How to Make Sourdough Starter
If you have ever wanted to be more self sufficient in the kitchen, but aren’t sure where to start – creating a sourdough starter is the perfect first step! Sourdough gives breads, pizza crusts, cakes, and all the baked goods, THE best taste. It adds the perfect amount of tang, is easy to digest, and is really cost effective, if you are looking to save a penny. Sourdough is a key staple in my kitchen. On the weekends, I love to get up and make my family a big breakfast with my starter. It adds the best aroma to the kitchen, and I know what I’m making is a healthy start to the day. When you follow the sourdough starter recipe below, you will end up with a starter you can continue to use for years to come!
What is Sourdough Starter?
Sourdough starter is a fermented culture of flour and water, which hosts bacteria and yeast. It becomes a starter by using the natural yeasts found in our environment. Starter will ferment your recipe, allowing you to say goodbye commercial yeast. The yeast in sourdough starter produces lactic acid, which gives the sourdough the tangy flavor. The lactic acid flavors your recipes and kills unwanted bacteria.
How Long Will it Take?
From start to finish, making your starter will take about 7 days.
How Will I Know When it is Ready to Use?
Your starter is ready to be used when it has doubles in size and is very bubbly. One way to check the growing size, is to place a rubber band around a mason jar. After 4-12 hours, the starter should have doubled in size, and should be very bubble. The length of the starter being ready also depends on how much water and flour is added, so be sure to keep that in mind. One option I use to check if my starter is ready is to fill a cup with room temperature water, place a small spoonful of starter in the cup, and watch what it does! If it floats, it’s ready! If it sinks, it’s not active enough.
Sourdough Starter Recipe:
Supplies:
Jar or Glass bowl (do not use metal bowls, as metal can react to the bacteria)
Wooden Spoon
Ingredients:
Water (Filtered is just fine, as long as you know it’s chemical/chlorine free)
Flour
How to Make My Starter:
Day 1:
Mix 1 cup flour & 1 cup of water. Stir together very well, making sure everything is well incorporated. Cover with a tea towel, or if using a mason jar, place the lid on top, leaving a little crack for the air to get in. Let this sit for 24 hours.
Day 2:
Discard half of your starter. Feed your starter with 1 more cup of water & 1 cup of flour, and mix well until everything is combined. Let this sit for 24 hours.
Days 3-5:
On day 3, you should start to notice some activity with your starter. Your starter will have a tangy smell, and will be bubbly. The bubbles indicate the fermentation process. Follow the same process from day 2, for days 3-5.
Days 6-7:
On days 6 & 7, you will continue to follow the same process, but feed every 12 hours instead of every 24. By the end, your starter is ready for use!
What to do With my Starter Once It’s Established
I really enjoy using my sourdough for recipes, however, I’m not able to use it everyday. When I’m not using my starter, I place it in a jar with the cover on, and put it in the fridge. There have been times that weeks have passed by and I haven’t used the starter. No worries! When I plan on making pancakes one morning, I take the starter out the night before, drain off any darker liquid (hooch), and feed it. I’ve had my starter long enough now that I do not have to measure the flour and water. I make sure the consistency of the starter is similar to pancake mix – but just a tish thicker. I have not had any problems doing it this way!
Sourdough Starter Discard
Sourdough discard is the portion of starter you will remove from the jar, before it is fed. The purpose of getting rid of some starter (AKA discard), is because eventually you will end up with more starter than your feedings can sustain. You can either throw it, or you can use it!
Health Benefits of Sourdough
We all enjoy eating a fresh piece of bread, or toasting a bagel and adding some butter. It’s even better when these foods are actually healthy for us. Adding pre and probiotics while enjoying what we eat is an extra bonus! Sourdough bread also has a lower glycemic index, compared to white bread bought in the store. This means your blood sugar won’t rise rapidly, which eventually leaves you feeling tired and sluggish afterwards.
