Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe with Potato Flakes

If you want to make sourdough bread but are intimidated because creating the starter sounds scary? This potato flake sourdough starter recipe is easy to follow and will have you making your own light and fluffy sourdough bread in no time! Read to the end and grab the free printable day by day guide with tips and important info!

What is potato flake sourdough starter?

So, what even is a potato flake sourdough starter anyways? If you are reading this, it might be your first time ever hearing about a potato flake sourdough starter. A potato flake sourdough starter is a live active culture made of fermented potato flakes, sugar and water. It is full of beneficial bacteria and wild yeast.

It is used as a way to ferment many different recipes and naturally rise bread instead of using store bought yeast. 

However, you will use store bought yeast to make the starter initially. After it becomes established, it will no longer need the commercial yeast in the feeding. The wild yeast will take over and provide a natural leavening for your recipes!

Sourdough starter with potato flakes vs. flour

A sourdough starter made with potato flakes has a milder flavor compared to a traditional flour-based starter. It has less of a sour taste which makes it a great option for those who prefer a bread that is more similar to what you buy at the store. The results will be similar to traditional white bread but with all the great fermentation benefits of sourdough bread. 

It does produce a sweeter bread and gives off a sweet taste in many recipes. This makes it an easier sourdough to adjust to, when it comes to flavor. 

If you already have a traditional flour starter, you can convert some of it to a potato flake starter instead of having to start from scratch!

What can you make using a sourdough starter with potato flakes?

You can make pretty much anything you want with a potato flake starter. It will make bread rise just like a flour and water sourdough starter. Some favorite things to make are cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, muffins, etc. 

Do you already have a traditional sourdough starter? You don’t have to start a whole new starter! Instead you can take a portion of your starter the next time it is at its peak and feed it with the potato flake starter feeding instead. Keep your existing starter, but now you can try out the potato flake starter. It will take a few feedings before it is fully converted to a potato flake starter. Read detailed instructions about how to convert it to a potato starter. 

Why You Will Love Potato Flake Sourdough:

If you love bread (I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t) you may feel bloated, or just down right guilty after devouring several pieces bread. With sourdough bread, you can rest assured that you will feel less bloated and can eat a slice or two knowing it is healthier for you than store bought counterparts. 

This is true for any sour dough bread. Including traditional sourdough, but what traditional sour dough doesn’t give you is the lightest fluffiest bread similar to a store bought loaf. That’s why I love using my potato flake sourdough starter. 

It doesn’t have a sour flavor. If allowed to fully rise, it will produce such a light and fluffy bread that so many people crave for their sandwiches. 

Does all of this sound great, but you don’t want to make your own? No worries! You can purchase an already established starter! 

Potato flake sourdough starter recipe: 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Instant Potato Flakes

3 tablespoons white sugar 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 commercial yeast packet)

1 cup of warm water (between 75–82°F)

Equipment

Measuring spoons/cups

Glass container (like a quart mason jar)

Spoon

Instructions

1. Start with a clean glass container. I prefer to use a quart size mason jar with a plastic lid. (You don’t want to use metal because it can rust overtime and contaminate your starter.) You can also cover the top of the jar with a tea towel or scrap piece of fabric and a rubber band. They also make fabric covers with elastic built in that you can make or buy. I don’t recommend leaving the starter fully uncovered as it could get debris, dust, or insects in the starter very easily. I typically use the cloth when it’s out on the counter and the plastic lid when it is in the fridge.  
2. Add in the warm water, then add in all of your dry ingredients (sugar, potato flakes, and package of active dry yeast.) Remember to not use hot water because this will kill the yeast. No warmer than 110F is recommended. Also, be sure your yeast packet is in date. An expired yeast packet may not work and would cause you to waste ingredients and time. 
3. Stir with a wooden spoon. (I always suggest to use wood because a metal spoon could react with the ingredients. However, I almost always use a metal spoon and have never had any problems) 
4. Cover your container with a loose lid, or a tea towel with a rubber band. You want it to be able to breath.  At this point, do not refrigerate the mixture. Leave it in a warm place at room temperature so the yeast and good bacteria can begin to feed. 
5. Leave it at room temperature for 4 days, stirring daily.
6. On the morning of the 5th day, you will feed the starter. Add in 3 tablespoons of instant potato flakes, 3/4 cup of white sugar, and 1 cup of lukewarm water. 
7. Stir the starter and ingredients you added and continue to let it sit out at room temperature for at least 6-8 hours. (I usually do this overnight) 
8. Once the starter has sat out at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, (longer is okay-even 24 hours will be perfectly fine) stir your starter well to incorporate anything that has settled or risen. Remove 1 cup of the starter to make your bread. You will then place the rest of the starter in the refrigerator. 
9. Feed the starter at least once every week or two to keep it nice and active. Do this using steps 6 through 8. 

How to maintain your starter:

Once your starter is established, you won’t need to use yeast anymore. 

Simply feed it with water, sugar, and potato flakes. 

When feeding your starter first mix together 1 cup of warm, not hot water, 3 tablespoons of potato flakes, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Once combined, add to your starter and let set out on the counter for about 8 hours or overnight. 

Plan to feed your starter at least 8 hours before you plan to begin making bread. 

You can learn more about feeding and maintaining your starter. I know when I first started using potato flake sourdough I wanted answers to ALL of my questions! This post will help answer yours!

Does the amount of sugar matter?

I want to mention that many people have a different amount of sugar that they feed their starter. Some feed it 3/4 cup of sugar, other feed it 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup. I have tried as little as 3 Tablespoons of sugar with success. However, my starter has always been the strongest with the 3/4 cup. You can play around with the amount of sugar you feed your starter and find out what works best for you and your starter. If attempting to reduce the amount of sugar, start small and cut back a little bit at a time instead of shocking your starter. It may not like you if you take away its sugar all at once! 

Tips for your potato flake sourdough starter

You can make bread everyday.

You can make bread every day if you feed it each morning and then remove the 1 cup of starter at the end of the day to make the bread. If you do this you can keep your starter out on the counter and never have to place it in the fridge. 

Truly, you can keep your starter out on the counter all of the time regardless if you are making bread everyday or not. Just be sure that it is getting fed at least once a week. I tend to pop mine in the fridge when i’m taking a “baking break” or going out of town. When the fruit flies got really bad i also stuck it in the fridge just to keep them away!  

Cut the feedings in half

If you aren’t making a lot of bread, the starter can easily grow to an overwhelming amount. Try cutting the feeding ingredients in half to reduce the amount of starter you keep on hand.  

You don’t have to make bread every time you feed it.

If you are not going to make bread at least every 5 days, you can still feed the starter and then once it has had time to feed, discard the 1 cup starter, instead of using it for bread. Discard doesn’t mean you have to throw out the 1 cup starter does not mean you have to throw it away or pour it down the drain. You can stick it in the fridge and use it for other recipes! There are also recipes that you can use the discard for as well.

Share with a friend

When it’s time to discard, put it in a separate jar and share it with a friend! Everyone is going to want some anyway after you bake them some of that delicious bread!

Potato Flake Sourdough Starter Troubleshooting

My starter smells like alcohol.

For this type of starter, it is actually quite normal for it to smell strongly of an alcohol smell. There is nothing wrong with your starter and can be used in your recipes.

All of my potato flakes settled to the bottom.

This is perfectly okay! In fact, it’s what it should do, especially after you remove a cup for baking. After a feeding, potato flakes typically settle, but also rise to the top and look fluffy. Before removing your starter to use in potato flake sourdough bread, you will want to stir first and then pour off the amount you need for your recipe. 

My starter has mold on it.

This has never happened to me, but if it does happen. It is time to throw it out and start over. Hopefully you gave some to a friend so that they can return the favor and share with you! I know some people keep two starters going and alternate between the two so that if something ever did happen to their starter, they would have a back up in the fridge. this is a super smart idea. You never know when you might accidentally drop it. A whole slew of different things could happen and then you would have to start all over again! 

How to revive potato flake sourdough starter: Can it be done?

A lot of times, yes! If you have given your starter a try with out any luck of your bread rising, give this a try: feed it as usual but don’t use it for bread. You will discard and feed again. 

Keep an eye out for any movement of the starter. You should see the potato flake moving around slowly through out the feeding process. You should also be able to hear a sound like popping Rice Krispies or the sound of a carbonated soda. After the second feeding give it another try making some bread. 

Sometimes the starter has gotten weak and needs to get stronger again through multiple feedings.

Check out more suggestions on troubleshooting your potato flake sourdough starter! 

Click here for the recipe to make your own homemade sourdough bread using your potato flake starter!  

Pin it for later AND share with a friend!

Recipes using potato flake sourdough starter

• 
  Homemade Potato Flake Sourdough Croissants Recipe
• 
  How to Freeze Potato Flake Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Potato Flake Sourdough Starter Recipe

If you want to make sourdough bread but are intimidated because creating the starter sounds scary? This potato flake sourdough starter recipe is easy to follow and will have you making your own bread in no time!

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Equipment

• Measuring spoons/cups
• Glass container (like a quart mason jar)
• Spoon

Ingredients

  

• 3 tablespoons Instant Potato Flakes
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 package
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Instructions

 

• Start with a clean glass container. I prefer to use a quart size mason jar with a plastic lid. (You don’t want to use metal because it can rust overtime and contaminate your starter.)
• Add in the warm water, then add in all of your dry ingredients (sugar, potato flakes, and yeast)
• Stir with a wooden spoon. (I always suggest to use wood because a metal spoon could react with the ingredients. However, I almost always use a metal spoon and have never had any problems)
• Cover your container with a loose lid, or a tea towel with a rubber band. You want it to be able to breath. At this point, do not refrigerate the mixture. Leave it in a warm place at room temperature so the yeast and good bacteria can begin to feed.
• Leave it at room temperature for 4 days, stirring daily.
• On the morning of the 5th day, you will feed the starter. Add in 3 tablespoons of instant potato flakes, 3/4 cups of white sugar, and 1 cup of lukewarm water.
• Stir the starter and ingredients you added and continue to let it sit out at room temperature for at least 6-8 hours. (I usually do this overnight)
• Once the starter has sat out at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, stir your starter well to incorporate anything that has settled or risen. Remove 1 cup of the starter to make your bread. You will then place the rest of the starter in the refrigerator.
• Feed the starter at least once every week or two to keep it nice and active. Do this using steps 6 through 8.