Start your own Sourdough Starter

By brandnewlife

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbs of sugar or honey (optional)
• 1 Tbs or packet active dry yeast
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Preparation

Step 1

The easiest and most successful method of making your own starter is to combine water, flour, and a tablespoon (or packet) of active dry "domestic" yeast which is available at any grocery store. By letting this brew sit for several days as you would with a dried sourdough starter, the domestic yeast will go "wild" and develop the familiar tang of its truly wild cousins. You'll probably catch some wild yeast in the process as well.



1. Pour the water into a two-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl, add and dissolve the sugar or honey and the yeast in that order. Stir in the flour gradually. Cover the jar or bowl with a clean dishcloth and place it somewhere warm. By using a dishcloth instead of plastic wrap, you'll allow any wild yeast in the area to infiltrate and begin to work with the domestic yeast which itself is beginning to develop "wild" characteristics and flavors.

2. The mixture will begin to bubble and brew almost immediately. Let it work anywhere from 2 to 5 days, stirring it about once a day as it will separate. When the bubbling has subsided and a yeasty, sour aroma has developed, stir your starter once more and refrigerate it until you are ready to use it. The starter should have the consistency of pancake batter.

To make "fed" sourdough starter

1. Most sourdough recipes will call for 1 cup or so of "fed" sourdough starter. Here's how to turn your refrigerated starter into "fed" starter.

2. Up to 12 hours before beginning a recipe, stir the starter and discard 1 cup. Or give 1 cup to a friend, or use 1 cup to make waffles. However you do it, you want to get rid of 1 cup of starter.

3. Feed the remaining starter with 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 1 cup flour.

4. Let it sit at room temperature, covered, for 4 to 12 hours, till bubbly. It's now "fed" and ready to use in a recipe.

5. Once you've removed however much starter your recipe calls for (usually 1 cup), feed the remainder with 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 1 cup flour. Let this remaining starter sit, covered, at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, until bubbly.

6. Stir down, return to its container, and refrigerate. To keep sourdough in the refrigerator

7. If you're not planning on using your sourdough starter for over a week, take it out and feed it once a week, if you remember. But starter that hasn't been fed for a month or more will still probably be just fine, if you follow these steps:

8. Your sourdough may have a substantial layer of green/gray/brown liquid on top. That's OK; it's simply alcohol from the fermenting yeast.

9. Stir the liquid on top into the starter below.

10. Keep stirring till it's smooth, then discard 1 cup (8 1/2 ounces).

11. Add 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and 1/2 cup lukewarm water.

12. Stir till smooth, then cover and refrigerate it; no need to wait for it to become bubbly.