How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch
This easy to follow tutorial on making a sourdough starter from scratch. Is straight to point with clear easy-to-follow instructions that will make making your own sourdough stater fun and easy!
Equipment
- Glass jar OR bowl to store your starter in
- Plastic or Glass lid Or A tea towel to cover the stater
- A wooden spoon or rubber spatula to sir
- Don't use anything metal It reacts badly with the acid in the starter
Ingredients
- Flour of choice -I used Einkorn. All Purpose, Whole wheat, Rye and Splet are also great choices
- Filtered Water
Instructions
- On day 1, combine equal parts water and flour(I used 1 cup of each) in a jar or a bowl, and mix well. Make sure there aren't any clumps of flour. Cover with a loose-fitting lid(don't use anything air-tight) or a tea towel and set it on the counter. Make sure the starter is out of the sun and not left in a spout that is too cold.
- On day 2 discard half the starter then add another 1 cup flour and 1 cup water, mix well, cover, and return to its spot on the counter.
- Why Do you Discard Half the Starter?Primarily because if you didn't you would have more starter by the end of the week you'd know what to do with. You discard half to keep your starter at a more manageable size, and so you don't overwhelm yourself. Some people save the discard, but I don't really see the point, since all you are really doing is creating a second starter which would then defeat the whole purpose of discarding, to begin with.
- On days 3-5, repeat the same steps that you did on day two. Discard half the starter, feed, stir and cover.
- On days 6 and 7, you'll follow the same steps as before except you'll feed the starter every 12-hours instead of every 24-hours.
- By the end of the week, your starter should be ready. You'll know it's ready if it is bubbly, smells sour(and/or like yeast), and has the consistency of a thick pancake batter.After the first seven days, you should have enough good bacteria and yeast, to start using your sourdough starter for bread, pancakes, and just about anything else that calls for a starter!
- When it comes to maintaining your starter there are a couple of options. The Frist option is to leave your starter on the counter and continue caring for it as you have been minus discarding it. Storing a starter on the counter is a great choice if you plan to use your starter every day. However, if you don't use the starter every day, you soon have the starter overflowing. If it is on the counter the starter will need to be fed every day, even if you aren't using it. I would recommend going with the second option if you are just starting out with a starter. You can always switch back to keeping it on the counter later on if need be.Option two is to store the starter in the fridge. After the first week simply cover your starter if an airtight lid or cover and place it in the fridge. It is best to still feed the starter at least once a week but it can go up to two months without being fed, as keeping it in the fridge slows down the fermentation process. When you are ready to use your starter simply take it out of the fridge, feed it and leave it to ferment for 4-8hours then use it as planned.For example, I use my starter mostly for pizza and pancakes. Since Friday night is pizza for my family, I will take my starter out Friday morning feed it, set it on the counter to ferment then use it to make pizza that night. If that was all I going to make with it, I would feed it again, leave it on the counter overnight then place it back in the fridge the next morning.Now if I planned on making pancakes Saturday morning as well, then I would still feed the starter and leave it on the counter. But rather than putting it in the fridge the next morning, I would make pancakes. Then I would feed it again and put it back in the fridge Saturday evening.You can switch between keeping your starter in the fridge or on the counter as needed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!