How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Name: How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Prep time: 3 d
Total time: 3 d
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients: 8 oz all purpose flour; 8 oz potato water - OR warm water; 2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp honey

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Prep Time
3 d
Total Time
3 d
Servings
20 servings
Calories
1037 kcal
Course
Bread
Cuisine
French, American

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Sarah Armstrong

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The sourdough starter (or sometimes called a sponge) is a flour and water mixture that contains the yeast used to rise the bread.

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Ingredients

Servings

8 oz all purpose flour sifted
8 oz potato water - OR warm water 105° to 115°F, (See Note 1)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey

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Instructions

RULE: 1 part flour (by weight, 8 ounces) to 1 part (potato) water (by weight, 8 ounces)
Use Potato water or filtered water for this recipe.To make potato water, wash and peel 2 to 3 potatoes. Cut into cubes and add to pot. Cover with water and boil for about 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Drain potato water into a liquid measuring cup. Let cool to warm before using in your recipe. Use cooked potatoes for another use.
Mix the 1 part flour (by weight, 8 ounces) to 1 part (potato) water (by weight, 8 ounces) along with salt, honey and stir together in a clean and sterile container (use only glass, glazed ceramic or crockery to hold your starter. No metal or plastic) that can hold two quarts. Loosely cover the container with a light dish cloth or flour sack and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place. 85°F is ideal. Temperatures hotter than 100°F or so will kill the yeast. The mixture should bubble as it ferments. I usually place the container on roasting pan to collect any overspill.
Let it sit out (at room temperature) lightly covered, for 5 days, stirring and feeding it once a day. I feed it another 1 part flour (by weight, 4 ounces) to 1 part plain water (by weight, 4 ounces) and stir. (We drop to 4 ounce weight here otherwise the amount will get out of hand volume wise!)
On the 4th day keep 8 ounces of your starter and DISCARD the balance. Mix 1 part flour (by weight, 8 ounces) to 1 water (by weight, 8 ounces) to the 8 ounces of starter and it should double in size within 4-8 hours. After 12 hours, feed once more with 1 part flour (by weight, 4 ounces) to 1 part plain water (by weight, 4 ounces) and stir.
Continue to do the same for Day 5 as you did for Day 4 above, reason we discard on Day 4 and 5 is to strengthen the starter.
Good tip to know is when your starter doubles in volume between feedings, it's ready to use for baking. Typically Day 5 or 6 from my experience.
The starter is ready when it develops a pleasant sour smell and looks bubbly. Once your starter starts bubbling, you can then use it for a batch of pancakes, bread, bagels or store for later use in the refrigerator.
The starter is ready when it develops a pleasant sour smell and looks bubbly. Once your starter starts bubbling, you can then use it for a batch of pancakes, bread, bagels or store for later use in the refrigerator.
Feed starter every 2 weeks. If you have more starter and need to feed it discard down to 1 to 2 cups or you will soon start having quite a bit of starter. Mix 1 part flour (by weight, 8 ounces) to 1 part (potato) water (by weight, 8 ounces) to the 8 ounces of starter and it should double in size within 4-8 hours. Build it up per recipe use.

Notes

Potato water is the water that potatoes have been boiled in. The potatoes release their starch into the water as they cook. The potato water can then be used as a substitute for plain water and it makes your bread super moist.
To make potato water, wash and peel 1 large potato. Cut into cubes and add to pot. Cover with water and boil for about 10 minutes or until potato is soft. Drain potato water into a liquid measuring cup. Let cool before using in your recipe. Use cooked potato for another use.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 1037kcal (52%) Carbohydrates 225g (75%) Protein 25g (50%) Fat 2g (3%) Sodium 4670mg (195%) Potassium 267mg (8%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 35g (70%) Calcium 38mg (4%) Iron 11.6mg (64%)