Sourdough Starter
Sourdough starter doesn't have to be complicated. By following a few simple steps, you'll have a starter that you can use indefinately!
Equipment
- 1 glass jar
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 1 loose cover for jar
Ingredients
- all-purpose or fresh-milled flour
- filtered water
Instructions
- Begin by gathering a clean glass jar, a kitchen scale, flour and filtered water. While the process of making your own sourdough starter may take a few days, it's really quite simple and will only take a few moments each day.
- Mix 50g flour and 50g water. After mixing, cover loosely and wait 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, discard half. Feed your starter 50g water and 50g flour again, stir and loosely cover and wait 24 more hours
- Repeat the above process 3-6 more days, increase the amount of flour and water if you're finding that your starter is peaking much sooner than 24 hours.
- By day 7-10 you should have a bubbly, active starter! You will know it's ready if it double/peaks within 6 hours of feeding. You should be able to bake your first loaf this day! Once you have your starter, you can keep it indefinitely. Just take care of it!
Notes
Troubleshooting common problems:
- Too Sour? If your starter smells overly sour or like vinegar, it may be underfed. Discard a larger portion than usual and give it a couple of feedings at room temperature to help it regain balance.
- No Bubbles or Activity? A slow starter might be too cold or underfed. Try placing it in a warmer spot, I love to use my oven with the light on.
- Gray or Hooch on Top? Hooch is a dark liquid that can appear if a starter is hungry. Simply pour it off, discard a portion of your starter, and feed it to bring it back to life.