How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Creating From-Scratch, Homemade Sourdough Bread
Anyone familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder or the taste of San Francisco sourdough has likely wanted to try making it herself. Sourdough starter is simple to make, requiring only flour, water and a little patience.
How Sourdough Works
Sourdough bread does not contain yeast from a packet; instead, it relies on the natural, wild yeasts of the air. These yeasts are cultivated in a starter, in order for them to achieve enough potency to leaven a loaf of bread. As long as the starter is kept 'fed' with enough flour and water to sustain the yeasts, it can live for generations.
Because wild yeasts differ from region to region, no two sourdough starters will produce the same taste. Some breadmakers will find, through no fault of their own, that their sourdough is not particularly flavorsome; others will find that their area has wild yeasts which produce delicious loaves. San Fransisco is famous for the regional wild yeasts which make its sourdough unique; while the yeasts of the Nile region are the ancestors of the cultivated yeast we use today.
How To Make Sourdough Starter
To create your sourdough starter, simply mix equal quantities of flour and water in a jar. A cup of each should be a sufficient quantity. Cover the jar with cheesecloth or mesh to prevent insects from crawling in, and set the jar outside. Every few days, tip out half the mixture and replace with the same amount of fresh water and flour. You can gradually increase the quantity of mixture if desired—most recipes require at least a cup of starter, and some leftover mixture will be needed to continue the process for future loaves. Pouring off the extra mixture is not strictly necessary—it simply prevents your starter growing up unmanageable quantities! Do not use a metal spoon to stir the starter, as metal is said to interfere with the wild yeasts.
After approximately two weeks, the starter will begin to smell fermented and yeasty. The smell should be pleasantly alcoholic, not rank. Small bubbles will appear on the surface, and your sourdough mixture may foam when stirred. The wild yeasts tend to prevent bacteria from forming; however, if your sourdough smells contaminated or 'off', discard the batch and start again. Separation is not an indication of contamination.
At this point you can use the starter in any recipe for sourdough bread or pancakes. Unless you plan to make sourdough bread very regularly, it is worth slowing down your starter by keeping it in the fridge. The cold inhibits the growth of the yeasts, which allows the starter to be fed less often. Refrigerated starter need only be fed once a week.
How to Use Sourdough Starter
Most recipes require you to 'wake up' the starter a few hours before making your loaf. Simply pour off some of the starter and feed as normal. Leave the starter for a few hours, allowing it to come up to room temperature if necessary. Then simply incorporate the starter into your recipe, making sure you have enough remaining for the next batch. Some recipes add a little regular yeast for safety; however, a true sourdough bread does not, and it should not be necessary. Breadmakers may notice that their initial few loaves do not taste very sour—the starter will gradually acquire more distinctive sour characteristics as time passes.
Saving and Freezing Sourdough Starter
A starter which is not regularly fed will eventually starve to death, losing its leavening properties. To avoid having to start the process all over again, starter can be dried and saved as a backup. Simply spread some starter thinly over a baking sheet and leave to dry. Scrape off the resulting flakes and freeze them in a ziplock bag.
A loaf of sourdough bread
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