Sourdough Starter
A sourdough starter is just how we cultivate the wild yeast in a form that we can use for baking, so instead of buying a packet of yeast, you are making your own living 'wild yeast' by fermenting just 2 ingredients: flour and water. While I have attempted to understand the science behind it I recognise that not everyone will care or want to know, so I've kept this simple or as simple as I can anyway, as that would've helped me when I first started out!
Day 1 (Morning - Try and keep your times the same each day)
Choose your vessel, and give them a name....
Add 150g wholemeal flour and 150g water at 28 degrees and mix thoroughly so that all the flour is combined and there are no dry bits
Replace lid or cover your vessel and store somewhere consistently warm - around about 21-26 degrees celsius.
Don't worry if this is not possible (especially us Brits) it just means that the fermentation may take longer.
Day 2 (Morning)
Check on your sourdough and see if there are any bubbles, - celebrate if there are as this means there is yeast there :) If not, no worries, still feed it as below and check again tomorrow
Stir your sourdough and take out 150g adding back in 75g wholemeal flour and 75g water at 28 degrees same as above
The 150g you have taken out is classed as your discard and I will include recipes to use this up if you wish
Day 3 (Morning)
Repeat the above
Day 4 (Morning)
Repeat as above taking out 150g, adding back 75g water at 28 degrees and 75g flour. This time I use a mix of half wholemeal flour and half plain or bread flour. This is just what I had the most luck with in terms of getting an active starter.
Keep an eye out for slide marks on the side of your jar too as this is where the starter has grown and then shrunk back down (when it has run out of food). You can mark on your jar what time you feed it and what level it is at too.
Day 4 (Evening)
Repeat as above approximately 12 hours later in the same way. Take out half and feed with 75 water at 28 degrees and 75g flour, this time I use a mix of half wholemeal flour and half plain
Day 5 (Morning)
Feed as before
Day 5 (Evening)
Feed as before, at each feeding you are trying to catch the feed just after the yeast has peaked and looks hungry.
You are looking for slide marks to see that it is on the decrease and it is hungry again. If it hasn't reached this point then leave the feed until morning
Day 6 Morning)
Feed as above, taking out half and feeding with 75g water at 28 degrees and 75g flour, again half wholemeal flour and half plain
Day 6 (Evening)
When checking this time we are looking to see if it is now ready for baking, firstly by checking that it has at least doubled in size and secondly checking to see if it passes the float test: add a tablespoon of the starter to a glass of water... does it float?
If it does then you can make bread following recipes for sourdough. I am yet to find the perfect recipe for me as all of my loaves have a crumpety texture; I'm still figuring out the 'perfect loaf' and will share the full journey - fails and all! - on my Instagram account.
Keep your starter in the fridge at this point and feed weekly to keep it healthy and alive.
If it doesn't float yet, repeat as above for another day or 2 until it does pass the test, and don't stop as it is worth the wait :)
