Sourdough Starter
7 days
7 days
A super easy recipe to make sourdough starter that can be used to make delicious and healthy sourdough bread.
Ingredients
- 360g (12.7 oz / 1½ cups water) filtered water
- 360g (12.7 oz / 3 cups flour) organic wheat flour (12-14g protein) (50 : 50 wholewheat & white flour)
- 1 litre (4 cup/ 33fl oz) glass jar
Instructions
- Day 1: Mix 60g (2.1 oz / ½ cup) of flour with 60g (2.1 oz / ¼ cup) of tepid water (24-28C/75-82.4F) in a glass jar, mix well, cover with a muslin cloth, and store in a warm spot (24-28C / 75-82.4F). The top of the fridge or on a sourdough mat are the ideal spots. Mix thoroughly after 12 hours. After 24 hours the starter will need to be fed.
- Day 2 – 6: Throw away half of the mixture, add 60g (2.1oz or ½ cup) flour and 60g (2.1oz or ¼ cup) tepid water, stir well. Stir again at 12 hours. At 24 hours, repeat this process of halving and feeding again every day for 6 days. Try to feed the starter at the same time every day. You can place an elastic band around the jar shortly after feeding it at the level of the sourdough to measure how much it will rise by.
- Day 7: You will notice that your starter has become bubbly and may double in size. Please follow the steps for making sourdough bread.
Notes
1. Throwing away half of the mixture may feel like a waste of flour, but this is just an initial process to help make the starter and its yeast and bacteria really active. Skipping this process may leave the sourdough weak and the bread may not rise sufficiently.
2. It's important to find flour that contains 12-14g of protein and mix half wholewheat and half white flour. You can also use white only, but I prefer this ratio to make the bread healthier and improve the fibre content.
3. After pouring off the starter to make the bread, you can feed the starter again with 60g (2.1oz) flour and 60g (2.1oz) water and store in the fridge and feed it once a week. On the day of making bread, remove the starter from the fridge and then follow the steps to make sourdough bread.
4. If you notice a dark layer of fluid on the top of the starter, don't worry, drain this off and feed as usual or prepare the stater for making bread.
5. If you notice any mould growing on the starter, throw this batch away and start again.
