Recipe

Make Your Own Sourdough Starter Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Shirleyoma / All my dishes 8 months ago Here are different ways to make your Sour Dough Starter. Easy too! by Pat Veretto Prep:10m Servings:6	Shirleyoma
	sour dough bread

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Ingredients

Make and maintain your own sourdough starter

you can make your own.

you'll need a volume of at least one and 1/3 cups.

There are several ingredient combinations for making wild

yeast sourdough:

- One is to grate a raw potato. Then add enough water to cover

and enough flour to make a thin batter of about a cup and a

third in volume.

- Another method is to use water that you've boiled potatoes

in instead of the grated potato and water combination.

- You can also use flour, sugar and water. Use one cup of

flour, a tablespoon of sugar and enough water to make a

pancake consistency batter.

- Yet another is to simply mix together equal amounts of water

and flour (whole wheat is best for this).

Anything that provides food for the yeast and a good growing

environment will work. Yeast needs sugar or carbohydrates

(which it converts to sugar), and clear liquid.

Make your choice based on what you have handy and just because

that's what you'd like to try. Don't worry about whether or

not one set of ingredients will work better than another,

because the chances are that they will all be equally

efficient in attracting wild (sour) yeast. There is no exact

recipe because there are so many other variables in each house

that will invite or dissuade wild yeasts from entering the

mixture. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The

most important thing is the method.

When you have decided on the ingredients you want, put them in

a glass container that will hold at least three times the

volume of the ingredients. Mix lightly with a wooden or

plastic spoon as some metals will react to it. The working of

the starter will mix itself.

Leave the mixture undisturbed and loosely covered with a cloth

or perforated plastic (to allow gases to escape) at warm room

temperature until it begins to froth or "work" and expand.

This is a sign that wild yeasts have made themselves at home

and that's what you're after. The new starter will rise up in

the container, then fall again. When it has, it's ready for

use. (Note: It will smell sour!)

When you use it, always leave some in the container and add

flour and water back to equal what you've taken out. Most

recipes call for a cup of starter, so replace it with a half-

cup of flour and a half-cup of water and set it in a warm

place to work again.

You will probably see a liquid covering the top at one time or

another. This is called "hooch," and it's exactly what it

sounds like, but don't drink it! Actually, it's harmless, so

stir it back into the starter if the starter is thick, or if

it's thin, just pour the hooch off. It's nothing to worry much

about either way.

Keep sourdough in the refrigerator unless you use it at least

every third day. If you use it that often, you can leave it on

the counter or any place where it's safe. If you can't

refrigerate it, you can keep it fresh by throwing out a cup of

it every second or third day and then replenish with flour and

water. Wait until it "works" again before counting days.

A properly cared for starter can live indefinitely, but if you

leave it out without using it for too long, the yeast can

literally suffocate in its own waste products. If the starter

looks off color (grayish is normal) or turns pink, toss it and

start fresh.

What can you make with sourdough? Besides the traditional

bread, you can make biscuits, pancakes, pretzels, bagels,

muffins, cornbread and even cookies! Once you're comfortable

using it, you can experiment with your favorite yeast or

baking powder recipes. Simply put, you substitute sourdough

for leavening and part or all of the liquid.

Directions

The basic recipe for plain sourdough bread:

1 cup starter

1 Tbsp. of fat (margarine, butter, vegetable oil or olive oil)

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Enough flour to make a dough that can be handled without

sticking, but is still pliable

Knead by hand or machine until it's smooth, then cover and let

it rise until it's doubled in bulk. This will take longer

(sometimes over an hour longer) than yeast leavened bread, so

don't give up and throw it out! Make sure you keep it warm,

but not hot, while it's rising.

Again, there is no hard and fast rule because circumstances

are so variable. Your starter might be more or less robust, or

thinner or thicker, or your kitchen may be warmer or cooler.

After it's risen, punch it down and knead enough to remove all

the bubbles, then form it into a loaf shape and put it in a

lightly greased bread pan. You can sprinkle a little corn meal

in the pan and on top of the loaf if you like. Let it rise in

the pan, then bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Baking sourdough bread is a learned skill and one that takes

practice, but even if your first loaf doesn't meet your

expectations, it will be edible. Once you become familiar with

the process, you can experiment on making just about anything

that is leavened. Biscuits, cookies, pancakes, cornbread,

specialty breads and even cakes can be made using sourdough

starter instead of yeast or baking powder.

Besides creating incredibly delicious baked goods, you'll save

a bundle of money over time by not buying yeast!

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Comments

henrie 8 months ago said:
I thank you for this, I like making breads with a sour dough started.

shirleyoma 8 months ago said:
You are so welcome! I think it's time for me to make some starter myself! Let me know how your's turns out!

pudgy47 8 months ago said:
This was a great post, full of info. Saved and i will try to make. Thanks

vindee 8 months ago said:
Hi there Shirleyoma...my first group friend. Can we make a whole-wheat pizza base with a sour-dough started. I find my pizza bases with dry active yeast turn out quite sad. Thanks and take care.

siena 5 months, 1 week ago said:
Geez, I am a northerner - 3 years in Alaska and nearl 5 in the Yukon. I should be making this myself, shouldn't I? ;-)