Sourdough starter shouldn’t be that hard
There is so much information out there about baking sourdough. Although information is great, it can be way too confusing sometimes. After baking sourdough for five and a half years, I can say, it’s NOT supposed to be that difficult. I think of baking sourdough as a domino effect. The first step sets the tone for the rest of the process and final bake. Honestly, it took me too long to realize that it all starts with the sourdough starter. I know I know, it’s IN the name! SMH. Let’s talk starter!!
What is sourdough starter?
Yeast is everywhere! In our food, the air, on our bodies, everywhere. Natural yeast starter is used to create naturally leavened bread. Flour is mixed with water and left out to naturally ferment and cultivate a community of natural yeasts. I started my culture from scratch, which can take about two or three weeks. These few weeks allow enough time to gather up the natural yeast in the air and create an environment for them to live. If you know someone who has active starter, ask them for a small amount and save yourself a week or two! We sell a dehydrated starter here and when you purchase, you’ll receive an instruction video on how to rehydrate it with your purchase.
Here’s what you will need to make your sourdough starter.
To make your own starter from scratch you will need:
- Flour (unbleached if you can)
- Water
- Glass or plastic jar with lid (I started with an old peanut butter jar)
- Spatula
- Food Scale
To begin with, you can use whatever flour you want or have on hand. Over time you will develop your own preferences to what flour has the best taste for you. I use 50% all-purpose flour and 50% whole wheat. I have found that whole wheat flour helps yeast development and adds a sour flavor.
How to make your sourdough starter
- Place your jar on your kitchen scale and make sure its on 0
- Add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water.
- Mix together until It looks like pancake batter. Ta-da! Day one of your starter.
- Place the lid on the jar, however don’t tighten it completely. You don’t want it air tight. I would leave it out on the counter. Any jar and lid will work, old mason jars are great!
Feeding your starter
On the third day, you will mix about 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water with your existing starter. Depending on how hot/cold it is in your house, you may start to see bubbles in your sourdough starter on day 3. This is good! It’s okay if you don’t see any activity yet, keep going, you will.
Starting on day 4, you will start discarding your starter. Take out half of your sourdough starter (you can eyeball) and feed it 50 grams water, 50 grams flour, cover and let it sit until the next feeding. You are going to do that every day for two weeks before using. Even though others will say it only takes a week, I recommend not baking with it for two weeks. I don’t recommend you keep the discard either. I think it takes two weeks for the good bacteria to win out any bad bacteria, but some people use the discard straightaway. Do what is comfortable for you.
You will know your starter is ready after two weeks when there are bubbles on the top and sides. I think it is helpful to place a rubber band around your jar right after feeding. That way you can track its growth. You are looking for bubbles and volume. Once those two things are achieved, you are good to bake and have fun!
If you need a beginner sourdough recipe click here!