If you fancy having a go at making a sourdough loaf you will need a sourdough starter.
Sourdough starter is a stable culture of naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria (specifically lactobacillaceae) that rise the loaf and give its distinctive sour flavour. The yeasts and bacteria feed off the starches in flour, so you should feed your starter with the same flour you bake with, in the instructions below this is wheat.
Once you have a starter with a little care and attention it should last you forever. If you know a sourdough baker then you could ask them for some starter and shortcut this process, but if you don’t know anyone or fancy the satisfaction of creating your own then all you need is flour, water and time.
I need to give credit to the method published by Doves Farms which I followed to make my first starter.
Allow at least six days from starting before you will be able to eat your first loaf, but be prepared for it to take a bit longer.
To birth your sourdough starter you will need…
- Up to 500g wholemeal flour
- Warm water
- Medium glass bowl
- Tea towel
To keep your sourdough starter alive you will need…
- Two jam jars (Kilner or Weck are good)
- Strong white bread flour
- Water
- A rubber band
Birthing your starter
You need 12hrs between morning and evening feeds. During this time your starter will bubble and give off a range of smells, activity may also appear to stop at times, these are all normal stages as the yeasts and bacteria establish themselves. If your starter does not appear to be doing anything move it to a warmer place.
- Day 1 (morning) – mix 1 tbsp of water and flour in the glass bowl, dampen the tea towel and put somewhere warm and out of the way (I found the top of my fridge is good)
- Day 1 (evening) – add 1 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
- Day 2 (morning) – add 1 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
- Day 2 (evening) – add 1 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
- Day 3 (morning) – add 2 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
- Day 3 (evening) – add 2 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
- Day 4 (morning) – add 2 tbsp of water and flour and stir well, dampen the tea towel and cover again
By day 4 in the evening your starter should be ready to bake with. Try dropping a teaspoon into a glass of water – if it floats then there is sufficient activity and it is ready. If it doesn’t then discard a half the mixture, and add 2 more tbsp of water and flour and leave another 12 hours.
Congratulations – you’ve birthed a sourdough starter! It is traditional to name your new starter, and put it in a jam jar and keep it in the fridge.
Follow this post to bake your first sourdough loaf.
Keeping your starter alive
The easiest way to keep your starter alive is to bake regularly with it. Making a loaf a week will keep the starter strong and active. If you do not bake with it then it is important to occasionally feed it – once a week is ideal, but it will be ok if you leave it for a fortnight or so.
Unless you do a lot of sourdough baking it is best to keep your starter in the fridge, the cooler temperature keeps activity in check and stops wasting lots of flour. You need to bring it out before baking a loaf to warm up and get really active (see the recipe).
To feed your starter open it up and give it a good stir – do not discard any liquid from the top, this is part of the culture. Discard all but a couple of tablespoons worth (you can add discarded starter to other baking projects, cook it a like a drop scone, or give it away) and add equal quantities of water and flour (three tablespoons of each is about the right amount for the jar in the picture, but do not fill the jar more than half full). Stir well and put the lid back on. To monitor activity put a rubber band around the jar, set at the level of the top of the starter – it will help you see quickly as it grows and shrinks back. Put the jar in the fridge. Every other feed move the starter to a clean jar.