Sourdough Day 4: Willynilly Gets Liquidy and Darker
Sourdough Day 4 is here and things are looking a little different today! I took the lid off and Willynilly is noticeably more liquidy and a little darker than before — and before you panic, both of those things are completely normal at this stage. This is exactly what is supposed to happen on Day 4, and honestly? We should all be very proud of our little Willynilly.
The change in texture and color on Day 4 is totally expected. As the wild yeast develops and the fermentation process gets going, the starter becomes more liquid and the color deepens a bit. It looks a little different, but it is all tracking exactly the way it should be.
Today’s feeding stayed consistent: I discarded 60 grams of starter, leaving about 60 grams behind, then fed Willynilly with 60 grams of whole wheat flour and 60 grams of water, keeping the ratio at 1:1:1. I zeroed out the scale between each step, measured as carefully as I could, scraped the sides of the jar, stirred everything together, wiped the edges clean, and put Willynilly away until tomorrow.
Was every measurement exactly perfect? Not quite — but it is Willynilly. We can handle it, right? A gram or two off is not going to derail us. Close enough is good enough when you are just getting started, and the important thing is that we are showing up every single day and doing the work.
Day 4 is in the books. See you on Day 5!
More From the Sourdough Journey
- Sourdough Starter Maintenance — Feed and Fridge — How I keep a starter alive and happy with a busy family schedule.
- Day 21 — Goodbye Willy & Nilly, Hello Free Willy 2 — The dramatic turn Willynilly’s story eventually takes.
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe — The loaf this whole journey is building toward, with a full printable recipe card.
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🌱 New to sourdough? Start with my Sourdough for Beginners guide — how to make a starter from scratch and bake your first loaf.
🍞 Continue the Sourdough Journey
⬅️ Day 3 | The Hearth | Day 5 ➡️
🛒 Starting your own sourdough journey? Find all of Stephanie’s favorite supplies in The Sourdough Pantry!
Sourdough Day 4 — About the Sourdough Journey
The Sourdough Journey is Stephanie’s series documenting her very first attempt at making sourdough bread from scratch — something she had never done before. She started this journey to make fresh homemade bread for her husband Jason, who is on a Mediterranean diet. Along the way her community helped name her whole wheat starter “Willynilly” — and together they cheered him on toward his first bake. What started as one starter became two, then took a dramatic turn — and now a whole new chapter of baking is underway. Start here at Day 1 and follow the whole story at stephaniecooksforacrowd.com!