I’ve had a couple of requests for instructions on how to make sourdough starter, so here is a basic guide for you.
Most instructions that I’ve come across say to keep the starter in a jar with a loose fitting lid and remove some every time you feed the starter, adding more flour and water to feed it. However, I found that when in my first week of making my starter, I started to get a very vinegary smell. I figured out that was from the old starter that inevitably to stuck to the inside top of the jar as I was removing old starter. I decided to switch to a bowl for my starter and use a clean bowl each time I feed the starter. That way there is no residue of old starter building up. Whatever the container, please make sure it is glass.
Each time I feed the starter, I set the new bowl on my kitchen scale and set the scale to zero so I don’t have to calculate the weight of the bowl in with my ingredients.
Once your starter is nice and active, in 7-14 days, you can choose to keep feeding it every day or store it in the fridge for up to a week between feedings. I find it best to take the starter out of the fridge a couple of days before I’m going to use it and go back to daily feedings to make sure it is good and active for my bread.
Make sure that your flour is unbleached.
Sourdough Starter Recipe
Follow these steps and in 7-14 days you’ll be baking your own sourdough bread! Feedings should be done once every 24 hours, and the starter kept at room temperature while creating the mature starter. I keep mine in a kitchen cupboard. A digital kitchen scale is a must for this recipe!Instructions
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Day 1
- Mix 100g rye or whole wheat flour with 150g lukewarm water at 85 F Day 2
- 70g of your starter 50g whole wheat or rye flour 50g unbleached all purpose flour 115g lukewarm water at 85F Day 3
- 70g of your starter 50g whole wheat or rye flour 50g unbleached all purpose flour 115g lukewarm water at 85F Day 4
- 70g of your starter 50 g whole wheat or rye flour 50 g unbleached all purpose flour 100g lukewarm water at 85 F Day 5
- Same as Day 4 Day 6
- 50 g of your starter 50 g whole wheat or rye flour 50 g unbleached all purpose flour 100 g lukewarm water at 85 F Day 7
- This will be your maintenance feeding from now on 25 g of your starter 50 g whole wheat or rye flour 50 g unbleached all purpose flour 100 g room temperature water
Notes
Your starter is mature when it doubles in size 10-12 hours after each feeding and is bubbly on the top. Feedings should be done at least once every 12-24 hours when kept at room temperature. Once mature, the starter can be kept in the fridge for up to a week between feedings.