Recipe | Sourdough Starter
I am so blessed to have a number of nieces and nephews, now grown into remarkable young men and women, that brighten my life in countless ways. One such niecey, Laurel, is a newly-wed living in Chicago and working from home like so many of us during these times.
Laurel is bright, beautiful, and always takes actions based on intent. Recently she shared her ambitious quarantine activity of creating her own sourdough starter, and the resulting loaf of bread she made with it made my mouth water!
In Laurels own words - here’s how she approached the project:
“Very thrilled with my first sourdough loaf!!
Everyone says baking is a science and an art, which are two things that are not necessarily my specialities (especially science). However, I've spent the last eight days creating a starter from scratch, sticking to a feeding schedule, and being amazed at its growth and change.
Many blogs said it would take between 5-14 days for my starter to be ready. Given my past experience with baking, I had prepared for the long haul and unsure if it would even work. When my starter was ready on day 6/7, I was shocked!
And through the 30 hour process of baking this loaf, I was filled with hopes, expectations, fears, and curiosity at each step.
I know this season of life is crazy. But it too is filled with hopes, expectations, fears, frustrations, and more. My situation is so different than yours, but I hope that even though none of us know how long this will take, I pray that it hits the short end of the range, just like my starter did. And if it doesn't, I pray you can still see change, growth, progress, and find joy in it. And still, if not that--if your starter dies or your bread burns or turns out horrible--I pray that you can begin again.”
Remember how bright and beautiful I said she was??? Yep! Now you know what I’m talking about! If you don’t have a friend like I do that will share a bit of their starter with you, here’s what you need to do to create your own!
Sourdough Starter Recipe
Ingredients:
To begin the starter -
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cool water
To “feed” the starter:
scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup room-temperature water
Instructions:
Day 1: Combine the whole wheat flour with the cool water in a glass, crockery, stainless steel, or food-grade plastic container; a quart jar works perfectly!
Mix everything thoroughly - If you put a lid on tightly and shake vigorously, this works too. Make sure there's no dry flour anywhere. Cover the container loosely and let the mixture sit at warm room temperature (about 70°F) for a full 24 hours.
Day 2: First things first, discard half of your mixture whether you see any activity or not (something is happening, trust me.)
Now add a scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup water.
Mix well, cover loosely and let it set at room temperature for another 24 hours.
Day 3: By now you’ll probably see fermentation happening - bubbling, expansion, etc. Now your “baby” is big enough to need twice-daily feedings.
First, stir the starter thoroughly, then discard all but a generous 1/2 cup.
Next, add another scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup water to the starter. Mix starter, flour, and water, cover loosely, and let the mixture rest at room temperature until the next feeding (at least 8 hours/ideally 12 before repeating.)
Day 4: Stir, then again measure out your generous 1/2 cup of starter that you will keep, discarding the rest.
Feed, wait 8-12 hours and repeat the measuring, discarding, feeding step two more times.
Day 5: At the end of this day, your starter should be at least twice the size it was in the beginning, there should be lots and lots of bubbles, and it should smell fresh and tangy.
If this isn’t what you’re seeing, repeat the measuring, discarding, feeding steps every 12 hours for 2-3 more days.
Measure, discard, and feed one last time, then let rest for 6-8 hours.
Follow the directions on your recipes of choice, using the amount of starter necessary.
(It shouldn’t be more than about 1 cup.)
Find a crock or jar use for storing your 1/2 cup of starter long-term. The top should be secure enough to prevent spilling, but loose enough to allow air flow (to keep the cultures alive.) Store in the refrigerator.
Feed it once a week or more often if you are using frequently.