It’s not hard to make a rye sourdough starter from scratch. Some sourdough starters rely on wild yeasts that live in the air, others on acid-producing bacteria present in buttermilk, yogurt, pineapple juice, and the like, and still others start with commercial yeast or store-bought starters. Fact is, none of these additives is necessary. All it really takes to build a delicious and robust rye sour culture, or starter, is some whole-grain rye flour, water, a warm place, and patience. [Editor’s Note: And when your traditional rye sourdough starter is complete, the very first thing you’re going to want to do is use it to make this Galician rye bread.]–Stanley Ginsberg

☞ LEARN MORE, READ: HOW TO DRY SOURDOUGH STARTER 

A small rubber-sealed jar of rye sourdough starter.

Rye Sourdough Starter

4.79 / 37 votes
This rye sourdough starter can change your life. Seriously. It not only creates a traditional rye bread with all the flavor of classic bread but it yields health benefits as well when compared to commercially made wheat bread. Here’s how to make it.
David Leite
CourseSides
CuisineAmerican
Servings16 servings
Calories51 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 days 23 hours 50 minutes
Total Time7 days

Ingredients 

Day 1: Make the Rye Sourdough Starter

  • 2.5 ounces whole grain rye flour, preferably organic
  • 2.5 ounces warm water (105°F or 41°C)

Days 2 to 7: Refresh the Rye Sourdough Starter

  • 2.5 ounces whole grain rye flour, preferably organic
  • 2.5 ounces warm water (105°F or 41°C)
  • 2.5 ounces Sour Starter from the preceding day

Days 8 and Beyond: Maintain the Rye Sourdough Starter

  • 2.5 ounces medium or whole-grain rye flour, preferably organic
  • 2.5 ounces warm water (105°F or 41°C)
  • .25 ounces rye sourdough starter

Instructions 

Day 1: Make the rye sourdough starter

  • Start with equal amounts of organic rye flour and water by weight. Dump them in a nonreactive (glass, porcelain, stainless-steel, plastic) container, mix by hand into a stiff paste, cover, and let stand at room temperature (68 to 72°F or 20 to 22°C) for 24 hours.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: Occasionally the yeast normally present in whole grains fail to establish itself in a new culture; if, after 3 or 4 days, the culture darkens, develops a mold, or smells bad, dump the whole batch and start over. After a week, the culture, or sourdough starter, will be ready to use or to be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for a couple days. [Editor's Note: If storing the sourdough starter for more than a couple days, you'll need to maintain it, which we explain how to do just below.]

Days 2 to 7: Refresh the rye sourdough starter

  • The next day, discard all but 2 1/2 ounces (70 grams) of the culture and mix the remainder with the refresh ingredients, cover, and let stand. Repeat each day, discarding all but 2 1/2 ounces (70 grams) of the preceding day’s culture.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: The most important point to remember at the early stages is to feed the sourdough starter daily. Even when it shows no apparent fermentation, the yeast is busy multiplying and consuming nutrients at a very high rate. By the second or third day, it will swell, show bubbles, and give off a clean sour smell. Over the next few days the activity will become more and more vigorous and the smell more intense.

Days 8 and Beyond: Maintain the rye sourdough starter

  • In a perfect world—or in a working bakery—sourdough starters are refreshed daily. That said, daily feedings demand both a degree of dedication and abundant flour supplies that are impractical for all but the most committed home bakers. You can get by refreshing your starter every 36 hours or so.
  • Mix the rye flour, water, and rye sourdough starter by hand until incorporated. Cover and ferment at room temperature (68 to 72°F or 20 to 22°C) overnight or for 10 to 12 hours. The sponge will be very bubbly, have a clean sour smell, and will have tripled in volume. Store refrigerated in an airtight container and it will last indefinitely.
The Rye Baker Cookbook

Adapted From

The Rye Baker

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 batchCalories: 51 kcalCarbohydrates: 11 gProtein: 2 gFat: 1 gSaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 1 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 1 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2016 Stanley Ginsberg. Photo © 2016 Quentin Bacon. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

The rye starter was easy to make and quick. It took about 5 minutes each of the 7 days. Mine smelled great and seemed consistent after the week of feedings. I switched to the refresh amounts after that and it stayed nice and healthy.

During the buildup, you end up tossing about 2/3 of it away. I definitely recommend a scale versus just using volume measurements.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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330 Comments

  1. Hi David,

    I am on day 7 and I just ran out of rye flour. Can I substitute for bread or whole wheat flour to feed?

    1. Jonny, it will change the starter somewhat. I, too, ran out yesterday. I used whole-wheat bread flour as a substitute and it was less active with fewer bubbles. But it needs to be feed, so I say use the whole wheat.

  2. Hello again,
    Well, the second try seems to have worked. It took a while, but the starter really rallied the last three days. I have nurtured it for 7 days and now I’d like to bake the Gallician Rye bread. Here’s my question. I have been feeding the starter in the morning, so in a couple of hours, we’ll be at 24 hours. I want to start my bread in the evening so it can proof overnight the first time. What should I do? Just leave the starter alone until this evening? Refrigerate? Feed again? Please advise. Thanks!

    1. Eric, I’m glad you didn’t give up. You want the starter to be at its peak when you use it. I’d feed it now, and then use it this evening to make the dough. Best of luck!

  3. I’ve been feeding my starter once a week and other than that have just been refrigerating it. Question: can I freeze the “discard” and thaw it out to re-start sometime in the future?

    1. Mary, you absolutely can. And you can even freeze it in an ice cube tray so you have precise amounts to use. No wasting!

      1. Thank you! That’s a brilliant idea — I freeze so many things in ice-cube trays (and then dump the lumps into another container): ghee, tomato paste, etc.