Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter is easy to make using basic ingredients, and once you have it, there are so many wonderful things that it can be used to make. Here's how to do it!

There are a lot of things that can be made using sourdough - but I think that most people don’t make any of those things because they don’t have it. I did a quick perusal of the internet this morning looking for articles about how to make sourdough starter and discovered that most of them usually begin with about two pages of rubbish, and then finally get around to explaining how to make it. So the heck with that. I’ll just say that it’s great stuff, and it’s probably good for you. Now let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour or rye flour

• Regular enriched white flour

• Water

Directions:

• Day 1: Mix the cup of whole wheat flour (or rye flour) with one cup of water. Put it in a 500ml (1 pint) sealed container and leave it on the counter for two whole days.

• Day 3: Scoop out 1/2 cup of the mixture and dump it, then add 1/2 cup of regular flour and 1/2 cup of water, mix, re-seal, and put it back on the counter.

• Day 4,5,6: Do the same thing as day 3 every day.

• Day 7: Its alive!!! You have done it! Now, feed it again (i.e. do the day 3 thing), leave it on the counter for about a couple hours, then stick it in the fridge.

What is happening on days 3,4,5,6 &7?

Bacteria and yeast are everywhere. Some are good and we use them to make wonderful things like bread, cheese, sausages and beer. Some are so bad that they can make us very sick or worse! The cup of whole four (wheat or rye), because it is not processed as much as enriched white flour, has all kinds of wild yeasts and bacteria in it. When water is added to that flour at room temperature, those yeasts and bacteria start to become active, feed and multiply. We are interested in the microorganisms that like flour, so every day, we dump half the mix and add new flour and water. In essence, we are feeding the yeasts and bacteria that we want, so that they become the predominant residents in our starter, such that over the course of the week, we are constantly engineering the environment to favor the organisms we want. After a week of this process of feeding and destroying, we eventually get a culture of good yeast and good bacteria. This bubbly-beige mess is often called a “sponge”.

After a few days the starter/sponge will probably look something like this [source].

Why does it need to go in the fridge?

When sourdough is warm, it is active. When it is active, it needs to be fed. If it runs out of food, it will die. If you are using it and feeding it every day, you can leave it on the counter. If you use it once every week, or every other week, then by keeping it in the fridge, it will only need to be fed when you use it, because it is much less active when it is cool.

What is this feeding thing?

Every time some of the starter gets used, the remaining starter needs more food and water to eat, procreate, and replenish its numbers. Every time I use mine, I always take out 1/2 cup of starter to use in my recipe, then add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of regular flour back in, change the container (for a new clean one), then leave it on the counter for a couple hours. After this amount of time, it usually has bubbles and has increased in volume - indicating that the yeast and bacteria have been active. I then put it back in the fridge, where it continues to be active, but in a very slowed-down manner.

What is that weird liquid on top of the starter?

When the sponge begins to use up all the “food” in the container, and is getting “hungry”, something called “hooch” gets produced, and it collects on top of the sponge. Mine is usually clear, but from what I have read, it can be a range of colors. In any case, it’s no big deal! Regardless of the color, just stir it all back in and feed the starter. When you see this happening it’s time to bake something!

What are the risks of using sourdough starter

Sourdough starter is very safe to use, but of course, things can go wrong. If you keep your containers and utensils clean, and keep it refrigerated, everything should be ok, but consult this source if you are concerned about contamination.

Does the container have to be glass?

For some reason, most images of sourdough starter seem to be in glass or stone jars. I don’t know why this is the case. They look great, are really old-timey - and I’m sure they are fine - but they are a pain to clean, and the metal lids on glass jars are prone to rusting! From everything I have read, food-grade plastic is fine, so I just use good old-fashioned Tupperware. It seals up tight and the wide opening makes it easy to mix it up when feeding, and easy to clean. Most importantly, do not use a metal container, because sourdough starter is acidic, and might react with it.

Is it ok to feed it with regular, enriched white flour?

Yes! You do not need special flour to feed your starter! The organisms do not care! It’s a good idea to use a whole flour to get it started because whole flours are less refined, and tend to have more wild yeast present - thereby offering a greater chance of success - but after that it’s not needed. I stared mine with rye flour from a bulk food store - but I feed it with the cheap stuff, and have been doing so for years - so it works!

Final thoughts

I have lots of recipes for how to use starter and now that I have explained how to make sourdough starter, I will start to roll them out from time to time here in the newsletter (video on how to make waffles below). Of course, the easiest way to get starter is from a friend - so if you know someone that has some starter - don’t waste any time making your own! Just ask for 1/2 cup of starter, take it home, add 1/2 cup of water and flour, and get baking!

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Here’s how I make sourdough waffles: