Sourdough is so cool. Basically you just mix flour and water together and then you get homegrown yeast! Kind of like a pet that you grow from scratch.
I’ve always loved sourdough bread. It might be because it’s my mom’s favorite type of bread; I’ve eaten a lot of it over the years. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I’m a texture junkie when it comes to food. I love the combination of an open crumb and a crunchy crust. The distinctive sourdough flavor is also divine.
Turns out, it’s super easy to get started making your own sourdough. All you really need is water and flour. I keep my sourdough starter at 100% hydration, which means that there are equal amounts by weight of flour and water.
It should only take about 5 days to grow an active starter, depending on your environment. As a rule, the higher the ambient temperature, the more quickly the yeast reproduces.
Start by mixing together flour and water in equal amounts. It is important to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. While it isn’t necessary to have them exactly equal, if you’re too far off the mark, there may not be enough food (read: flour) for the yeast to consume and you might end up with a malnourished starter. In addition, it is important to know the hydration of your starter when making bread.
Instructions
Day 1: Combine 100g flour and 100g water. Mix well and store.
Day 2: Remove all but 100g starter. Add 100g flour and 100g water. Mix well and store.
Repeat Day 2 instructions until starter is active.
Every time you feed your starter, take a spoonful and drop it into a cup of tepid water. If the starter floats, that means it’s active. It might hit the bottom and slowly rise to the surface. Ideally, you want the starter to float up immediately.
How to tell if your starter is healthy
You might find a layer of clear liquid at the top of your starter on day 2 or 3. Don’t be discouraged. Stir in the liquid and feed the starter again. You should only be concerned if the mixture has developed spots or an unpleasant smell. This may happen even if you’ve had a healthy starter for a while. These are symptoms of unwanted mold or bacteria colonization. If this occurs, discard the starter entirely and start from scratch. It may take a few tries, but you’ll get there!
Make sure you’re always using clean water and utensils so you’re not accidentally introducing foreign bacteria. The biggest thing to watch out for is soap. If you get soap into your starter, it will soon develop the aforementioned black flecks and smell really funky.
How to store a sourdough starter
Use a glass or plastic container. Many metals are reactive and will affect the performance of your starter. Stainless steel should be OK, but I like to use transparent containers so I can see the activity at a glance.
I keep my sourdough in the drawer of our TV cabinet, covered with a paper towel and secured by a rubber band. This does mean that on drier days, the starter loses water. However, I’ve found that my starter is healthier and smells more pleasant when it is allowed to breathe. You may want to experiment in your own environment. Another factor is that keeping your starter out in the open will make small spaces smell strongly of yeast, which may be uncomfortable.
What to do with discarded starter
Once your starter is up and running, you’ll might feel guilty about dumping out two-thirds every time you feed it, especially if you’re feeding it with 100g of flour and water like me. You have a few options:
Reduce the amount of starter
You can choose to reduce the amount of starter you’re maintaining. For example, keep only 20g of starter and feed it with 20g each of flour and water. That means you’re only discarding 40g of starter instead of 200g.
Use sourdough discard in recipes
While discarded starter isn’t ideal for bread, it’s perfect for plenty of other recipes, like pancakes. As a rule of thumb, you can substitute starter for any flour + liquid combination in recipes in a 1:1 ratio, but there are also recipes that benefit from a little of fermentation’s TLC.
One example of using discarded starter with fermentation is my all-time favorite no-fuss recipe: overnight sourdough pancakes, linked below. I adapted my recipe from the Fluffier Overnight Sourdough Pancakes recipe on CulturesForHealth.com. Take a look if you get a chance! They have tons of great recipes.
Banana bread is a great example of using discarded starter for flavor, just as a substitute for flour and liquid. Simply mix in the starter and bake, no waiting time required.
Give it to your friends and coworkers
Sourdough is pretty much made to be shared. You’re making more every day, after all. Spread the sourdough happiness!