Sourdough Starter
Fed and kept well, this sourdough starter will last indefinitely, and its offspring, the starters, will provide you with an endless succession of wild yeasts for baking, as often as you like.
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour or whole spelt flour (165 g) or whole rye flour (172 g), depending on what sort of bread you want to make
- 1 1/4 cups freshly filtered water
Instructions
Day 1
- In a small to medium bowl, mix 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup freshly filtered water together thoroughly with clean fingers. Cover the bowl with a cloth or muslin and let it sit out at room temperature.
Day 2
- Stir in 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water as you did on day 1. The developing sourdough starter should have the consistency of pourable oatmeal.
Day 3
- Add 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. By now or by day 4, you may well need to move your sourdough starter to a larger container, which will become its permanent home.
Day 4
- Stir in 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. By now you should see your sourdough starter coming alive and forming a light crust, under which will be a sponge of gently bubbling activity.
Day 5 and Beyond
- Add 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water as in previous days, but from this day forward cover the container and keep your sourdough starter in the fridge unless you are refreshing (feeding) her. The wild yeasts will stabilize at between 35 to 40°F (2 to 4°C) and as they slow down their activity they will live quite happily for about 2 weeks, undisturbed, before they run out of nourishment.
Feeding the sourdough starter and creating a starter for baking
- To ensure that your sourdough starter thrives, you need to feed her at least once every 2 weeks, and in doing so you can remove a portion of the starter for your bread making. It’s ok if you notice some grayish water collecting on the starter when it's chilled; just pour it off and carry on with your breadmaking. At any time within the 2-week period, remove the mother from the fridge, and refresh with the same weight of flour that you will be removing as a wild yeast (sourdough) starter. So if your bread making requires 1 1/4 cups (150 g) sourdough starter, feed the starter with 1 1/4 cups (150 g) flour and 2/3 cup (150 ml) water, stir to incorporate fully, and then leave it out at room temperature for 8 hours before returning it to the fridge. If you’re unable to feed your starter beyond 2 weeks, freeze her. She’ll be up for coming back to life once thawed and fed again.
Notes
How to make a sprouted sourdough starter
Yes, you can create and nurture your sourdough starter with sprouted flour and make the most wonderfully flavorful and easily digestible wild yeasted breads. When you refresh your sourdough starter, you will notice a more rapid and lively reaction as sprouted flour, being naturally sweeter, will ferment more quickly. You will also need a little more water than the daily 1/4 cup used in the recipe to achieve a pourable oatmeal consistency in the developing starter.Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 3g