 g all-purpose flour
60 g room-temperature filtered water
Transfer 90 grams of the starter to a clean jar and discard the remainder. Add the flour and water to the jar, and stir until well combined. Loosely cover and let rest in a warm spot for 24 hours.
DAYS 5 & 6
Repeat the process from Day 4. By Day 6, you should see some volume growth and bubbling activity.
DAY 7
120 g all-purpose flour
120 g room-temperature filtered water
Transfer 60 grams of the starter to a clean jar and discard the remainder. Add the flour and water, and stir until well combined. Loosely cover and let rest in a warm spot for 24 hours.
DAY 8
By Day 8, your starter should have doubled in volume and show strong bubbling activity. If it hasn’t doubled, continue repeating the Day 7 steps until it does. At this stage, your starter is ready to use for baking. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or store at room temperature, loosely covered. Feed regularly for ongoing maintenance.
CARING FOR YOUR STARTER
You’ve got starter … Now let's keep it alive. (And don't forget to name it!)
As I said, caring for a starter has a way of tapping into my nurturing instincts. Thankfully, my schedule with it is much more sustainable now than it was in the beginning, but tending to a starter really does become part of your daily life if you want to make sourdough. This may sound intimidating, but once you try it out and find a rhythm that works well for you, I bet you’ll get a taste of how fun and rewarding this process can be. —Jo
FEEDING RATIOS
There are different approaches to this, but a common method is sticking with 1:1:1 ratios of starter, flour, and water. We recommend using 100 grams of each for simplicity.
HOW TO FEED
— Transfer 100 grams of starter to a clean jar.
— Add 100 grams of all-purpose flour.
— Add 100 grams of filtered water.
— Mix with a spoon or whisk until well combined and no lumps remain.
Right after feeding, wrap a rubber band around the jar to mark the level you’re starting with so you can see when it doubles in size and is ready to use.
WHERE TO STORE YOUR STARTER AND HOW OFTEN TO FEED
On the counter (for frequent use): Keep your starter at room temperature, loosely covered, and feed it every 12 to 24 hours, depending on the temperature of your home.
In the fridge (for infrequent use): Feed your starter, cover the jar with a lid, and let it stand for 1 hour. Transfer to the fridge. Feed once a week. Go with this option if you want to “freeze” the rising process or if you don’t want to deal with an excess of discard on a daily basis.
WHEN YOU’RE READY TO BAKE
Countertop starter: Feed your starter. When it has doubled in size and you’re ready to bake, remove the amount needed for your recipe. Then feed the remaining starter to replace what you’ve used.
Fridge starter: To reactivate, move the jar to room temperature and feed every 12 hours for 2 days before making dough. Once you’ve added starter to your recipe, feed the remaining starter, let it stand for 1 hour, and return it to the fridge.
TIP
Discard disclaimer: Do not pour sourdough discard down your sink drain; it will harden over time and cause clogs. Simply throw it in the trash. Another option is to save and bake with your discard! Endless sourdough discard recipes are available online. A few of our favorite items to make using discard include pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and bagels.
CLASSIC SOURDOUGH LOAF
HANDS ON: 45 minutes
RISE: 4 to 6 hours
BAKE: 40 minutes
CHILL: 12 hours
COOL: 1 hour
MAKES: 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS:
- 430 g bread flour
- 365 g room-temperature filtered water
- 100 g active Sourdough Starter (above)
- 11 g fine sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a very large bowl mix together flour and water using a rubber spatula until the flour is incorporated and no dry bits remain. The dough will be a bit shaggy. Cover with a damp towel and let rest 30 to 60 minutes to autolyse.
2. Add and work in the sourdough starter. Cover and let rest for 1 hour to start bulk fermentation. Sprinkle salt over dough; mix into dough with your hands until well mixed.
3. Let rest. After 30 minutes, with dampened hands, stretch and fold dough by grabbing the underside and stretching it up and folding back over on itself. Rotate bowl one-quarter turn and repeat folding process three more times (once for each quarter turn of the bowl). Cover and return the dough to its resting place.
4. Repeat the stretching and folding process three more times, allowing 30-minute intervals of rest. The dough should be soft and elastic. If not, complete a few more sets of stretching and folding, each spaced 30 minutes apart. Cover and let dough rest during the remainder of bulk fermentation. Dough is ready to shape when domed, almost double in size, no longer sticky or tacky, and some air bubbles are visible. In warm rooms, this can take as little as 4 hours. In cooler rooms, it can take up to 10 hours. Watch your dough and not the clock!
5. Gently turn dough out onto a clean surface. Shape into a round, using either your hands or a bench scraper; cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes
SHAPING
There are multiple ways to shape your dough, so find what works best for you. The goal is to end up with a taut surface.
6. Flip the dough. With lightly floured hands, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over the middle. Stretch the left side up and over two-thirds of the middle and repeat with the right side (to create an envelope shape). Finally, stretch and fold the top down over the middle. Flip the entire bundle so the seam side is down. Lightly flour surface as needed to prevent sticking. Gently cup and rotate the dough by dragging the ball toward you. Use the edge of your hand to tuck edges under dough. Repeat the motion a few more times, creating a taut surface tension on the dough until you have a uniform shape.
7. Gently place dough, seam side up, in a bowl or banneton lined with a flour sack towel. (Use a bench scraper to assist in moving the dough, if needed). Refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.
8. After 12 hours, place a 6-qt. Dutch oven (with lid on) on the middle oven rack; preheat at 500°F for 30 minutes.
PREHEATING
Some people prefer to preheat their oven with the Dutch oven inside, but this step is optional. The pro of doing this is to encourage a true oven spring. The con is that it requires you to be extra careful while putting dough in a hot pot, and this method can make the crust crisper than you’d like, making toasting leftovers a bit tricky.
SCORING
This serves both practical and creative purposes: releasing gases to create an equal rise across your dough, but also adding a decorative flair to your loaf. Classic patterns include a simple long slash down the middle or an X-shape cross, but there’s really no limit to the patterns or designs you can make.
9. Fold an 18x12-inch piece of parchment paper into thirds lengthwise to create a sling to help you safely transfer dough to and from Dutch oven. Lay the smooth side of the sling on top of the dough in rising bowl or banneton. Place a cutting board or baking sheet on top of the bowl. Quickly invert dough onto the sling; remove bowl. Score top of dough with a razor, bread lame, or sharp knife, cutting about ½ inch deep. Using the sling, carefully transfer dough to Dutch oven; cover with lid.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 480°F; bake 25 minutes. Remove lid. Reduce oven temperature to 450°F. Bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until crust is golden brown, a thermometer inserted in bread registers 208°F, and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (If temperature hasn’t reached 208°F, bake in additional 5-minute increments.) Using the sling, transfer bread to a wire rack. Let cool 1 hour before slicing.
This story has been adapted from the spring 2026 issue of Magnolia Journal. To see more tips and additional sourdough variations, pick up your copy here or on a newsstand near you. Plus, shop our collection to get everything you need to start your bread-baking journey.
