Start with 1 cup of all-purpose white or bread flour and 1/2 cup of cool water (filtered or reverse osmosis). The tap water has too much chlorine to work, or at least at my house, that’s the case.

Please start with a crock or quart glass wide-mouth mason jar. Add the flour to the jar with a Canning funnel, then add the water. I use an 11-inch Danish Whisk to stir my starters. The 13-inch size doesn’t fit inside my wide-mouth quart mason jars.

Stir the two ingredients until smooth; you can’t see any dry flour. Cover the jar with a cloth or a wide-mouth Plastic Wide Mouth White Lid, and barely turn the lid on the jar. It must have air to breathe and grow. Set it on your countertop.

Day 1: Please remember that the starter is alive and needs to "breathe." Don’t tighten the lids; only turn slightly to close.

Day 1: It looks lumpy and quite a bit like oatmeal. It’s not runny or dry. It will be a little stretchy and smell like bread dough. Place the jar on the counter in a warm (70 degrees or above) area for 24 hours with the lid slightly screwed on.

Day 2: If you look at your jar, you may or may not see any activity for the first 24 hours. That’s okay. Discard (1/2 cup) the starter in the jar and add one scant cup of flour and 1/2 cup of filtered water.

Day 2: Not much change from day one. Please be patient. Mix well, put the lid back on, and turn only slightly. Remember, the starter needs to breathe.

Day 2: Now, we wait another 24 hours. This is so fun! I love watching for the bubbles; the bubbles mean it’s alive and well.

Day 3: The bubbles show the starter is working. You can see that the sourdough yeast has doubled in volume, if not tripled.

Day 3: This is a great sign; it’s alive and growing. If you are wondering how I remember the 24 hours, I set the timer on my phone for 2:00 p.m. every day.

Day 3: Today, you feed the starter every 12 hours, yes, twice during the 24 hours. Now, I have to set my timer twice a day. Remember, we keep the jars at room temperature right now.

Day 3: Here again (two times today), discard 1/2 cup of the starter, add 1 cup of flour, and add 1/2 cup of filtered water to the jar. Stir until you can’t see any dry flour. Please place the lid on the jar and turn it slightly, not tight. They need to breathe.

Day 3: It’s working; you can see the bubbles, which means it’s alive and well.

Day 3: It's ready to make your recipes. When you need to feed the stored starter, pull it from the fridge, throw out all but 25% of the starter, and then add one scant cup of flour and 1/2 cup of filtered water and stir as before. UPDATE: I no longer throw out any starter. I take out 3/4 cup needed for my recipe and place it in the mixer. I feed the starter left in the jar with one scant cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water.

Place the lid on loosely. Set this mixture aside on your countertop for one to three hours before putting it back in the fridge.

You’ll want to wait for the starter to get bubbly again. Once it does, it’s ready to use.

Day 4: Some wonder if we must feed the starter daily if it’s stored in the refrigerator. No, it doesn’t. It is suggested that feeding once a week is sufficient. Set a timer on your phone or calendar app to remind you to feed it weekly.

Please don't store the starter on the countertop. The problem with storing the starter on the countertop is that you must continue the “feeding” process daily. Unless you’re ready to use the starter and make some bread, you should consider storing it in your fridge, as outlined in the next topic.

Do I store my starter in the fridge? As mentioned above, you are better off storing the starter in your fridge if you don’t plan to bake the bread when it is ready for use. You should plan to feed it weekly, but don’t worry if you miss a week occasionally.