Description
A simple homemade sourdough starter made with equal weights of flour and non-chlorinated water. Regular feedings create a bubbly, active wild yeast culture for sourdough bread and discard recipes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 50 grams all-purpose or bread flour, about 1/2 cup, plus more for each feeding
- 50 grams room-temperature non-chlorinated water, about 1/4 cup, plus more for each feeding
Instructions
- Place a clean glass jar on a digital kitchen scale and reset the scale to zero.
- Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of room-temperature non-chlorinated water.
- Stir until no dry flour remains, scrape down the sides, and mark the mixture’s starting level.
- Cover the jar loosely and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, add another 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water, then stir thoroughly.
- Cover loosely and leave the mixture at room temperature for another 24 hours.
- Before the next feeding, discard half of the starter.
- Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water, stir, mark the level, and cover loosely.
- Continue feeding every 24 hours, discarding half before every second feeding, for 7 to 14 days.
- When the starter begins rising and falling within 12 hours, feed it every 12 hours.
- The starter is ready when it doubles within 4 to 8 hours after feeding for several consecutive cycles.
- To refrigerate, feed the starter, let fermentation begin for 1 to 2 hours, then cover loosely and chill.
- Before baking with refrigerated starter, bring it to room temperature and feed it until it doubles strongly again.
Notes
- Use a digital scale for the most consistent flour-to-water ratio.
- Filtered or non-chlorinated water supports reliable fermentation.
- Keep the starter near 70°F to 78°F and away from direct heat.
- Early bubbles do not always mean the starter is ready for bread.
- Discard the starter immediately if you see fuzzy mold or pink or orange streaks.
- Nutrition values are estimated for a 50-gram serving of a 100% hydration flour-and-water starter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 days
- Category: Bread
- Method: Fermentation
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50 grams
- Calories: 91
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 1
- Fat: 0.5
- Saturated Fat: 0.1
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 0