Sourdough Starter
A step-by-step guide to creating a wild yeast sourdough starter from scratch over five days of daily feedings, then maintaining it for baking.
By Julia Scott, NZ Registered Dietitian · 19 August 2020
Recipe
Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
Batch
Method
- 1Add 1 cup wholemeal flour to a jar.
- 2Add 1 cup of cool water and mix until all of the dry flour is well combined.
- 3Cover with a paper towel and leave for 24 hours in a warm place.
- 4On day 2, discard all but 110g of the mixture. Then add 1 cup plain flour and 1/2 cup cool water, mix well. Cover with a paper towel and leave for another 24 hours.
- 5On day 3 you will start to see some bubbling and expansion with a fruity aroma. Again discard all but 110g of the mixture. Add 1 cup plain flour and 1/2 cup water, stir to mix well. Cover with a paper towel and leave for another 24 hours.
- 6On day 4, repeat as per day 3.
- 7On day 5, repeat again as per day 3. By about 4 hours after feeding your starter, the mixture should have doubled in volume and there should be lots of bubbles with a tangy aroma (if not, repeat process for another couple of days).
- 8Once your starter is ready, discard all but 110g and feed as usual. Let the starter rest at room temperature for 6-8 hours. Bubbles should be breaking the surface.
- 9Remove the amount of starter required for your bread recipe. Then leave 110g in the jar. Feed this reserved starter as above (1 cup plain flour, 1/2 cup cool water). Leave starter at room temperature for several hours to let it begin to grow again. Loosely put a lid on the jar (not airtight). Store starter in the fridge and feed as above once a week.
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