Sourdough Starter Recipe

This whole thing started out as a whim and then became a mission. It's much the same as when I decide to try out a 'look' with makeup. I'm not very good at applying complex makeup so I sometimes think I'll amuse myself for a few minutes trying out an eye shadow, only to rediscover how crap I am and then become determined to master it. Generally it doesn't turn out well and I abandon all hope. 

However, this is baking and not makeup. When I discovered that sourdough bread (possibly my favourite type) contains no added yeast I was fascinated. I forgot about it for a while but saw a recipe for a starter on a packet of white bread powder. As there is no added yeast you need to create a flour and water batter that captures and cultivates natural yeast from the air. By doing this you create a starter that can be added to more flour and water to make bread. Almost like magic. It's the way bread was made for years before people had easy access to yeast as a culture in its own right. You can keep your starter going for years simply by feeding it. 

Now there seems to be a ton of ways to make a starter. I'm going to put down the method that worked for me as I tried about five different ways. I shan't bore you when them all but my first one failed and I think that was because I used white flour instead of a whole grain flour which contains more natural sugar for the yeast to feed on. 

Ingredients

Stoneground rye flour (this also then gives a great colour to the final bread)

Warm water 

Equipment

1 ltr Kilner jar

Paper towel

Rubber band 

1.    Put about 50g to 70g of rye flour into the jar and add enough warm water to make a thick batter. Probably about 30-40ml.

2.    Cover the top with a kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band. Put out of the way in a room that isn't the kitchen.  Leave until bubbles appear in the batter. This could take 3 or so days. It can take up to a week but I don't think it should. If you don't see movement after 5 days chuck and start again.

3.    Once you have bubbles add some more flour and warm water, stirring well (this is called feeding). Then discard the paper towel and secure the top of the jar. Basically you have successfully got yeast into the batter and its busy eating the sugars in the flour, creating the bubbles.

4.    Feed the batter again after another 3 days. By this stage I stopped weighing out and just chucked more flour in and a bit of water to get a thick consistency. Now it's ready for the fridge. To maintain the starter you need to slow it down and regulate it. Putting it in the fridge does this and you can learn how it behaves. Once the bubbles slow down feed again – maybe once a week. It’s as simple as that. You want to have a couple of fridge rounds of feeding before you use it as this builds up the strength of the yeast. If you have too much starter for the jar just throw some away or use it to make bread.

5.    When you want to use it take out of the fridge the night before and feed to perk it up (I took mine out in the morning and used it around lunch time so it doesn’t need long). 

Recipe for bread to follow.