What Flour Should I Use for My Sourdough Starter?
Choosing a flour for your sourdough starter can feel confusing when you're just getting started.
The good news is that your starter doesn't need anything fancy. Most healthy starters thrive on simple, everyday flour.
The short answer
For everyday feeding, I recommend using plain flour or bread flour.
If your starter needs a little extra support, adding a small amount of wholemeal or rye flour can help boost activity.
The best flour is one you can buy consistently and use regularly.
Plain flour or bread flour?
Both are excellent choices for feeding a sourdough starter.
Plain flour
Plain flour is affordable, easy to find and works beautifully for maintaining a healthy starter.
If you're just starting out, it's a simple and reliable option.
Bread flour
Bread flour contains a little more protein than plain flour, but when it comes to feeding your starter, either will work well.
If you already keep bread flour in the pantry for baking, there's no need to buy something different just for your starter.
What about wholemeal or rye flour?
Wholemeal and rye flours contain more of the grain, giving your starter access to extra nutrients.
If your starter seems a little sluggish, replacing a small portion of your usual flour with wholemeal or rye can often help encourage activity.
You don't need to feed these flours every time—they're simply another tool if your starter needs a little encouragement.
Can I change flours?
Yes.
A healthy starter is surprisingly adaptable and can usually adjust to different flours without any problems.
If you're making a big change, introduce the new flour over a couple of feeds rather than switching everything at once.
More importantly, once you've found a flour that works well, try to stick with it. Keeping your feeding routine consistent makes it much easier to understand how your starter is behaving.
Does the flour need to be organic?
No.
Organic flour can work beautifully, but it isn't essential for growing a healthy sourdough starter.
I've seen excellent starters thrive on both organic and non-organic flour.
Fresh, good-quality flour is far more important than whether it's certified organic.
The flours we use
People often ask what we feed our own starters.
For our rye feeds, we use Wholegrain Milling Co. Organic Rye Flour.
For our white feeds, we currently use Gem of the West flour by Manildra. We previously used Wholegrain Milling Co. Organic White Flour, but since it was discontinued, Gem of the West has become our preferred choice.
Both have worked beautifully for maintaining healthy, active starters.
That doesn't mean you need to use the same flours we do. They're simply the flours we've come to trust after maintaining our own cultures over many years.
When should you change flour?
Most of the time, you don't need to.
Consider changing flour if:
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your current flour is old or stale
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you're having trouble finding it consistently
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your starter seems sluggish and you'd like to try adding a little wholemeal or rye
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you're changing the type of bread you regularly bake
Otherwise, consistency is usually the best approach.
Nikki's note
One of the biggest myths in sourdough is that you need expensive or specialty flour to grow a healthy starter.
You don't.
A strong starter comes from regular feeding, patience and consistency—not chasing the "perfect" flour.
Keep things simple, learn how your starter behaves and only change one thing at a time. It makes troubleshooting much easier, and your starter will thank you for it.