Sourdough Starter

I have been reading about sourdough and it’s various health benefits lately, so I decided to go ahead and procure a starter. I ordered a crock and starter set from King Arthur Flour. I LOVE the crock, but what I didn’t know at the time of my order is that it isn’t necessary to order the starter – you can make it yourself! It’s super easy and it’s very exciting to watch and smell your own homemade starter as it does what it’s supposed to do.

Sourdough is different from other breads in that it uses wild yeast from the air rather than store bought yeast which is ready to go in an instant. The fermentation process that we use now is very much like the process that has been used for thousands of years. Some articles I’ve read speculate that ancient Egyptians used this method to make their bread, which I think is pretty fabulous. Different flours will effect the flavor of the finished product. I have only experimented with standard all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I prefer the all-purpose, but try a few different flours for yourself and let me know what you like.

I ALWAYS use King Arthur brand flours because they are non-GMO and never bleached or bromated. I am a member of their baking club, so any order I place over $25 dollars I receive free shipping. I am not paid to promote their products, by the way.

Ok, to get started here’s what you need:

• Crock or ceramic or glass container with loose fitting lid (I’ve used a kitchen towel as a lid; it works just great)
• Kitchen scale (this is ideal but if you don’t have one, we can still make it work)
• Several days in a row during which you can take 5 mins and care for your starter
• Flour
• Non-chlorinated water – This is important because chlorine will kill the yeast.

Day 1: Place a small bowl on the scale, then tare.  Use a scoop to measure 4 oz of flour into bowl. Pour flour into crock. Now weigh 4 oz of water and pour into crock. Mix together, loosely cover and set aside.

Day 2: Scoop out 4 oz of your mix and discard. Repeat process from day 1 – measure out 4 oz of flour and water and combine with day old mix in crock.

Day 3: Repeat process

Day 4: Repeat process

By day 5 your starter should smell somewhat sour and fermented and be bubbly like my picture above. You may now use the starter to make a loaf of delicious, yummy bread. You can refrigerate starter, covered for up to a week between feedings. To feed, simply repeat the process as on day 2, but instead of throwing out 4 oz of your starter use it to bake or give that 4 oz portion to a friend with instructions on how to maintain the starter.

*If you don’t own a kitchen scale, loosely scoop flour into a 1/4 c measuring cup. Do the same with water. I use a kitchen scale for so many things that I wonder how I ever got by without one! Check out amazon.com – I found a great scale for about $15.

If your starter has a little water standing on top, this is okay. If the water is red or there is a red mold like covering, discard immediately and sanitize the container. This has never happened to me, and from what I understand it is quite rare but it can happen if the wrong kind of bacteria is attracted to your mix.

I use my starter in all sorts of things including muffins, cakes, breads, english muffins…the list goes on and on. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little yourself. Creativity in the kitchen is fun! If you are too busy to bake often or keep the starter going, don’t feel bad. Give it a try, make a loaf or two of bread and just enjoy the satisfaction of trying something new. It’s really kind of gratifying to me to think I’m feeding my family in a way similar to what my ancestors probably did centuries ago. What a great way to connect the past to the present.

Bake on!