Simple Sourdough Starter

Are you looking for a fun and easy project to do at home that will also provide you with delicious bread? Why not try making your own sourdough starter? With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a sourdough starter of your own that you can use to make bread for years to come.

Ingredients:

• Flour: 1 cup (all-purpose or whole wheat)

• Water: 1 cup (filtered or bottled and room temperature*)

• Fruit or honey (optional): 1 teaspoon

Steps:

1. Day 1: In a clean glass jar or plastic container, combine 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water. Mix well until no dry flour remains.

2. Cover the jar loosely with a lid or kitchen cloth or plastic wrap with some tiny holes poked or aluminum foil (with holes). This will allow the natural yeast to enter while keeping the mixture free of dust or debris.

3. Day 2: You may not see any changes yet, but that's okay. Stir the contents of the jar and let it sit for another day.

4. Day 3-4: You should start to see some bubbles forming on the surface of your mixture. This means that the natural yeast in the air has started to colonize your mixture.

5. Optional: If you want to give your starter an extra boost, add a teaspoon of fruit or honey at this stage. This can help provide extra nutrition for the yeast.

6. Day 5-7: Continue to feed your starter daily by discarding half of the mixture and adding another half cup of flour and half cup of water. Mix well until no dry flour remains.

7. Your starter should now be active and bubbly. You can use it to make sourdough bread or store it in the fridge for later use. Feed it by repeating step 6 (discarding and adding flour and water) every week to keep it healthy.

     

Tips:

• Using bottled water is an easy way to ensure that your water is filtered.

• To maintain a temperature of around 70°F or 21°C, you can place your jar or container somewhere warm in your home, such as near a window that gets afternoon sun, or on top of a refrigerator or appliance that generates heat.

• Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients accurately.

• Keeping your spoon or spatula clean each time you stir your sourdough starter helps to ensure that unwanted germs and dirt don't get into the starter. This is important because it can prevent the starter from becoming unhealthy and making your bread taste weird.

• After feeding, wait for at least 6-8 hours before using your starter to make bread.
  
  

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, If you are looking for more informations, or troubleshooting, you can find them by clicking here!

Once you've made your sourdough starter, we'd love to see your progress! Feel free to share photos of your starter and any tips or tricks you've learned in the comments section below.