Sourdough Starter
Prep
6d
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
- 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.
- Make sure you stir everything thoroughly making sure there's no lumps of flour.
- 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.
- Day 2 - Although you may not see any chnages or activity after the first 24 hours, discard half of the starter. (1/2 cup).
- 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.)
- Mix well, cover and let the starter sit for 24 hours.
- Day 3 - By the third day, you are likely to see a little activity - bubbling, a fresh fruity scent and some evidence of expansion.
- It is now time to begin feeding the starter two times daily, at evenly space intervals.
- For each feeding, weigh out about 13 grams of the starter, ( about 1/2 cup) once it is thoroughly stirred down.
- Discard any remaining starter.
- Add a scant 1 cup (113 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour., 1/2 cup (113 grams) water to the 113 grams of starter.
- Mix the starter, flour, and water.
- Cover and let the starter rest at room temerature for about 12 hours before repeating.
- Day 4 - Weigh out 113 grams of the starter (1/2 cup,) and discard any remaining starter.
- 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.
- Day 5 - Weigh out 113 grams of the starter (about 1/2 cup,) discard any starter that is remaining.
- Repeat the feeding step.
- 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.
- Once the starter is ready, gove it one last feeding.
- Discard all but 113 grams (generous 1/2 cup.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 |