Sourdough Starter

“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (1908)

I am always diving into something, and right now it’s still bread. I don’t have an easy recipe to share. I can’t seem to find one either- bread is complicated and deeply rewarding.

Jared, above, is hugging a warm loaf I made on a snowy Sunday night. I felt proud.

The good news: I’ve learned how to keep a starter alive, and I should probably write that down. I’ve now shared mine with three new caretakers turned bread makers. Thank you, Chapin, for sharing yours and making this all possible.

Starter Notes

You will need:

• Two jars 28oz
• A sourdough starter
• Bread flour
• Water

On the starter

How did I get a healthy one? A bread friend. I encourage you to find one. Every attempt I made on my own failed for months. The shared starter is what finally worked.

On flour

I buy bread flour from the bulk section, fresh as possible. Soon I will rave about a nearby mill. But it is February, I have a baby, and I have no business driving around in search of freshly milled flour, except that it is exactly what I want to do.

How I Feed My Starter

Start with:
100 grams active starter

Add:
½ cup bread flour. Rye or white. I like to alternate. Rye ferments more energetically and seems to wake everything up.
½ cup water

Stir and let it rise.

Six to ten hours later, when it has grown and formed those slightly scary, monster mouth bubbles, you can bake.

After you use it, feed it again with the same ratio.

If you want to bake regularly, keep your starter on the counter. You will need to discard and feed it daily. Discard is the part that keeps people quietly confused. It simply means removing a portion before feeding so it does not grow endlessly and take over. Keeping a smaller amount makes it stronger and easier to manage.

You can bake with the discard. It works beautifully in muffins, pancakes, and banana bread. I have seen others fry it like a savory pancake with herbs and seasoning for a snack. When adding it to a recipe, I sometimes add a touch more sugar to balance the tang, but nothing dramatic.

I change the jar every few days using the two jar method. Major PSA: Do not let sourdough go down your sink. Flour is the ruin of septic systems. Get it off your hands and bowls with diligence, paper towels first. I am so glad someone told me this. It is not something we learn in school, though perhaps we should.

When I need more starter for multiple loaves, I double it:

200 grams starter
1 cup flour
1 cup water

There are many, many bread recipes. I feel overwhelmed sometimes too. As a beginner still, I have liked Ballerina Farm’s method. I will eventually graduate but this got me started. I would like to try a cheesy loaf or an olive one… maybe cinnamon raisen too. There are more bread photos in my future.

Happy fermenting friends!