Make a Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter the 1800s Prairie Way

Learn how to make a wild yeast sourdough starter the 1800s prairie way. Perfect for a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study for Homeschoolers.

Read More! Click here if you’d like to learn a bit more about our plans for this Little House on the Prairie Unit study and to see all the bits and pieces in our adventure box.

Introduction: Baking Bread on the American Prairie

In the pages of Little House on the Prairie, food is never just food. It is survival, comfort, and community. Laura Ingalls Wilder frequently described daily life revolving around simple, honest ingredients: flour, water, salt, and patience. Long before commercial yeast packets lined grocery store shelves, pioneer families relied on wild yeast to leaven their bread. This living culture, known today as a sourdough starter, was carefully tended and passed from generation to generation.

For homeschool families studying Little House on the Prairie, learning how to make a sourdough starter from wild yeast is a hands-on way to step directly into 1800s prairie America. This project blends history, science, practical life skills, and sensory learning into one meaningful experience. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how pioneers made sourdough starter, why it mattered, and how your homeschool can recreate this process authentically.

This post is designed specifically for a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study and includes historical context, step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting tips, and homeschool enrichment ideas.

Catch Up! If you haven’t read all about our first week on the prairie, I would encourage you to go and read my Little House in the Big woods post. This covers everything we did from making nightdresses, to prairie cooking and making button strings. It also gives you a good idea of everything we achieved with our own little house on the prairie renovations!

What Is a Sourdough Starter?

A sourdough starter is a simple mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and beneficial bacteria from the environment. Unlike commercial yeast, which is isolated and fast-acting, wild yeast ferments slowly, producing bread with a tangy flavor, improved digestibility, and excellent keeping qualities.

In the 1800s, sourdough starter was essential. On the prairie, there were no stores, no instant yeast, and no guarantees. A healthy starter meant dependable bread, day after day, year after year.

Why Wild Yeast Matters

Wild yeast exists everywhere: in the air, on grain, on hands, and in wooden bowls. When flour and water are mixed and left at room temperature, these microscopic organisms begin to feed on natural sugars in the grain. Over time, they multiply, ferment, and create bubbles. And these bubbles are proof of life.

This slow fermentation is exactly how pioneers leavened bread during Laura Ingalls Wilder’s time.

Make a Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter on the Prairie: Historical Context

During the 1800s, prairie families baked bread several times a week, often daily. Flour was precious, ovens were wood-fired, and fuel had to be gathered by hand. Waste was unthinkable.

A sourdough starter was treated almost like a family member. It was:

• Fed regularly
• Kept warm in winter and cool in summer
• Carried along during wagon travel
• Shared with neighbors in times of need

Some pioneers dried their starter into flakes for storage. Others tucked crocks near the hearth to keep the culture alive. In Little House on the Prairie, food preparation scenes reflect this constant care and attention.

Making a starter with your homeschoolers helps children understand not just how pioneers cooked, but why they valued self-reliance so deeply.

Ingredients Pioneers Would Have Used to Make their Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter

To remain historically accurate for your Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, simplicity is key.

Basic Ingredients

• Flour – Whole wheat or stone-ground flour is closest to what pioneers used. White flour works, but whole grain captures wild yeast more easily.
• Water – Clean, non-chlorinated water. If using tap water, let it sit out overnight.

That’s it. No sugar, no commercial yeast, no additives.

Of course, I do realise the use of a plug in grinder is somewhat of a cheat. But, honestly, have you ever tried grinding wheat berries without one? I have. It’s hard…and would have taken us forever! So I used the grinder. 🙂

Tools (Modern Equivalents)

Pioneers used wooden bowls and earthenware crocks. For homeschool use:

• Glass jar or ceramic bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Clean cloth or loose lid

Avoid metal containers, which can react with fermentation acids.

How to Make a Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter (Step-by-Step)

This method closely mirrors what families in 1800s prairie America would have done, adapted slightly for modern kitchens.

Day 1: Capture the Wild Yeast

1. Mix ½ cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup water in your jar or bowl.
2. Stir until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4. Place in a warm, draft-free spot (21°C to 24°C or 70–75°F is ideal).

Explain to your homeschoolers that they are inviting invisible helpers, the wild yeast, to move in.

Day 2: Wait and Observe

After 24 hours, check the mixture.

You may notice:

• A few bubbles
• A mild, earthy smell
• Or no visible change at all

Stir once, then add:

• ½ cup flour
• ¼–½ cup water (enough to make a thick batter)

Cover and return to its resting place.

Day 3: Signs of Life

By day three, most starters show activity.

Look for:

• Small bubbles throughout
• A slightly tangy aroma
• A bit of rising and falling

Discard half of the starter (pioneers often cooked with discard), then feed again with equal parts flour and water.

This teaches an important pioneer lesson: balance and stewardship.

Days 4–7: Strengthening the Starter

Continue feeding once or twice daily:

1. Discard half
2. Add fresh flour and water
3. Stir and cover

Over time, the starter should double in size within 4–8 hours after feeding. The smell will shift from raw flour to pleasantly sour.

By day 7, your wild yeast sourdough starter should be strong enough to bake with.

This week, we have also made some button lamps. Ma made these from lard, metal buttons and scraps of material. We only made some decorative ones, but there are instructions for how to make the historical kind and also how to make safe ones using battery powered candle lights.

How Pioneers Used Their Sourdough Starter

In 1800s prairie America, sourdough starter wasn’t just for bread.

It was used to make:

• Daily sandwich loaves
• Biscuits and rolls
• Pancakes and griddle cakes
• Dumplings and crackers

Nothing was wasted. Even sour or weak starter could be used in cooking.

For your homeschool unit, consider making simple sourdough pancakes as your first recipe. These are quick, forgiving, and child-friendly. We made some of these last week, using buttermilk, so this week we decided to make a loaf of bread!

Troubleshooting Your Wild Yeast Starter

Wild fermentation is a living process. Pioneers learned through experience, and so can homeschoolers.

Common Issues

No bubbles after several days

• Try a warmer location
• Switch to whole wheat or rye flour

Bad smell (rotten, not sour)

• Discard and restart
• Clean tools thoroughly

Mold growth

• Discard immediately
• Start over with fresh flour

This trial-and-error process mirrors real prairie life. In fact, resilience and problem-solving were essential skills.

Alongside a peg rail, Thomas has also made a ladder from bits and pieces we had around our home.

Science Connections for Homeschool

Making a sourdough starter from wild yeast is a perfect science lesson.

Concepts to explore:

• Microorganisms
• Fermentation
• Chemical reactions
• Cause and effect

Have students:

• Keep a daily observation journal
• Draw bubble patterns
• Compare temperatures and outcomes

This hands-on approach strengthens retention and curiosity.

History Connections: Living Like Laura

Tie this activity directly into your Little House on the Prairie Unit Study:

• Read chapters involving food preparation
• Discuss why yeast packets weren’t available
• Compare pioneer kitchens to modern ones
• Talk about food security on the frontier

Ask questions like:

• What would happen if the starter died?
• How did families protect it during winter?
• Why was bread so important?

Practical Life Skills for Homeschoolers

Sourdough teaches patience, responsibility, and consistency. And these are the core values of pioneer life.

Children learn to:

• Care for a living culture
• Follow routines
• Observe subtle changes
• Value simple ingredients

These lessons align beautifully with Charlotte Mason–style homeschooling and unit study approaches.

Storing and Maintaining a Starter (Prairie Style)

Pioneers often baked daily, but modern homeschool families can adapt.

Daily Use

• Feed once daily at room temperature

Weekly Baking

• Store in refrigerator
• Feed once a week

Long-Term Storage

• Dry starter into flakes
• Rehydrate when needed

Drying starter is a wonderful extension activity for your unit study and reflects authentic 1800s practices.

Why This Belongs in Your Little House Unit Study

Making a sourdough starter from wild yeast transforms history from words on a page into lived experience.

It connects:

• History
• Science
• Homemaking
• Self-reliance
• Family traditions

This is exactly the kind of meaningful learning Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories inspire.

Final Thoughts: Learning From the Past

In 1800s prairie America, sourdough starter was more than a recipe, it was a lifeline. By recreating this process in your homeschool, you give your children a tangible connection to the past.

As bubbles form and bread rises, your family participates in a tradition stretching back centuries. This simple mixture of flour and water carries lessons of patience, perseverance, and gratitude. These are values as relevant today as they were on the prairie.

May your homeschool kitchen be filled with curiosity, learning, and the comforting smell of freshly baked bread.

 For more activities please do visit my MEGA Little House on the Prairie Unit Study page, which contains all ten weeks of our summer building our own Little House on the Prairie!