If you are wanting to up your baking game, sourdough is the way to go. The process is rather simple, but one that can take a bit of patience when you are first starting out . With your homemade starter, you can make amazing sourdough bread, pancakes, pizza, and more. Because sourdough is a fermented food, it is incredible for gut health. With only a few ingredients, it is much more cost efficient and healthier than store bought bread.
To make your starter, all you need is flour, water, and a little patience. Just like with a pet, your sourdough starter will require some basic care and feeding. But the outcome is absolutely worth it! Plus, once you master this skill, the opportunities for unique and delicious baked goods are endless.
Choosing Your Ingredients
When making a starter, something we should keep in mind is that because it is an active culture, there are several factors that can attribute to your success or failure. One factor is your ingredients. Though some people may have success with regular all purpose flour, you are going to have a much higher success rate if using a rye, wheat, or bread flour. My favorite flour to use is King Author Organic Unbleached Bread Flour which you can purchase here. This is because rye and wheat contain more carbohydrates for the wild bacteria in the starter to feed on, thus helping with the fermentation process. You should always choose an unbleached flour and it is best to use filtered room temperature water when able. I like to use my Berkely water filter (I highly recommend Berkely if you are in the market for a water filtration system). Another thing I would like to mention is that your starter should never come in contact with metal. This is because some metals contain antibacterial properties which could kill the bacteria in your starter. I generally opt for a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and I store my stater in a glass jar like this one. However, many baker’s love these Weck jars, of course you could also use a good ol’ wide mouth mason jar if you prefer.
Day by Day Guide
For this process, the amount of flour and water you choose to use is entirely up to you as long is it is used in a 1:1 ratio and you use the same amount each day until your starter becomes active. The main thing you will want to keep in mind throughout this process is that you want your mixture to be a thick pancake batter like consistency. Some baker’s choose to weigh out their flour and water in grams to ensure that they are getting the exact same measurements each time. I personally find that it is easier to simply add equal parts each of flour and water and if it is too thin, I add a little more flour. If it is too thick, I add a bit more water. After each feed, take a dry erase marker and make a small line just above where your starter sits in your jar or place a rubber band around it in the same manner. This will make it easier for you to see how much your starter has risen. On day 2 or 3 you may experience a “false rise” which is caused by the bad bacteria in your starter. If you see this with your starter, it is NOT ready to use. However, this is a good sign that you are on the right track.
Day 1: Combine equal parts flour and water to a clean glass jar and mix until no clumps are present. (Ex. 1/2C. Filtered Water to 1/2C. Flour)
Day 2: After 24 hours, discard half your mixture into the trash. (Sourdough discard turns very hard when dry, almost like cement so you should never pour it down your drain) Add equal parts flour and water to your mixture once more and give it a good mix. (Ex. 1/2C. Filtered Water to 1/2C. Flour)
Days 3, 4, & 5: Repeat the same steps from Day 2
Day 6: Repeat the same steps from Day 2 but you will now begin feeding your starter every 12 hours.
From this point on, you will continue to repeat steps from day 2 but feeding every 12 hours until your starter is active. Once active, you can go back to feeding your starter once per day.
Troubleshooting Common Sourdough Starter Problems
Why does my starter have an odor?
If your starter develops an odor that smells similar to that of acetone, vinegar, or alcohol, this is an indicator that your starter is “starving”. Go ahead and give it a good feed and it should start to smell back to normal soon, though it may take several days.
If your starter smells like old milk or cheese, this is likely an indicator that it has developed an overgrowth of bad bacteria. If this is the case, it is probably time to make a new starter.
I would like to add that everyone’s starter is going to have it’s own unique smell depending on your environment and the type of flour you are feeding it. Regular white flour will lead to a more mild aroma and less sour taste whereas flours such as rye and wheat will have a more pungent aroma and flavor.
Why is my starter not rising?
The most common cause of sourdough starter’s not rising is the temperature. In order for your starter to thrive, keeping it between 74-76°F (23-24°C) is recommended. Temperatures lower than this will slow down the fermentation process and temperatures higher this may result in mold. If your kitchen stays below the recommended temperature, placing it in your oven with the oven light on should provide enough warmth for it to grow without creating mold. If you do place your precious starter in the oven, you will want to make sure you place some sort of reminder next to your light switch so that nobody forgets and accidentally turns on your oven or turns the light off. I use a cute little magnet like this one here and simply place it next to my oven light switch.
Another factor could be the pressure inside your jar. During the fermentation process, your starter will release gasses which will create pressure inside your jar over time. If these gases create too much pressure and your lid is on too tight it can cause your jar to explode which is why you will often see recommendations that say to place your lid on very loosely. However, I have found that having my lid on too loose can halt the starter’s growth. I highly recommend that you place your lid onto your jar finger tip tight (if using a screw on lid). Since you are feeding your starter daily, you will be opening your jar often enough to release the pressure so the likelyness of it exploding is low. If you are worried about it exploding, instead of using a jar lid you may place a piece of plastic wrap over your jar. Once pressure builds up, you will be able to visually see the plastic wrap create a dome shape over your jar and then you will know it is time to “burp” your jar.
And lastly, as mentioned above you should just make sure that your starter is not coming in contact with metal and try using a rye or wheat flour if you are not already.
Why does my starter have a thin layer of liquid on top?
The layer of liquid that forms on top of your starter is called “hooch”. When this happens it is because your starter has used all of the food you have fed it and it is hungry. The liquid that forms on top is actually alcohol. The hooch gives your bread a more sour flavor so if you like the pungent flavor of sour dough, simply mix the hooch into your starter and give it a feed. If you prefer a more mild sourdough, pour off the hooch and then feed.
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