Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water, preferably spring water
- 2 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour, approximately
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Preparation
Step 1
In a ceramic or non-reactive bowl, whisk together the water, flour and yeast to make a gloppy or pudding-like batter. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature. Over the next 24 hours, it should foam and froth and they sink or deflate. If it deflates before the 24 hours pass, add in 1/2 cup each of water and flour and stir well. After 24 hours, feed it once a day, with equal parts of water and flour (about 1/2 cup each). This builds the starter from immature to mature. After 3-4 days of this, spoon it into a clean container with a snug cover and refrigerate indefinitely.
To revive the starter for a recipe, measure out what you need and allow starter to again, froth and bubble, lightly covered. If it doesn't 'wake up', then feed it with 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose or bread flour) and water. Then once it is active and frothy, measure out what you need for the recipe. Return un-used starter to its container and the fridge.
Makes about 6 cups of sourdough starter.
Recipe by Marcy Goldman