How to make Sourdough Starter For Beginners

5 from 1 vote

How to make Sourdough Starter For Beginners

This easy Sourdough Starter for beginners, will help you make active and bubbly sourdough starter in the fastest time-frame, with the least effort.

Prep Time2

Cook Time1

Waiting Time10

Total Time10 3

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Servings: Sourdough starter culture

Author: Bincy Chris

Equipment

1 Straight sided glass container
Spatula

Ingredients

250 g Bread flour
50 g Whole wheat flour we can use whole grain flours like rye or spelt

Instructions

What is a sourdough starter
A sourdough starter is just a mix of fermented flour and water that can be used to make healthy and delicious sourdough bread.
Day 1: Mixing Flour and Water
Begin by mixing equal parts flour and water in a small bowl.
Stir until well combined, keep it in a glass container, cover loosely with a lid or can use a cling film. I pricked the cling film with a tooth pick so that air can pass through it.
Let it rest at room temperature (ideally around 70 F) for 24 hours. This initial mixture sets the stage for the fermentation process to begin.
Day 2: Stir and Transfer
On the second day, You will see some small air bubbles here and there.
On Day 2, we don’t need to do much.
Just give your mixture a gentle stir.
Transfer it to a clean jar or container.
Cover and let it rest at room temperature (ideally around 70 F) for 24 hours.
Days 3-7: Daily Feedings
For the next five days, start feeding your sourdough starter, every 24 hours in the ratio 1:1:1. Take some starter, mix it with equal parts of flour and water. So take 30 g starter, mix it with 30 ml water and 30 g flour.
Cover the jar and let it rest at room temperature (ideally around 70 F) for 24 hours.
On Day 3, you will see some large air bubbles on top which indicates, some active fermentation happening behind.
On Day 4, you may not see much activity; which is normal.
Please don’t discard it. Just keep on feeding the starter.
From Day 5, you will see good fermentation activity going on and you will also notice that our starter will rise and fall during this 24 hour duration.
By the end of seventh day , you will get a weak starter. To make it strong, from Day 8 onwards, we need to start feeding it every time when it reach its peak.
Once you reach day 8, your sourdough starter should begin to show good signs of activity.
Keep a close eye on it and feed it every time it reaches its peak.
This frequent feeding helps maintain the vigor of your starter.
By day 10, your sourdough starter should be vibrant, lively, and ready to work its magic in your bread dough.
It should possess a pleasant yeast aroma, a hint of sourness, and be filled with airy bubbles.
To test its readiness, drop a spoonful of starter into a bowl of water. It should float.
If you feel like your sourdough starter is not yet ready, just keep on feeding it for a few more days. It will be ready in another few days.

Video

Notes

Even though we can use any type of flour for making sourdough starter, I prefer to use a mix of bread flour and whole grain flour (I mixed in the ratio 5:1)