Sourdough Starter

I’m new to this, so I am still very excited! Here are the steps I followed to develop my sourdough starter:

Day 1: Mix 60 g flour with 60 g water in a jar with a lid loosely placed. Add nothing else and leave it in a warmish place. I just keep mine in a cereal bowl on the kitchen counter (the bowl is to catch any overflow if it rises tremendously, but that’s only happened once). Place a rubber band around the jar to indicate the level of the mixture so you can see how it rises and shrinks.

Day 2: Just look at it – don’t add anything. You might notice the brown liquid on top and it may start to smell strong, but that’s all normal.

Day 3: Pour off the brown liquid from the top and scoop away and discard about half of the starter. Add another 60 g flour with 60 g water and stir it in. The strong vinegary reek is an indication the fermentation is underway, so don’t worry, it will disappear after a few days. You will notice some bubbles and the starter will have grown in size.

Days 4, 5 and 6: Each day, pour off the liquid from the top, scoop out about half of what’s in there and add another 60 g flour with 60 g water, stir it in.

Day 7: Your starter should have lots of air bubbles, be a bit spongy and approximately twice the size it was. It shouldn’t stink either. Move it into a clean container and keep feeding it each day.

Your starter needs a name. Ours is called ‘Jeff’.