--- title: "Sourdough" url: https://waronfood.org/sourdough/ category: sourdough type: hub status: stable published: 2026-10-07 last_updated: 2026-10-07 summary: "Everything you need to bake sourdough at home: starters, feeding, your first loaf, discard recipes, and an honest look at the health and gluten claims." description: "Sourdough from scratch, with the facts: make and feed a starter, bake your first loaf, use up discard, and see what research says about health and gluten." keyword: "sourdough" attribution: "War on Food (waronfood.org)" --- # Sourdough > Sourdough from scratch, with the facts: make and feed a starter, bake your first loaf, use up discard, and see what research says about health and gluten. ## Key takeaways - A sourdough starter is just flour and water colonised by wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, kept alive with regular feedings. - A new starter usually takes about a week of feedings before it reliably doubles and can raise bread. - Sourdough discard is not waste: it makes crackers, pancakes, flatbreads and more. - Wheat sourdough is not gluten-free and is not safe for people with celiac disease. Sourdough is the oldest way to raise bread, and it is old-fashioned on purpose. Before packets of yeast, bakers kept a lump of fermenting dough alive and used a piece of it to leaven each new batch. That is still all a sourdough starter is: flour and water, colonised by the wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that already live on grain and in your kitchen, kept going with regular feedings. The yeast makes gas, so the dough rises. The bacteria make lactic and acetic acids, so the bread tastes tangy, keeps a little longer and develops a chewy, open crumb. None of it is fast. A good loaf takes the better part of a day, most of it hands-off, and that slow fermentation is the whole point. You trade speed for flavour, and for a skill you can pass on. This hub walks you through it in order. Start with the [beginner's guide](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/beginners-guide/) for the whole process, then [make a starter from scratch](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/starter-from-scratch/) and learn [how to feed it](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/feed-starter/). When the jar fills up, turn to our [sourdough discard recipes](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/discard-recipes/). And if you have heard that sourdough is a health food, or safe for celiac disease, we have read the studies: see [is sourdough healthy?](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/is-sourdough-healthy/) and [is sourdough gluten-free?](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/is-sourdough-gluten-free/) Flour is a pantry staple, so if you are building a from-scratch kitchen, our [pantry hub](https://waronfood.org/pantry/) is the natural next stop. ## Sourdough guides - [Sourdough for Beginners: The Complete Guide](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/beginners-guide/): The whole sourdough process in one place: starter, levain, mixing, bulk fermentation, shaping, cold proof and baking, plus a simple first-loaf formula and a troubleshooting table. - [How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/starter-from-scratch/): A day-by-day schedule for making a sourdough starter with flour and water, plus what is normal along the way and how to tell when it is ready to bake. - [How to Feed a Sourdough Starter](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/feed-starter/): Feeding ratios, counter and fridge schedules, how to spot a starter at its peak, and how to bring a neglected starter back to life. - [Sourdough Discard Recipes: 14 Ways to Use It Up](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/discard-recipes/): What sourdough discard is, how long it keeps and how to store it, plus 14 tried-and-true ways to turn it into crackers, pancakes, flatbreads and more. - [Sourdough Discard Crackers](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/discard-crackers/): Thin, crisp crackers made from sourdough discard, flour, olive oil and salt. The best use for tangy, older discard. - [Sourdough Discard Pancakes](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/discard-pancakes/): Light, fluffy pancakes with a gentle tang, made from a cup of sourdough discard in about 25 minutes, with an overnight version for deeper flavour. - [Is Sourdough Bread Healthy? What the Evidence Says](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/is-sourdough-healthy/): What research actually shows about sourdough and blood sugar, minerals, FODMAPs and digestion, which benefits are real, and which are overstated. - [Is Sourdough Bread Gluten-Free?](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/is-sourdough-gluten-free/): Wheat sourdough is not gluten-free and not safe for people with celiac disease. Here is what the fermentation research really showed, what the FDA requires, and how to get true gluten-free sourdough. ## FAQ **What is sourdough?** Sourdough is bread leavened by a starter, a fermented mix of flour and water that holds wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, instead of packaged baker's yeast. The bacteria give it its tang; the yeast makes it rise. **How long does it take to make a sourdough starter?** King Arthur Baking's method takes about five days of feedings before a starter can double in 6 to 8 hours, and it can take a few days longer in a cool kitchen. **Is sourdough bread gluten-free?** No. Sourdough made with wheat, rye or barley still contains gluten and is not safe for people with celiac disease. Only sourdough made entirely from gluten-free grains and starter is gluten-free. ## Sources 1. [King Arthur Baking — Sourdough Starter](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe) 2. [Beyond Celiac — Is Sourdough Bread Gluten-Free?](https://www.beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-diet/is-it-gluten-free/sourdough-bread/) 3. [Colorado State University Extension — Sourdough Starter Best Practices](https://foodsmartcolorado.colostate.edu/recipes/cooking-and-baking/sourdough-starter-best-practices) --- Cite as: [Sourdough](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/), War on Food (waronfood.org), last updated 2026-10-07.