Home › Guides

Sourdough Guides

By Ana Prieto · Updated September 24, 2026 · Leer en español

These eight guides are the whole path from an empty jar to a baked loaf, in the order most bakers actually need them. Start at the top if you are building a starter this week. If your jar already exists and something is wrong, jump straight to the stall, hooch or readiness guide: each one stands on its own and tells you what to do next rather than everything there is to know. Every timing, ratio and temperature here matches what the Sourdoughy app tells you in the kitchen.

Start here and work down

A glass jar of bubbly, active, doubled sourdough starter on a floured wooden counter with a rubber band marking the rise line

How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch

Flour, water and 7 to 14 days. What each stage looks like, and how to tell when it is genuinely ready.

Read the guide → Fresh flour and water being added to a sourdough starter jar on a kitchen counter next to a scale

The Sourdough Starter Feeding Schedule That Actually Sticks

How often to feed, which ratio to use, and when the fridge is the smarter choice.

Read the guide → Two glass jars side by side, one holding flat sluggish sourdough starter and one holding risen bubbly starter

Sourdough Starter Not Rising? Here's Why, and the Fix

Young, cold or underfed. How to work out which one you have, and the fix for each.

Read the guide → A dark gray-brown hooch layer sitting on top of a sourdough starter in a glass jar

Hooch: the Liquid on Top of Your Sourdough Starter

The gray liquid is hunger, not mold. Pour it off or stir it in, then feed properly.

Read the guide → A jar of peaked sourdough starter, domed and full of bubbles, that has doubled above its rise-line rubber band

When Is My Sourdough Starter Ready to Bake With?

The doubling test, bubbles, dome and smell, and why the float test misleads people.

Read the guide → A rustic sourdough boule sliced open to show an open, airy crumb on a wooden board

Your First Sourdough Loaf: a Forgiving Beginner Recipe

A forgiving overnight loaf with real gram weights and a schedule that fits a working day.

Read the guide → Hands gently stretching and folding sourdough dough in a bowl during bulk fermentation

Stretch and Fold: the Gentle Way to Strong Sourdough

How to do one set, how many you need, and how far apart during bulk fermentation.

Read the guide → Two hands dragging a round sourdough dough across a wooden counter to build surface tension

How to Shape Sourdough: Boule and Batard

Pre-shape, bench rest, then build a taut skin. The boule and the batard, step by step.

Read the guide → A hand using a lame to make one long shallow slash across the top of a floured sourdough loaf

How to Score Sourdough Bread

Which blade, what angle for an ear, how deep to cut, and why cold dough scores cleanly.

Read the guide → A sliced sourdough loaf on a wooden board showing a tight, dense crumb with few large holes

Why Is My Sourdough Dense or Gummy?

Read the crumb to find the cause: under-fermented, over-fermented, underbaked or cut too soon.

Read the guide → A jar of unfed sourdough discard being scooped with a spoon on a wooden counter

What to Do with Sourdough Discard

Store it, bake with it, or simply make less of it. Discard is an ingredient, not waste.

Read the guide →
New here? A starter takes one to two weeks before it can raise bread. That wait is normal and is not a sign anything is wrong.
Sourdoughy app icon

Your starter, tracked

Sourdoughy turns these guides into a routine: photograph your starter for an AI read on its stage, get feeding reminders sized to your kitchen, and a fold timer that rings for every set.

Download Sourdoughy free

Also on the site