Sour Dough Starter
Learn how to make a sourdough starter recipe from scratch with just flower and water. You can use this recipe to make breads, pancakes, cookies and so much more!
Recently I've been on a do-it-from-scratch kick and if you think back to childhood you probably remember your grandmother in the kitchen taking her time to make all of your favorite meals. There's so much beauty and richness in knowing exactly what's going in your food.
It also feels therapeutic to go into my kitchen unplug from electronics and just create and explore. The beauty of this recipe is that it's truly one of the easiest things you can create but if you do mess it up just like life you can always brush the flour off and start over.
Enjoy and let me know how it turns out!
Here's a simple recipe to create your own sourdough starter:
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup filtered water
Instructions:
In a clean glass jar or container, mix together the flour and water until well combined.
Cover the jar loosely with a lid or a cloth and leave it in a warm, draft-free place for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, you should start to see some bubbles forming on the surface of the mixture. This is a sign that the fermentation process has started.
Every day for the next 5 to 7 days, "feed" your starter by discarding about half of the mixture and adding in a fresh mixture of 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup filtered water. Mix well and cover again.
Continue to feed your starter once a day, discarding half and adding fresh flour and water, until it becomes active and bubbly, and has a pleasant, sour aroma. This should take about 5 to 7 days, but it could take longer depending on the temperature and humidity in your kitchen.
Once your starter is active, it's ready to use! You can store it in the refrigerator and feed it once a week, or use it to bake bread or other sourdough recipes.
Note: It's important to use filtered or bottled water to make your starter, as chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can interfere with the fermentation process. Also, be sure to use a clean jar or container and clean utensils each time you feed your starter to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!