In this video I use an extremely simple method that calls for mixing flour with warm water, allowing it to sit for 48-72 hours until yeast activity begins, and then refresh/feed at set intervals for about five days, or until the starter is strong enough to levin a loaf of bread. If you've been around since the Free Culinary School Podcast days, you'll remember that in our sourdough series I recommended using fruit peels (apples/grapes) to inoculate your water and flour mixture with natural yeast.
After multiple tests, I've found that there is sufficient local yeast available on your hands, in your kitchen and in your flour, to get a strong sourdough starter going, and in a lot of cases, is much more forgiving then using fruit peels or skins. The reason being, unless your fruit skins come from a hyper local source (like an apple tree in your back yard or a neighbor's garden), then you are still technically importing and using a foreign yeast to inoculate your sourdough starter. At some point, the yeast that is naturally occurring in your kitchen environment will have to do battle with this "foreign yeast" which can kill your sourdough starter outright or give it off flavors (caused by dead or unhealthy yeast).
Tips For Making A Sourdough Starter
- Always use filtered water, especially if your tap water contains chlorine and/or flouride, both of which can kill the yeast in your starter, especially at the early stages of development.
- Start by making a 100% hydration starter (1:1 ratio water/flour), AKA a poolish. This is the type of starter that I prefer and will be using in upcoming demonstration videos for sourdough bread. Also, a high hydration rate (like 100%) allows the yeast to propagate faster as compared to a lower hydration starter such as a biga (usually around 60% hydration by the baker's percentage).
- Once yeast activity begins, remove half of your starter and feed the remainder with the same amount of flour and water removed. So if you took out 400 grams of the starter, you would add back 200 grams of flour and 200 grams of water to the remaining starter.
- Continue to feed your starter at the same time every day, until it becomes extremely active.
- Once your starter can pass the "float test" 12 hours after feeding, it is strong enough to bake with. At this point, you can either bake your first loaf of sourdough bread or retard in your refrigerator, remembering to feed your new starter at least once a week.
Remember, this is the first step in your journey towards making great sourdough bread. To dive deep into bread and sourdough baking, please refer to the related resources below.
Related Resources
There are 62 Comments
Hey Westgate, What you
Hey Westgate,
What you missing is the fact that whole wheat flour can absorb more water than standard white, bread flour. This is why your starter looks stiffer than it is.
Keep it at 100% hydration for now; the stiffer starter won't effect anything really, though it may slow down the time table for your starter to reach full maturation by a day or so.
Once you switch to the 50/50 mix of bread flour and whole wheat flour that I demonstrate in the video, your starter should look closer to mine.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions.
@ Westgate, why would
@ Westgate,
why would master bakers use any other patterns altogether? i am not referring to a ratio per se, i am referring to a variable part of the feeding - first a little, then more, then again more...
So you have to remember that these are master bakers writing books for the home cooking audience. Home cooks hate having to toss anything out ever, so the "growing" of your starter in the early stage lets you start with a smaller amount flour, and building your starter over time.
A lot of the criticism I get for my method of creating a sourdough starter is people who hate the idea of throwing our any amount of flour; the slow grow approach takes care of this mindset.
I've always done the 50/50 mix because that's what has worked best for me in my environment, so that's what I teach. But there's more than one way to achieve a healthy starter, and it's the end result that matters, not the process.
Glad to hear you made some sourdough waffles. That's a fun recipe.
@ Randy658, So is it safe to
@ Randy658,
So is it safe to say that it would be ok to just keep the starter left on the sides and bottom of your container, then just add in the 1:1 each time you feed?
Yep, absolutely.
I am beginning to think that as long as there is some residual starter left from the original mix (after the 5-9 day mark and float test), then you have an above average starter for making bread.
It means you have a healthy, "fresh" starter. When you dump most of your starter and then refresh, the starter will give you more floral, yeasty notes with a slight tinge of acidity.
If you only dump a small portion and feed, then your starter will become more acidic, which will give you a stronger flavor. However, using this approach may result in an over acidic starter, which will weaken your yeast and LAB, and also your breads gluten structure.
So if you want a more sour flavor as we discuss in SCS 22| Let's Bake Sourdough, then you can feed your starter with whole wheat / rye / or other whole grains, and retard in your fridge, which causes more acetic acid production (vs. lactic acid production at room temperature which gives milky, yeasty, floral notes).
So it's really all about what your desired outcome is.
Ok stupid question time: How are pics posted?
I get this question a lot, so I made a video on how to do it. Fifth video down from the top: http://stellaculinary.com/how-to-use-stella-culinary
Right on Randy. Let me know
Right on Randy. Let me know how your first batch turns out.