Making a sourdough starter is simple. It only takes a few ingredients that most of us have in our pantry and then it takes 5-days worth of patience! But why make sourdough?
Sourdough is much gentler on the digestive tract because the microbes in sourdough have begun to digest the proteins and sugars in the grains for us, giving us a head start on digestion! Sourdough contains prebiotics and has probiotic-like properties which is beneficial for gut health.
Sourdough also contains various vitamins and minerals and antioxidants because of the whole grains we use and the fermentation process reduces anti-nutrients like phytates. Sourdough has a unique flavor and texture and has been used since 1500 BC.
Sourdough is known as wild yeast and cultures around the world have been using it for centuries. The oldest loaf of sourdough found actually dates back to 3500 B.C.E! As sourdough ferments, it grows and produces its own wild yeast simply from the microbes in the air which is why it is only lightly covered to allow this process. Sourdough picks up spores and microbes from the environment it is in and will change from year to year, from family to friend, from generation to generation. It is simple to make and as long as you have some sourdough starter on hand, you can whip up all sorts of deliciousness (with or without conventional yeast)!! How fantastic is that!?!
In the 1800’s yeast was expensive and often hard to come by and baking powder or saleratus was not always available. Pioneers often made sourdough bread with simple ingredients to be able to make bread without leavening agents. In this case, the sourdough would ferment for several weeks to build a “stronger” starter. During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899, many prospectors carried sourdough starter with them on the Chilkoot Trail because sourdough starter was always available, either by starting their own or by sharing. Food was scarce in the Yukon and the winters long and cold so sourdough starter came in handy allowing them to easily make sourdough bread which was cooked in a cast iron dutch oven in a bed of coals, flapjacks which was a favorite on the trail, or even biscuits with a bit of that starter! The Stampeders were required to carry a year’s worth of supplies because of the unforgiving terrain that did not provide much for food. Flour was one of the supplies they made sure they had, often forfeiting other supplies in order to be sure flour was on hand. Sourdough was versatile and hearty and withstood the harsh conditions of the Yukon, making it invaluable. Some families in the Yukon today, are still using sourdough starter from relatives of the Klondike Gold Rush! I find it fascinating that 120-year old sourdough starter that survived the Chilkoot Trail still produces magnificent recipes today!
In grade 4, when we were learning all about the Klondike Gold Rush we made sourdough bread in class and it was absolutely delicious – by far the best bread I had ever had! Today, with our sourdough starter, we can make an assortment of things like pancakes, waffles, bread, muffins, pizza dough, donuts and so much more!
To start, you will need a glass bowl, jar or crockery (you can also use plastic but chemicals from the plastic may leach into the sourdough), filtered water (tap water can inhibit the growth of the good microbes we want!) and flour of your choice. You can also use gluten free flour.
I have opted to use Red Fife wheat flour which is a variety of wheat that has been used since the 1800’s. It was the standard baking and milling grain between 1860 to 1900. It has not been adulterated and has not been genetically modified like most of today’s grains and for that reason, it retains its original growth patterns, structure and flavor profile. Its crops tend to produce less, and much more sparse, but is a better variety for us simply because it is one of the few grains that is grown like it was meant to be grown, just like in the 1800’s. It is a wheat that is lower in gluten but still produces beautiful breads and is wonderful in other baked goods.
In addition to using Red Fife wheat, I have also opted to use Khorasan wheat (is a wheat but also in the rice family) as well as Soft White Wheat as they are both lower in gluten (like Red Fife) than traditional wheat and is easier on the digestive tract which is important for my family. We are also using organic flour and whole grain which is fantastically full of good stuff that will help our sourdough grow, but all purpose flour can be used as well with success!
Let’s get started!
I always thought sourdough starter needed to be received from someone and that it could never be made, but that simply is not true. It is super easy to make sourdough starter with a few handy ingredients!!!
We use a scale so the measurements are more precise. 4oz generally equals 1/2 cup but we found when measuring cups to ounces, it did not quite work out as such. 4oz flour is around 3/4 cup depending upon the flour used – 4oz Red Fife is about 3/4 cup whereas 4oz of Khorasan is 2/3 cup and regular all purpose white flour was nearly 1 cup. 4oz water is around 1/2 cup. To make it easier, we use a digital scale, place our jar on top, zero the weight out and slowly add flour and water to the 4oz (and 2oz to maintain).
Feed the sourdough at the same time each day. We chose to feed our starter in the later evening when we were more free to do so and always kept it on our kitchen island in the same spot everyday where the temperature is more consistent.
Day 1
Mix 4oz flour with 4oz water. Stir and lightly cover. I use a glass jar but you can use any glass or ceramic bowl (just not metal).
I cover the jar with either a crocheted cloth or a fully opened napkin but you can also use cheesecloth, a dish cloth, or a tea towel. Set somewhere with a constant temperature.
Day 2
This is what our sourdough starter looked like on Day 2. Stir before feeding it. It is quite thick.
Add 4oz flour and 4oz water. Stir well and lightly cover again.
Day 3
A lot more bubbles are present and you can watch them pop. It smells much more like yeast and a bit sweet smelling too. The starter has noticeably grown and is a bit thinner in consistency than on Day 1 and 2.
When mixing, the starter is much more like muffin batter. Add 4oz flour and 4oz water. Stir well so there is no dry flour left. Scrape sides down and loosely cover.
Day 4
The starter has become a bit more pungent in odor and still has a lot of bubbles that you can see. You may also notice the layer of alcohol (this is good and part of the fermentation process).
Stir well. Add 4oz flour and 4oz water. Stir well again to be sure there is not any dry flour that has not been mixed in. Cover lightly.
Day 5
Now the starter will have the distinct sourdough scent and will be considerably thinner. It will be full of bubbles, even when you stir it and will pour off the spoon like thin pancake batter. It should have the alcohol on top (which is part of the fermentation process). If it turns green, you can still mix it in, but throw out the entire batch if it turns orange. My starter is pictured below.
Stir well. Add 4oz flour and 4oz water, stir. Cover. I only added 2oz flour and 2oz water since my jar was so full.
Day 6
The sourdough starter is now ripe and ready to use. We had a considerable amount of alcohol (do not worry, this alcohol is safe and is not like regular drinking alcohol) on top which we just slowly stirred in. You can see the bubbles throughout the mixture and it is quite thin. It has a much more pungent, yeasty odor and the mixture should have grown slightly since Day 5.
Stir carefully. The mixture will be very bubbly.
And the mixture will pour off of the spoon.
Our starter is now all stirred. You may see bubbles popping and may hear them too! This was the first batch and it had turned out amazing! My daughter decided to make her own starter and it turned out exactly the same as this batch. Be sure to save half to continue your starter, that way there is no need to remake it. Use the other half in baking.
This sourdough is excellent as a loaf of bread, pizza dough, waffles and pancakes, cheesy bread, cinnamon raisin bread and even cinnamon buns! Delicious! It really is versatile and easy to use!
Day 7 and Beyond
Starting on Day 6, the starter is ready to be used. Stir and use. If you do not plan on using it that day, then you will need to discard and feed. Discard half each day, which you can use to bake with or use to grow more. Feed the other half. If you are pouring the other half in to a jar, feed it too. I hate to waste, so instead of discarding, I pour half into another jar and feed half the amount of flour and water (2oz each of flour and water) to each jar, and continue to maintain. Most recipes use between 1/2 cup to 2 cups of starter, so these extras come in handy!!
You can easily give the “discarded” sourdough away as well!! Be sure to include a few directions.
Here you can see all the jars I have going! Because we have 2 “mother” starters — we end up with a lot once we “discard” half and feed. Each jar will be halved and fed or used in baking.
You can also place it in the fridge to slow the growth and feed once per week.
I always have one starter in the fridge. This starter is ready to be fed in one day. The night before it’s time to feed the starter, take it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Then feed the next day as usual. Place in the fridge, and feed the next week. When you are ready to use, divide half and carry on. If you would like to take a longer break from your starter, you can feed it double the flour and refrigerate.
You can also spread the starter out on parchment paper or a silicone mat and leave to dry. Once dried, break up and store in an airtight container. Dried sourdough starter will last several months. When ready to use, dissolve 1/4 cup of the flakes in 4oz water and 4oz flour. Continue feeding it until it is active again. I only had to fees in for a couple days and then began using it as usual.
How to make a Sourdough Starter:
Now that you have your sourdough starter, what can you make? Try out these delicious recipes that we have tried, adjusted and perfected!
Sourdough Pizza Crust – https:/www.ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-pizza-crust/
Filled Sourdough Bread 2 Ways – make this cinnamon raisin swirl bread or instead, skip the cinnamon and make it cheesy bacon bread! – https://ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-cinnamon-bread/
Sourdough Bread – https://ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-bread/
Sourdough English Muffins – https://ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-english-muffins/
Sourdough Waffles – https://www.ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-waffles/
Sourdough Flapjacks – https://ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-griddle-cakes-and-pancakes/
Sourdough Monkey Bread – https://ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-cinnamon-pull-aparts/
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours