How to Make a Sourdough Starter

4 days ago

Sourdough can feel incredibly daunting at first and usually this is due to people dreading making (and maintaining) a sourdough starter. I mean who wants to have to feed something every single day? I'm here to tell you that you do NOT have to feed your sourdough starter every day (I'll save this for a later post) and I promise if I can do it, you can too!

I'm hoping this simple sourdough starter recipe will help make it easier for you - trust me, if I can do it, you can too! Your beloved sourdough starter will continue to grow in strength and health the more you use and feed it. It's so exciting to watch! And I'm thrilled for you to get started.

Materials Needed:

Two pint-sized jars with lids
Kitchen Scale
Filtered Water
Flour--Bread & Whole Wheat are best to get started
Mason Jar with Lid or Paper Towel

Note: Keep your starter in a warm place at room temperature - I put mine on top of my refrigerator. I know bakers who live in colder climates that like to keep theirs in the oven or the microwave with the light on (just please don't forget that it's in there!). I live in a warm climate so I don't have to do this.

DAY 1:

➔ AM: Add 20g organic bread flour and 30g organic whole wheat flour, plus 50g filtered water to a jar—adding flour and water to a sourdough starter is known as “feeding the starter.” Stir well so there is no dry flour left, then cover loosely with the jar’s lid or a paper towel - secured with a rubber band. ➔ Let rest somewhere warm for 24 hours. NOTE- if using a lid, do NOT screw it on tight, just gently place the lid on top.

DAY 2:

➔ AM: Take 25g starter from the previous day and add 20g bread flour, 30g whole wheat flour, and 50g filtered water (room temp) to the same jar then cover loosely with a paper towel or lid. ➔ Let your starter rest somewhere warm for 24 hours.

DAY 3 & 4:

Repeat Day 2 for both of these days.

DAY 5: Time to feed your starter twice a day (every 12 hours)!

➔ AM: Add 25g starter from the previous day (discard the rest) and 20g bread flour, 30g whole wheat flour, 50g filtered water (room temp).

➔ PM: Repeat process from AM.

DAY 6:

Repeat Day 5

DAY 7:

➔ The starter should be ready to turn into dough at this point, but if it hasn't doubled by now, repeat the process from Day 5 & 6 until it does. I recommend allowing the starter to double within 5-8 hours for a few days prior to turning it into dough.

TIME TO BAKE!

Your sourdough starter is ready to bake with once it is consistently doubling in size. You should also notice a tangy smell and lots of bubbles on the top and on the sides of the starter. If you don’t see these signs, be patient and just keep feeding your starter until you do.

Troubleshooting:

Q: What is the best flour to use for my starter:

A: I have found that a combo of Whole Wheat flour and Bread Flour works best for me - because the additional nutrients in these two flours help speed up the process.

Q: How can you tell if the starter has died?

A: It's normal to see a lapse of activity at some point when first creating a sourdough starter—this is normal. Keep feeding, and discarding, as I outline above. Eventually, your mixture will slowly become more and more acidic (low pH), killing off other bacteria and allowing the beneficial yeasts and bacteria we are looking for to take hold!

Q: I've followed your guide step-by-step and nothing is happening. What am I doing wrong?

A: The most common problem is low temperatures (this was my issue when I first started): it's easier to create your starter if you keep it warmer. Cold temperatures (below 70°F) will slow the process down significantly, whereas warmer temperatures (around 76-82°F) will speed it up. I live in a warm climate, but we keep our house cool, so my favorite places to store my starter are: 1) on top of the fridge 2) in the oven with the light on (oven OFF!)