Making a sourdough starter is a simple process that requires little active effort. To learn how to make a sourdough starter read on!
To start, gather the following ingredients:
- One cup of whole wheat flour (you can use regular flour or sprouted flour and either will work just as well)
- One cup of lukewarm water
- A pinch of active dry yeast- (you can exclude this and capture naturally occurring yeast in your environment. It my take bit longer but the steps are the same.)
First, mix together the water and flour until they are completely combined. Add the pinch of active dry yeast(if using) and stir it in until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl or container with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours. I generally use a wide mouthed mason jar with a lid. Mason jars have many uses in fermentation. I like to keep a supply on hand.
Next, remove half of the mixture and discard it. To remaining mixture, add one cup of water and one cup of flour and stir until completely incorporated. Cover again with plastic wrap or lid and let it sit for another 12 hours. If you are composting you can put the removed ferment into your compost.
Repeat the process of adding one cup of flour and one cup of water to the remaining mixture every 12 hours until you have a thick, bubbly starter. This usually takes about 5-7 days total. You will know your starter is ready by the bubbling. At first it will be just a few bubbles but as the ferment gets stronger they will increase.
In addition, you can buy sourdough starters online. They will come with instructions. Many varying strains of sourdough can be bought, all with a different flavor profile! The ones below are from Cultures for Life. Great site!
Maintaining Your Starter
Once your sourdough starter is ready, you can use it in bread recipes immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to a month. You will need to take it out at least once a month, let it warm up and feed it by repeating the steps above for a few days. Sometimes the starter will separate in the fridge. Don’t throw it out. Just add the flour and water and it will probably revive just fine. If it has a discolored film on top just scoop it off and start with a clean jar. it will generally recover. So long as it smells yeasty and inviting it should be fine to use. With ongoing care and maintenance, your starter can live indefinitely. Starters have been handed down in some families for generations.
When using in bread recipes keep in mind the starter will replace some of the liquid and you will need to adjust your recipe. Before the advent of yeast you could buy for breadmaking, this was the only thing our ancestors had to use in breadmaking to make the bread rise. I generally use the starter for the flavor. I absolutely love the taste of sourdough bread! I will still add yeast, as it is very dependent on how healthy your starter is, as to how well it will do making your bread rise.
Conclusion
Making a sourdough starter is easy and well worth the effort. Wait until you smell your bread baking! That first slice while it still warm and yeasty smelling, with that tang of the sourdough is simply delicious, more so for me because I know it adds to my health and I made it.