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Easy Sourdough Starter: Make Your Own Culture
A sourdough starter is basically just a mix of flour and water that grabs wild yeast and friendly bacteria from the air and flour, which makes it all bubbly and ready to go. This starter is a must-have for whipping up sourdough bread since it makes the dough rise without needing any store-bought yeast.
One to one ratio of flour and water is all the ingredients you will need.
Each day discard half of the mixture and mix in another portion of each flour and water. It will start out looking soupy, but not runny, similar to pancake batter.
Watch for the mixture to become increasingly frothy and bubbly over the course of 1-4 weeks.
Sourdough Starter Recipe
Prep Time: 5 mins
Active Time: 14-30 Days
Active Time: 14-30 Days
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. Whole Grain Flour
- 1/2 c. Filtered Water (Initial)
- Daily feedings of equal parts flour and water
Instructions
- Preparation: Begin by always using clean equipment and freshly washed hands.
- Day 1: Mix 1/2 c. each of flour and water in a bowl. The mixture will be soupy, but not runny, somewhat like pancake batter. Cover with a clean towel and store on the counter.
- Day 2-7 (Feeding): Discard half of the starter and feed it with 1/2 c. each of flour and water. You will begin to see frothing and bubbling.
- Day 8-30: Repeat until the mixture has doubled in size and begins to hold together as a cohesive unit while giving a pleasant tangy smell. Any discard in this stage can be used in discard recipes.
- Maintenance: If kept in the refrigerator, store 1 cup at a time for up to one week without feeding. If stored on the counter, it will need to be fed as above.
Pro Tip: Do not use tap water as it usually contains chemicals that harm the yeast. Using bottled spring water or a filtered water system is most effective.