How to Make Sourdough Starter
We have assembled an easy-to-follow guide on how to make a glorious loaf of tasty sourdough bread at the comfort of your own home.
Equipment
- glass jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- non-cholorined water
- all-purpose flour for maintaining the starter
Instructions
- Day 1: combine ½ cup of whole-wheat flour and ¼ cup water in the jar. Sit thoroughly and cover with a towel and rubber band. Let it sit for 24 hours at room temperature. keep it in an area of the house that I somewhat warm. Very cool rooms tend to slow the action of a starter.
- Day 2: The first feeding after 24 hours. add ½cup cup of all-purpose flour and ¼ cup of water. Give it a good stir, and wait for 24 hours.
- Day 3: After 24 hours, check for bubbles. Bubbles tend to say something is going right. Discard half of the starter, add ½ cup of all-pursed flour and ¼ cup of water and stir thoroughly. Let it sit for 24 hours.
- Day 4: Again discard half of the starter, and feed with ½ cup of all-purpose flour and ¼ cup of water, stirring thoroughly. Let it sit for 24 hours.
- Day 5: Continue this routine until the starter is consistently bubbling and doubling in size within 8 hours of each feeding. At this point, you can store the starter in the refrigerator and feed it about once a week. When you plan to use the starter, pull it out of the refrigerator 24 hours in advance to feed it and allow it to warm up and grow.
Notes
If you've repeatedly attempted sourdough starters with dismal results, it could be that, depending on where you live, the wild strains of yeast floating in the air may not be well suited to sourdough. You can easily overcome this hurdle by purchasing a dried commercial starter for a minimal fee. Cared for properly, your starter should last for many, many years. If you have other ferments or cultures in your kitchen, keep your starter at least several feet away from them to prevent cross-contamination.