If you want to get started on your sourdough journey, the first thing you need to do is make your very own sourdough starter! When properly cared for, your starter will become your new best friend, giving you amazing loaves of bread for years to come. It can even become a family heirloom, passed down to each generation. That is what I am hoping for with my starter at least.
What is Sourdough Bread?
Before we get started, let’s go over what sourdough bread is. Sourdough bread is naturally leavened bread that doesn’t require any store bought yeast. It is the way bread was made long before those little yeast packets were ever invented. The bread is leavened by a sourdough starter, which is just fermented flour and water. It really is so simple and natural! Sourdough bread is also healthier and better for your gut. The fermentation process aids in digestion making it much easier on your body to process the grains. It also is better for blood sugar regulation.
Like many others, I fell down the sourdough rabbit hole during Covid quarantine and it was very confusing to me at first. How could simply mixing flour and water together and letting it sit at room temperature replace store bought yeast?? I soon discovered that it did and it was one thousand times more delicious and beautiful than anything I had ever made with store bought yeast. So, if you want to make sourdough bread and ditch the store bought stuff, let’s delve into how to get your starter going!
What You Will Need
- Kitchen Scale – a kitchen scale is very important when it comes to sourdough. In my opinion, it’s important for all baking. I never measure anything by volume anymore. Not only is it more accurate, it also saves on dirty dishes, so that is always a plus!
- Small Spatula – this is to stir your starter in a pint or quart jar. You can also use a chop stick!
- Pint Size Jars – you will need at least 2 of these. Also make sure to have some quart size jars to switch to once your starter is fully developed.
- Rye Flour – I prefer stoneground organic if possible. This is only for the first 24 hours, but it is important for getting the fermentation process going. It contains more micro-organisms to create the perfect environment for your starter to thrive.
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour – This is what you will feed your starter on Day 2 and going forward.
- Filtered Water – It is important to use filtered water because chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can interfere with the fermentation process.
Day One
8:00 AM – Add 113g Rye flour to a clean pint jar. Pour in 113g warm filtered water and stir well until do dry flour remains. It will be quite thick, and it is ok if you need to add a little more water if it seems dry. It should be a thick pancake batter consistency. Loosely put the lid on and place in a warm spot. I use a cabinet that has my WiFi router in it. It is a constant 79 degrees F in there. For best results, the temperature should be between 75-79 degrees F.
8:00 PM – Check on your culture. Take the lid off and give it a stir. You probably won’t notice much difference at this point. It is normal that it won’t smell or look pleasant! But, don’t worry, it will transform into something wonderful soon enough! Replace the lid loosely and put it back into it’s warm spot.
Day Two
8:00 AM – Open the lid and give it a stir. You should see some air pockets and it should have risen. Mine almost filled the jar. Pour 50g of the starter culture into a clean pint jar. Add 50g All Purpose Flour and 50g Warm Water. Stir well and replace the lid. Place a rubber band around the jar where the culture begins. This will help measure how far it is rising. Place the jar back in the warm spot.
8:00 PM – Repeat exactly what you did in the morning and put it back in the warm spot.
Day Three
8:00 AM – Open the lid and give it a stir. You should see more bubbles. It still won’t smell great, but give it time! Repeat the steps from Day Two. Get a clean jar, add 50g starter, 50g all purpose flour, and 50g warm water. Stir well and replace the lid and rubber band. Return to the warm spot.
8:00 PM – Repeat the steps from morning and return to the warm spot.
Day Four
8:00 AM – Open the lid and you will notice the color is starting to lighten and more bubbles should be present. It should have risen above the rubber band, but probably not doubled. Repeat the steps from yesterday. To a clean jar, add 50g starter, 50g all purpose flour, and 50g warm water. Stir well and put back in the warm spot.
8:00 PM – Repeat the steps from morning and put it back in the warm spot.
Days Five – Ten
Keep repeating the steps morning and night until your starter is consistently doubling in size and falling back down after 12 hours. When it is ripe, it should have a sweet, pleasant smell with lots of bubbles. Now all you need to do is give it a name and start baking!
For Maintenance Feeding
If you only bake once a week or less, you can keep your starter in the refrigerator. You will need to take it out to feed it at least once per week for best results. If you bake regularly, you can keep your starter on your kitchen counter and feed it once per day.
There are many ways to feed and maintain your starter, and you can choose what works best for you and your schedule. Sometimes, if I want to make dough first thing in the morning, I will feed my starter in the evening before I go to bed so that it is ready for me the next morning. In those instances, I feed it a 1:5:5 ratio so that fermentation takes longer, about 12 hours. That way, it won’t fall before I need to use it. For instance, if I want a full quart jar the next morning, I feed 30g starter, 150g flour, 150g water.
On the other hand, if you decide you want to bake without planning the night before, you can feed it 1:1:1 ratio and it will be ready for you in about 3-4 hours. You can really play around with it to suite your needs.
FAQ’S
What if I forget to feed my starter within one week? Don’t worry! If it’s only over a week by a couple of days, it’s no big deal, just feed it again and it will be fine. If it has been a couple of weeks, feed it a few times before using it again and it will be all good to go!
What is that liquid on top of my starter after sitting in the fridge? That liquid is called “hooch”. Yes, it is alcohol! You can either stir it in or pour it off. Either way, it is not harmful.
What if there is mold on my starter? If you have mold, unfortunately, you need to toss it and start over. Mold is not ok.
How can I make a Gluten-Free starter? If you have celiac disease or you are gluten intolerant, you can still make great sourdough bread! Just follow the same instructions from this post, but use different flours. Instead of starting with rye flour, you should start with buckwheat flour. Instead of using all-purpose flour, you should use brown rice flour. Gluten-free starter will not rise as much and it won’t get bubbly like regular starter. You should see lots of air pockets though.
What do I do with all this discard?? Instead of throwing out your discard, there are many sourdough discard recipes you can make. Pancakes, biscuits, muffins, cookies, crackers, and pie crust just to name a few! The sky is the limit when it comes to using your sourdough starter!
Summary
As you can see, creating your own sourdough starter really isn’t that hard, and it can be so rewarding to use in all kinds of recipes. It is liberating to ditch store bought bread and do it yourself. Once you taste the difference and gain that sense of accomplishment, you will never go back!
I hope this was blog post was helpful to anyone looking to start their sourdough journey. I know it can be overwhelming in the beginning, so please feel free to ask questions in the comments. I am happy to help with the process!
