Sourdough Starter

It sounds very intimidating, but sourdough starter is really easy to make from scratch. All it takes is 3 ingredients and some time and you’ll be making delicious bread!

Ingredients

• large jar with a lid (e.g. ball canning jar)
• 100g whole wheat flour
• 100g filtered water (85ºF)
• 100g all-purpose unbleached flour (for feedings)

Steps

Day 1

• add whole wheat flour and water to jar, mix well
• put a rubber band around the jar to the level of the starter (helps to keep track of its growth)
• cover with a loose-fitting lid (allow air to escape)
• leave it at room temp for 24 hours

Day 2

• nothing should really happen at this stage
• leave it alone for another 24 hours

Day 3

• you should start to see bubbles/activity from here on
• discard half off the starter (by weight). you should have 100g remaining in the jar
• feed with 100g all-purpose flour and 100g room temp water
• mix well with a silicone spatula, scrape down the sides, cover, and let rest for another 24 hours

Day 4-6

• Discard, feed, mix
• Boomski.

Notes

• Shoutout to Natasha’s Kitchen for the recipe
• When discarding, either throw it out in the trash or into a large gallon ziplock bag. store the bag in the fridge until its full enough to throw away. you can clog your drain if you pour it out in the sink.
• There are a few tests to determine if your starter is ready for baking:
  • It should grow to more than double in size within 4-6 hours after feeding
  • It should smell good, have bubbles, and a dome-shaped top
  • If you carefully drop a small spoon of starter into a bowl of water, it should float (due to the bubbles)
• Maintenance
  • If you’re baking often, perform daily feedings (discard, feed, mix)
  • If not, store it in the fridge and feed it about once a week. let it rest for 1-2 hours before refrigerating.
    • When you’re ready to bake, remove from fridge and bring to room temp overnight. discard and feed, then bake