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Sourdough Starter
Fairly difficult
Cheap
Prep

6d

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Category:
Seasons
Cuisine Type Latin

Ingredients

To start your sourdough

1 cup whole wheat flour (can use whole rye flour or pumpernickel four too.
1/2 cup cool water (113 grams)

To feed your sourdough

1 scant cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cool water

Sourdough Starter Directions

  1. Day 1 - Combine whole wheat flour or pumpernickle four with cool water in a crockery jar. Make sure the container is big enough to allow your starter to grow.
  2. Make sure you stir everything thoroughly making sure there's no lumps of flour. 
  3. Cover the container loosely letting the mixture sit in a warm room (70°) for 24 hours. for starters in a cold house, see the tips.
  4.  
  5. Day 2 - Although you may not see any chnages or activity after the first 24 hours, discard half of the starter. (1/2 cup). 
  6. Add the remainder of a scant 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup cool water. (warm water if your house is cool.)
  7. Mix well, cover and let the starter sit for 24 hours.
  8. Day 3 - By the third day, you are likely to see a little activity - bubbling, a fresh fruity scent and some evidence of expansion.
  9. It is now time to begin feeding the starter two times daily, at evenly space intervals.
  10. For each feeding, weigh out about 13 grams of the starter, ( about 1/2 cup) once it is thoroughly stirred down.
  11. Discard any remaining starter.
  12. Add a scant 1 cup (113 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour., 1/2 cup (113 grams) water to the 113 grams of starter.
  13. Mix the starter, flour, and water.
  14. Cover and let the starter rest at room temerature for about 12 hours before repeating.
  15. Day 4 - Weigh out 113 grams of the starter (1/2 cup,) and discard any remaining starter. 
  16. Feeding Step - Add a scant 1 cup (113 grams) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup (113 grams) water to the 113 grams starter. Mix the starter, flour, and water, cover, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for approximately 12 hours before repeating.
  17. Day 5 - Weigh out 113 grams of the starter (about 1/2 cup,) discard any starter that is remaining.
  18. Repeat the feeding step.
  19. By the end of Day 5, the starter should have doubled in volume. You should see a lot of bubbles; there should be some "rivulets" on the surface fill of smaller, finer bubbles.  The starter should also have a tangy aroma - pleasantly acidic, but not overpowering. If you don't see this in your starter, the repeat discarding and feeding every 12 hours on day 6 and on day 7 - or as long as it takes to get to get a vigorous (rises and bubbly) starter.
  20. Once the starter is ready, gove it one last feeding.
  21. Discard all but 113 grams (generous 1/2 cup.)
  22. Feed as usual. Let the starter sit at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours; it should be active, with bubbles breaking the surface. Hate discarding the starter, take a look at the tips for more ideas.
  23. Remove however much starter you need for your recipe - usually no more than 227 grams, or about 1 cup. If your recipe requires more feedings without discarding  until you've made enough for your recipe plus the 113 grams to keep and feed again.
  24. Transfer the remaining 113 grams of starter to a permanent home, a crock jars is a great option or whatever you'd like to store it long-term.
  25. Feed this reserved starter with 1 scant cup (113 grams) of flour and 1/2 cup (113 grams) water, and let it rest at room temperature for several hours, to get going, before covering it. If you're storing starter in a screw-top jar, screw the top on loosely rather than airtight.
  26. Store this starter in the refrigerator and feed it regularly, using your normal process: Discard all but 113g starter; feed that remaining 113g starter with a scant 1 cup (113 grams) flour and 1/2 cup (113 grams) water. We recommend feeding once a week, if possible. The more frequently you feed it, the less time and effort it takes to get your starter ripe and ready for baking.

Notes

Tips from Kink Arthur Flour Bakers:

  • - Why do you need to discard half the starter? It seems so wasteful... But unless you discard starter at some point, eventually you'll end up with a very large container of starter. Also, keeping the volume down offers the yeast more food to eat each time you feed it; it's not fighting with quite so many other little yeast cells to get enough to eat. You don't have to actually discard it if you don't want to, either; you can give it to a friend, or use it to bake. There are quite a few recipes on our site using "discard" starter, including pizza crust, pretzels, and waffles, and even chocolate cake. If you're still uncomfortable dealing with discard, though, try maintaining a smaller starter: the smaller the starter, the smaller the amount of discard.
  •  Why does this starter begin with whole-grain flour? Because the wild yeast that gives sourdough starter its life is more likely to be found in the flora- and fauna-rich environment of a whole-grain flour than in all-purpose flour. What if all you have is all-purpose flour, no whole wheat? Go ahead and use all-purpose; you may find the starter simply takes a little longer to get going. Also, if you feed your starter on a long-term basis with anything other than the all-purpose flour called for here, it will probably look different (thicker or thinner, a different color) and act differently as well. Not to say you can't feed your starter with alternate flours; just that the results may not be what you expect.
  • Want to put your starter on hold for the summer, or as you go on vacation? Here's how: Drying your sourdough starter.
  • Should you use bottled water? Unless your tap water is so heavily treated that you can smell the chemicals, there's no need to use bottled water; tap water is fine.
  • A note about room temperature: the colder the environment, the more slowly your starter will grow. If the normal temperature in your home is below 68°F, we suggest finding a smaller, warmer spot to develop your starter. For instance, try setting the starter atop your water heater, refrigerator, or another appliance that might generate ambient heat. Your turned-off oven — with the light turned on — is also a good choice.
  • Bake it better! Watch King Arthur baker/blogger Kye Ameden demonstrate one of the techniques from this recipe: Maintaining Sourdough Starter Without the Mess
  • One of our readers offers the following thoughts about the duration of everyday feeding, which we think is great advice: "Conditions vary so widely that 7 days can be far too little. I've learned the key is to watch for a dramatic and consistent rise in the jar — at least doubling between 1 and 4 hours after feeding. This could be 7 days or less after you begin, or it could be three weeks (for me it was 12 to 14 days). I would encourage you to consider tweaking your wording a bit to guide bakers to watch for this phenomenon, rather than watch the calendar." Thanks, Ken!

Nutrition facts

Serving size 1 cup diet vegetarian Vegan lactose free

Per Serving

Kcal: 440 kcal
Fibers (g): 3g
Sodium (mg): 5mg
Carbs: 92g
Proteins: 15g

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