This post will walk you through the steps to creating a whole wheat sourdough starter from scratch. A simple combination of flour, water, and time will set you up to begin baking all kinds of delicious, nutritious loaves, bagels, muffins, and more – all from your very own sourdough starter.
Sourdough Starter Recap
The art of sourdough baking is nothing new. A long time before commercial yeast, bread found its rise with the help of a living culture of natural yeasts and good bacteria – sourdough starter. These living organisms are found everywhere in our environment.
When we leave a little bit of flour and water in a warm spot for a length of time, wild yeast and good bacteria get to work consuming the sugars in the flour and water mixture, giving off small bubbles of carbon dioxide. These bubbles give rise to our recipes when we let the dough rest.
This process of fermentation makes the grains more digestible, and the nutrients become more bioavailable.
These natural benefits have been largely replaced by the convenience of instant yeast and quicker rise times.
While we save time, we have also been losing the nutritional benefits and delicious flavors.
But sourdough starter has been making a comeback. It is finding its way back into the kitchens of average folks, its popularity rising because of the many benefits, and maybe also because of the extreme satisfaction that comes with learning to master this lost art.
I use my starter constantly, and I’ve been caring for it for years now. It’s practically a member of our family.
Sourdough starter is a living thing, incredibly resilient, and much simpler than most think.
So where do you begin?
Sure, you can buy a starter and get going from there.
Or you can ask a sourdough friend for some of theirs, and I’ve found they’re always excited to share.
But I think the easiest way starts in your very own kitchen. Did you know you can grow your own starter from scratch with a little whole grain flour and some water?
I have a post for How to Make a Sourdough Starter already, and while the process is pretty much the same, that post is aimed at using all-purpose flour, and whole wheat is different.
For those wanting to use whole wheat flour in a starter, keep on reading!
Some Differences of Whole Wheat Flour
The choice of flour in a sourdough starter is completely up to you. Whole wheat is one of many great options, so let’s discuss why we might choose whole wheat.
Whole grains are made up of three main components: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ.
Each component offers some nutrition, though some more than others.
Bran is an excellent source of fiber, while the germ contains healthy fats and vitamins like B and E, and the endosperm contributes primarily starch.
Wheat flour is a whole grain – bran, endosperm, and germ – processed using commercial equipment or your own little grain mill at home. Each component is present, contributing to the darker color of the flour.
White flour is the result of separating the endosperm, the starchiest component, from the bran and germ. Flour composed of just the endosperm of the wheat berry results in white flour being white, as the brown outer layer of bran has been removed.
Wheat flour, therefore, boasts a much higher level of nutrition.
Also, because all parts of the wheat berry are present in unprocessed whole wheat, this type of flour uses more liquid. As such, a whole wheat sourdough recipe will typically require more hydration than others.
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Simple Sourdough
What’s in this course?
- Make your own robust starter
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- Expand your sourdough bread repertoire
- Download my Complete Recipe Book
What’s To Love About Whole Wheat
Quicker rise
Sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour ferments much more rapidly than white flour. This is because the wild yeasts respond more vigorously to having all the parts of the wheat berry present, happily consuming the flour and water much more quickly.
Wheat flour is great for jumpstarting your sourdough starter or for using it all the time as your primary flour.
Deeper flavor
Whole wheat flour has a very deep, complex taste, with slight but noticeably sweeter notes than all-purpose or white. Many people prefer whole wheat flour for its heartiness.
This flavor boost comes from maintaining the bran and germ and often influences the tanginess from the fermentation. This results in a more sour flavor.
A sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour will contribute to a more richly flavored bread, especially when used in combination with whole wheat flour in a recipe.
Hearty Texture
Whole wheat flour recipes produce a denser loaf of bread than more processed flour. This is due to a lower gluten content in whole wheat. This should be expected and isn’t really a downside.
This density works wonderfully for a sturdy crust, chewy texture, and a well-structured loaf that accompanies any meal very well.
Used in a sourdough starter, whole wheat flour will hold fewer bubbles and tends to not rise a bread as dramatically during the bulk fermentation, unless used with a more glutenous flour like bread flour or all-purpose.
Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter Maintenance
Daily Use on the Counter
A starter kept at room temperature requires a consistent feeding of flour and water every day.
Even though whole wheat is a higher hydration flour in recipes, you’ll still stick with equal parts flour and water for the starter.
Keep in mind that the warmer the conditions, the quicker the wild yeast and bacteria will use up the sugars and reach their peak.
You should plan on using your starter every day on this schedule, or at least several times a week while discarding on the off days.
I like to keep a jar of discard in the refrigerator to use specifically in discard recipes.
I don’t actually discard my discard, but use it up in recipes made specifically for this purpose. For ideas on how to do the same, check out my post 35+ Sourdough Discard Recipes!
Refrigerated Starter
For the average person, storing your starter in the refrigerator makes a lot of sense.
The cold slows down the fermentation process significantly, which is more accommodating for those baking weekly or every other week.
A refrigerated starter should be fed about every 7 days to keep it healthy. Depending on your starter and flour/water ratios, you may get by with feeding every other week.
Keep the container covered tightly when refrigerated.
This method requires a bit of planning when used as an active starter, as the starter won’t be ready to go right out of the fridge.
For best results, it will need to be placed on the counter and fed on the day before you plan to use it to rise a recipe.
For recipes that don’t require rise or use added leavening agents, such as sourdough chocolate chip cookies, Dutch baby pancakes, or discard crackers, simply bring your discard to room temperature before adding to a recipe.
When Is My Starter Ready?
The most accurate way to know if your starter is ready is by identifying visible signs of activity, such as bubbles or doubling in size.
The age of your starter matters as well, since a very young starter may perform much more weakly than an older one.
One method I would not recommend is called the float test, and it is already a somewhat inconsistent indicator of a sourdough starter’s readiness.
It works in this way: The activity of a starter will generate carbon dioxide bubbles within, causing a sample of the starter that is placed in a glass of water to float. This would indicate an active starter.
However, whole wheat flour has a lower gluten content than bread flour or all-purpose flour, which results in less elasticity and a weaker gluten network.
As such, this type of starter won’t hold lots of bubbles, which will cause the starter to sink. It will likely fail this specific test, though it very well could still be active and ready to bake.
Tips
- The temperature of your home plays a big role in the fermentation process. A warmer home will lead to a far quicker rise, whereas a cooler home slows the rise significantly.
- If you need a warm place to keep your starter, some common solutions are near a heat source like a hearth, near an operating oven or stove, on top of the refrigerator, or in a sunny window.
- Recipes made with whole wheat starter and flour work well with longer autolyse and rest periods, allowing this very thirsty whole grain flour to absorb the liquids more completely.
- A common method of measuring the growth of your starter is placing a rubber band around the jar level with your starter upon feeding. You can later check if the starter has risen past the marker, measuring the growth and timing of your starter’s peak activity. This typically happens anywhere between 4 and 12 hours after feeding.
- Starter consistency should be similar to that of pancake batter.
Tools You Will Need
Glass bowl – You will be keeping the starter in this bowl for several days, so a non-porous material like glass is best.
Wooden spoon – Metal can react with the acid in sourdough fermentations, so I generally use wooden utensils.
Measuring cups – You can use a food scale if you want to be very accurate, but I find measuring cups to be sufficient.
Tea towel – To keep foreign particles out of the bowl.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – I use fresh milled flour.
Water – Filtered water is helpful to avoid chlorine and other chemicals often found in tap water.
How to Make Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter
Day 1:
Combine one cup of whole wheat flour with one cup of filtered water in your glass bowl. Stir well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Cover your bowl with a clean tea towel and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 2:
Pour out and discard half of the flour and water mixture, then repeat the steps of day one. One cup of flour, one cup of water, stir thoroughly, cover, and set aside.
Day 3-5:
For days 3, 4, and 5, repeat the instructions from day 2. Discard, feed, stir, cover, and wait 24 hours.
Day 6-7:
Continue the steps from days 2-5, but begin feeding every 12 hours now, rather than every 24 hours.
Day 7:
After one week, your new starter should be showing signs of activity. With the feeding schedule and elapsed time, enough wild yeast and good bacteria should be present to attempt your first rise. Look for bubble foam on top, bubbles throughout the starter, or doubling in size.
After day 7:
Start baking with your sourdough starter. Store in the fridge if not using daily. Feed once a week in the fridge or at least every 12-24 hours at room temperature equal portions starter, water, and whole wheat flour.
FAQ
A mature starter is difficult to ruin unless it is being severely neglected. Missing a feeding won’t kill your starter, and some smells may seem suspicious while being completely normal. The biggest warning would be signs of mold growth. If this happens, toss the starter. This is not a common issue, though, as mold spores don’t thrive in the acidity of a mature, fermenting culture of wild yeast. Pink tinges or dark liquid are all easily remedied, though.
Whole wheat bread, as a general rule, comes out dense. This is because the bran breaks up the gluten network in a way that weakens the elasticity and significantly reduces the capture of carbon dioxide bubbles. These bubbles are what give your bread rise, determining the fluffy, light, airy textures. Without the elasticity of the gluten, a whole wheat loaf is more closely knit and, therefore, dense.
If your loaf seems to be unbearably dense, try extending rise times and/or working the dough more whether by kneading or stretching and folding.
You certainly can. It’s as simple as feeding your starter whole wheat flour and water at room temperature every 12 hours, which is the basic schedule for countertop, frequently used sourdough starter. Discard and feed each day with the new flour, and after a few days, your starter will be successfully converted.
The main reason for a crumbly loaf is having too much flour. Whole wheat recipes can be tricky, trying to determine the correct hydration level for this flour that just generally needs more water than others. Adding more flour seems like the right solution to a sticky dough, while better results might actually be found by increasing fermentation time and handling (kneading, stretch and folds, etc) to increase the gluten structure.
Whole wheat sourdough starter can be used in any recipe calling for starter or discard, unless of course the recipe is aiming to be gluten-free.
Your container will build up sourdough residue pretty quickly, so I just scrape the sides down to keep the container as clean as possible. Extra starter on the top and rim are messy and potentially susceptible to mold, which is always problematic. Cleaning your jar thoroughly is a good idea to do now and then, just to keep surfaces tidy.
Check out some of my favorite sourdough recipes here:
- Seeded Sourdough
- 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- The Best Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Homemade Sourdough Bagels
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone
Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter
Equipment
- Jar or bowl
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour
- Water
Instructions
- Day 1: Combine one cup of whole wheat flour with one cup of filtered water in your glass bowl. Stir well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Cover your bowl with a clean tea towel and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Day 2: Pour out and discard half of the flour and water mixture, then repeat the steps of day one. One cup of flour, one cup of water, stir thoroughly, cover, and set aside.
- Day 3-5: For days 3, 4, and 5, repeat the instructions from day 2. Discard, feed, stir, cover, and wait 24 hours.
- Day 6-7: Continue the steps from days 2-5, but begin feeding every 12 hours now, rather than every 24 hours.
- Day 7: After one week, your new starter should be showing signs of activity. With the feeding schedule and elapsed time, enough wild yeast and good bacteria should be present to attempt your first rise. Look for bubble foam on top, bubbles throughout the starter, or doubling in size.
- After day 7: Start baking with your sourdough starter. Store in the fridge if not using daily. Feed once a week in the fridge or at least every 12-24 hours at room temperature equal portions starter, water, and whole wheat flour.
Notes
- The temperature of your home plays a big role in the fermentation process. A warmer home will lead to a far quicker rise, whereas a cooler home slows the rise significantly.
- If you need a warm place to keep your starter, some common solutions are near a heat source like a hearth, near an operating oven or stove, on top of the refrigerator, or in a sunny window.
- Recipes made with whole wheat starter and flour work well with longer autolyse and rest periods, allowing this very thirsty whole grain flour to absorb the liquids more completely.
- A common method of measuring the growth of your starter is placing a rubber band around the jar level with your starter upon feeding. You can later check if the starter has risen past the marker, measuring the growth and timing of your starter’s peak activity. This typically happens anywhere between 4 and 12 hours after feeding.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Does the water for the starter need to be room temp?
Yes, I like to make it room temp or lukewarm.
Hi Lisa. Can I bake a sour dough bread and freeze it until ready to use?
Sure can!
Here you mention a 1:1:2 ratio, but in Maintaining a Starter post you mention a 1: 1/2 water : 1/2 flour. What do you recommend for whole wheat?
Whole Wheat requires a different hydration level, so in the post about maintaining a starter that is correlated with an all purpose flour.
I live in Germany and my house temperature fluctuates, but generally on the cooler side year-round, especially if the wood-burning stove isn’t going in the winter. I fed my whole wheat starter at night and the following night it still hadn’t quite doubled. It only started rising in the morning when I put some steam and heat near it…But it never doubled. Maybe about 1/4. It’s a bummer to plan to bake bread, but it doesn’t double. When it has occasionally doubled, the bread came out more like a disc. I’m stumped! Any advice would be great! Thanks!
I would recommend a bread proofing box if your house is always on the cooler side. I think you will see a big difference in the success of your bread.
I am now at day 7 but a bit confused as to what to do with it now? Feed it and put it in the fridge? Take it out once a week to bake with it and feed it?
Yes. You can put it in the fridge. Just pull it out when you’re ready to bake with it.
I am making this whole wheat sourdough starter….I don’t have milled whole wheat, just using what I can purchase at the store. My batch looks VERY thick once I stir and when it sits…am I doing something wrong? I am using the measurements you provided.
I also noticed when I took the towel off, many areas of the mix were dark brown; is that from the air drying out those sections?
Thanks
Whole wheat is a denser bread, so some of that is expected. That does sound very dry though.
Can I use the discard from the first week for other recipes?
You can. I like to wait until the starter is active, so the discard has more benefits.
Hi Lisa, first I would like to thank you for your time and effort in writing and explaining all of this.
I just started yesterday with day1 . I do have few question please if you allow me:
1- can I combine all the discard from all days together in one container?
2- you replied here by saying that you wait for starter to active. What do you mean by waiting to active? The discard starter get active as well? How?
3- After day 7 we do not discard anything only feed?
Yes, you can combine all the discard together. You will notice that the starter is active when it has bubbles. That is whenever I like to start collecting and using discard because of the health benefits. You can use the discard at any time though. After day 7, it should be ready to cook with. You will still discard before you feed, but you can put it in the fridge between uses and you don’t have to feed it every day on the counter.
Hi Lisa,I have a starter made from all purpose flour. Can I start to feed it with whole wheat flour until it’s a completely whole wheat starter. Thank for share all these great tips and recipes. Your blog and YouTube channel are a blessing.
Yes you can. I switch flours all the time. Thank you so much.
But if you use the 1:1:1 ratio for the whole wheat additions, do you not end up with very stiff starter?
Yes, sometimes you just have to monitor and adjust as needed.
Do the same general principles apply when switching from all purpose to whole wheat einkorn?
Yes.
When your recipe says feed starter 4-12 hours before starting the recipe do I feed it even though I fed it two days ago? I keep my starter in the refrigerator and feed once a week.
Yes. You need to feed it and keep it on the counter.
I just wanted to add that I have kept a sourdough starter for almost 10 years and have had much success from pulling it straight out of the fridge and using it. I keep my starter in the refrigerator because I don’t use it everyday but I do use it at least three times a week. I’ll feed my starter allow it to double it room temperature and then refrigerate it. The next day I’ll pull it out of the fridge and either use it right away or allow it to come to room temperature and then use it. This is never been a problem for me and has kept me from having to feed it daily because if I left my starter out on my countertop in order for it to remain healthy I would have to feed it two to four times a day depending on the season. I don’t see a lot of people doing this method but I find it incredibly helpful and all of our baked goods are delicious and have more than doubled.