Are you looking for an easy guide to How to make a sourdough starter from scratch? Here you will learn with only 3 ingredients you will have a nicely active starter within 7 days. You should be ready to bake a beautiful sourdough loaf on day 8.
Sourdough
I make so many things with my sourdough. You are not limited to the artisan loaf that most people associate with sourdough. You can make flat bread, wraps, English breakfast muffins and even cake. I love to make breakfast pancakes with my discard, but all of those things require an active starter.
Sourdough has had quite a resurgence in recent months. The pandemic has caused a lot of people to want to do more baking and with shortages on yeast during lockdown more people have taken to using sourdough.
This tutorial will show you how to get your starter going and from there it will serve you for years. All you must do is feed it like you would a pet. You can even name it if you like. I know a few people who have!
Sourdough ingredients
- Flour– for a simple starter all you need is a strong white flour, but I know many people like to have a 50/50 ratio with a whole wheat flour too.
- Water– It is recommended that you use a filtered water as the chlorine in some water sources can harm the natural yeast that you are trying to cultivate. I use plain tap water, but leave it out for a while to allow the chemicals in the water to dissipate.
- Kickstart– This can be anything that has a natural culture. Some people swear by putting a piece of rhubarb in the starter to get it going. I used a dessert spoon of natural yoghurt. Another great thing to use is a spoonful of kefir or other ferment that you have.
Learn how to make kefir here
Sourdough tools
- Glass Jar– I use a large jar as I use a lot of sourdough each day. Any mason jar will work to get you started, but it will need to have a lose fitting lid. You will need for it to breath whilst you are cultivating your starter. It will also need to be covered to stop insects getting in.
- Spatula– I use a silicone spatula to mix my starter as they are easy to keep clean and therefore not introduce anything unpleasant into your starter.
- Measuring cups– You will need measuring cups for feeding your starter in the correct amounts.
- Scales– Once your starter is nicely active you can make your bread. You will need scales for measuring out amounts for baking later.
Climate control
A sourdough starter or anything requiring a fermentation process will need a warm environment to grow. A cooler kitchen will cause the starter to take longer to become active. That said a warmer kitchen will cause it to ferment faster.
How to make a Sourdough Starter
Day 1
On the morning of day 1 collect your ingredients and a glass jar.
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 dessert spoon of yoghurt or kefir
Combine the ingredients into the jar and stir vigorously to combine.
Scrape everything down into the jar and put on a lose fitting lid.
Put an elastic band around the jar to show where the top of the starter is.
Set aside in the kitchen or pantry for 24 hours.
Day 2
On day 2 you may be lucky enough to have a few bubbles on the top of the starter.
Stir to combine the bubbles then add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of water.
Stir vigorously to combine, then scrape down the sides again. Move the elastic band to the show the new level of the starter.
Set aside for 24 hours as before.
Day 3
By day 3 you should now have some decent bubbles happening. You should be able to see that the starter has risen above the line of the elastic band.
At this point you should be able to bake with it, but you will need to feed it and let it grow it a bit stronger for best effects.
Feeding
Now that your starter is nice and active it is time to start feeding and discarding every day.
Every evening you will need to feed 50/50 flour and water.
- Scrape the starter into a larger jar.
- Into the larger jar add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water
- Stir vigorously to combine and scrape down
- Set aside with a lose fitting lid for 24 hours
I got my jar from Amazon here and it is the perfect size for my needs.
Day 4-6
From now on the starter will need feeding and a portion discarded.
- First stir in the bubbles.
- Scoop out 1 cup of starter and discard it. ( I like to make pancakes with my discard)
- Feed the starter with 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup water.
- Replace the lid and set aside for 24 hours.
Day 7
On day 7 your starter should have lots of bubbles and plenty of rise.
At this point you can perform the ‘float test’.
Fill a glass with water and drop a spoonful of the active starter into the water. If it floats you are ready to make bread. If it sinks then you will have to give it a few more days to get a strong enough starter for bread making.
You are now ready to make your bread.
On the morning of day 7, discard a cup full of starter , then feed your starter with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water.
On the evening of day 7 you should have a healthy, active starter ready for bread making.
Important- Remember to leave some starter for feeding to make future sourdough recipes.
From now on you will just need to maintain your starter by discarding and feeding as you have been doing for the past few days.
I hope you have found this tutorial helpful and you grow a nice active starter. Sourdough is such a great resource to have in your kitchen as it has so many uses.
I will be adding many recipes on what you can make with your starter in the coming weeks.
Happy making and baking my friends
Sam x
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