SOURDOUGH STARTER

When you first start research how to make your own sourdough starter you are struck with a daunting amount of information and a lot of it contradicts itself. This is because what works for one person might not work for another. When I first started most of my research said you must start with rye or whole wheat flour, all purpose would not work.  Well after 3 attempts to get a whole wheat starter going I was ready to throw in the towel. As a last attempt I gave it a shot with all purpose from the beginning and within a week a had an active, bubbly, sweet smelling starter!

Don't be fooled into thinking you need a bunch of fancy tools or the $70 sourdough starter kit on amazon, you can make amazing sourdough with things you most likely have in your kitchen already. Now if you want to get the fancy kit, go for it! Just know you don't need it. Below is a list of things you need to start a 'all purpose flour starter'. This can easily be converted to a wheat or rye starter once it is established. 

Food scale- weight is much more accurate and in the beginning stages precision is need. And most recipes are written in grams.

Medium/ Large glass or plastic container- I recommend a 4cup Tupperware or a wide mouth quart jar. Do not use metal. Sourdough can react with the metal and affect the taste. 

Silicone spatula- makes mixing easy and it works great to scrape down the sides

filtered water- excessive minerals and chlorine can kill your natural yeast. I use water from my fridge.

All purpose flour- i've used both bleached and unbleached. The bleached takes longer to get going.

rubber bands/ hair ties- these are used to gauge your starters rise and to hold the lid on your container.

Mixing container- Literally anything that can hold your flour and water to be mixed before adding to your starter

paper towel/ cheesecloth- this one is definitely optional. I used a mason jar so i would place a flat on the top of the jar without a ring and it worked fine, but if your container makes a tight seal (like a tupperware lid) you might want to use a clothe instead.

marker/dry erase maker- I use this it mark my start date and how heavy my container is.

A new starter can takes on average between 7-14 days to really establish. The overall process is extremely simple and just requires a little bit of patience, dedication, and observation. 

*I do all my mixing with my spatula in these directions

DAY 1: 

Weight you start container and mark the weight somewhere on the container. This is handy for later.

 mix together equal parts flour and filtered water, a good starting ratio is 50g of flour and 50g of water, in your mixing bowl until thoroughly combine. Transfer this mixture to your starter jar and place in a warm place, at least 68 degrees, and cover loosely with either the lid gently resting on the top or use a paper towel/ cheesecloth held in place with a elastic.

Day 2:

Start by weighing your starter, and subtract the weigh of the jar. You now have the weight of just your starter. Now discard (or throw out) 1/2 of your starter mixture. For example, you should have approximately 100g of starter, give or take thanks to evaporation and degassing of the yeast starting to eat away at the flour, you will want to discard at least 50gs of this to maintain a manageable starter. 

Next we need to make a new flour water mixer, equal to how much starter you kept. So if you kept 50gs of starter you need to make a mixture of 50g flour and 50g filtered water. Thoroughly mix and add to your starter jar. Mix your starter and new mixture thoroughly. scrape off your spatula as best you can and use it to scrape any starter down the sides of the jar. Return your lid, place an elastic around the jar level with your starter and set aside for another day.

Days 3-4

You are going to repeat the same process at day 2, discard back down to 50g of starter, add back in 50g of starter and 50g of water, mix thoroughly, combine completely with the starter, clean the sides of the jar, lid, adjust the elastic and set aside.

During this time you might not see any change in your starter and it will start to smell sour. Don't give up! Just make sure your starter is not turning pink, black, smells terrible,and looks fuzzy. If so, that is mold and you will need to start over. 

Days 4-14

At this point you should notice that your starter is getting bubbly and the smell well start to become more tangy. This is where the elastic comes in. You will continue to repeat these discard and feedings everyday. You are going to watch to see how tall your starter rises each day after feedings. One big plus to using a clear container is you will see a clear line where your starter maxed out. Once your starter doubles within size 4 hours of feeding it is ready to use!

To keep a health  culture  of starter on hand at all times  you will flow the same process of feeding ever day. Once it is established you can adjust your ratio to fit you needs. Some people keep large batches of start on hand all the time (thing gallon size containers), but this uses a lot of flour for each feeding. I keep approximately 100gs of active starter on my counter at all times. This is enough for a 'impulsive' loaf of bread but it is not a flour burner. And if I need to make a lot of bread I can always feed up to suit my needs.

If you don't need starter often you can also feed your starter and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks before you need to feed again. If you keep your starter in the fridge be sure to take it out of the fridge and feed it the day before you want to use it. This will give the yeast time to warm up and fully activate before you put it to work. 

Think again! Once your starter is active you can save your discard in a separate container in your fridge for  a ton of 'discard' recipes. If you have poultry, like we do, you can also feed them your discard. It makes for a yummy, nutrient packed treat for them!