🌱 How to Make a Basic Sourdough Starter
🛒 Ingredients:
-
½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour or rye flour (good for kickstarting fermentation)
-
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour (you can use bread flour too)
-
½ cup (120 ml) room temperature water (filtered or dechlorinated is best)
👩🍳 Instructions:
Day 1:
-
Mix ¼ cup whole wheat flour + ¼ cup all-purpose flour + ½ cup water in a clean glass jar.
-
Stir until smooth, cover loosely (with cloth or lid not airtight), and leave at room temp (~70°F/21°C).
Day 2:
-
You might see some bubbles, or maybe not yet—this is normal.
-
Discard half the starter (about ½ cup), then feed with ¼ cup whole wheat + ¼ cup all-purpose flour + ½ cup water.
-
Mix, cover loosely, and leave at room temp.
Days 3 to 7:
-
Repeat the discard and feed process every 24 hours.
-
By day 5 to 7, the starter should be bubbly, rise and fall predictably, and smell pleasantly tangy.
How to Know It’s Ready:
-
Doubles in size within 6–8 hours after feeding.
-
Lots of bubbles on the surface and throughout.
-
Smells fresh, slightly tangy, maybe a little fruity or yeasty.
Maintenance:
-
Keep starter at room temp and feed daily if baking often.
-
Store in fridge and feed once a week if baking less frequently.
-
Before baking, feed and let it become active at room temp for best rise.
Want me to walk you through using your starter in a simple sourdough bread recipe next?
