Description
A simple seven-day sourdough starter made with flour and filtered water. Daily feedings create a bubbly, tangy natural culture for bread, rolls, pizza dough, and other sourdough recipes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 50 grams whole wheat or rye flour for the first mixture
- 50 grams filtered or dechlorinated room-temperature water
- 50 grams unbleached all-purpose flour for each feeding
- 50 grams filtered or dechlorinated water for each feeding
- 50 grams retained sourdough starter for each feeding
- Extra flour and filtered water as needed through days eight to fourteen
Instructions
- Day 1: Mix 50 grams whole wheat or rye flour with 50 grams filtered water in a clean glass jar until no dry flour remains.
- Cover the jar loosely, mark the starting level, and leave it at 70°F to 78°F for 24 hours.
- Day 2: Retain 50 grams of starter and discard the remainder. Add 50 grams all-purpose flour and 50 grams water.
- Stir thoroughly, cover loosely, mark the level, and rest for another 24 hours.
- Day 3: Repeat the process by keeping 50 grams starter and feeding it with 50 grams flour and 50 grams water.
- Day 4: Repeat the same feeding. Watch for bubbles, a tangy aroma, and visible rising and falling.
- When the starter begins rising consistently, feed it every 12 hours using 50 grams starter, 50 grams flour, and 50 grams water.
- Continue the twice-daily feeding routine through day 7.
- Check the starter after each feeding. It is ready when it doubles within four to eight hours for several consecutive cycles.
- If it does not double reliably by day 7, continue feeding every 12 hours through day 10 or day 14.
- Use the active starter near peak rise, leaving at least 20 to 50 grams in the jar for future feedings.
Notes
- Use a digital scale for the most consistent feeding ratio.
- Keep the starter around 75°F for steady fermentation.
- Use filtered or dechlorinated water when possible.
- A loose lid works better than an airtight seal.
- Gray or brown liquid usually means the starter needs food.
- Discard the starter if you see fuzzy mold or pink, red, or orange discoloration.
- The float test can provide an extra clue, but predictable doubling gives a more dependable readiness test.
- Store an established starter in the refrigerator and feed it about once each week when you bake occasionally.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Bread Starter
- Method: Fermentation
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 14
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 0
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 3
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0