If you want to start baking sourdough, you need a starter. People are often surprised by how easy it is to create your own. All you’ll need is organic,stoneground wholegrain flour and water.
What will you need?
Tools
clean jam jar with a loose-fitting lid
a spoon
a measuring jug
a thermometer
Ingredients
warm water (28°C/82°F)
organic, stoneground wholegrain flour
The Method
Day 1
Pour 120g warm water into your clean jam jar. Add 100g stoneground wholegrain flour. Mix together really well. Stirring vigorously adds oxygen to the mixture, which will help the yeast thrive. Cover the jar with a loose-fitting lid and set it aside in a warm environment for 12–24 hours. You might start to see some bubbles in the mixture during this time.
Day 2 – AM
To refresh your starter, remove 120g of the starter mixture from the jar and discard it (you can use the discarded starter from your refreshments to make pancakes or waffles). Add another 60g stoneground wholegrain flour and 60g warm water to the mixture still in the jam jar. Stir well, cover with a loose-fitting lid and set aside in a warm place for another 12 hours.
Day 2 – PM
Repeat the refreshment process.
Days 3–6 – AM & PM
Keep repeating the refreshment process twice a day.
When will my starter be ready to use?
This will vary depending on your flour and how warm your environment is. You may see activity in your starter within just a few days.
When your starter is bubbly, lively and doubles in size within about 5 hours of being refreshed, that means it’s ready to bake with. You can now adjust to maintaining your sourdough starter, which is a completely different process to creating it.
Check out the Sourdough School’s useful video for a detailed step-by-step guide to the sourdough starter refreshment process. Or, benefit from the Sourdough School’s basic sourdough recipe for a beautiful tin loaf.