Homemade Sourdough Starter

Ingredients

• 425 g High protein bread flour (Total amount used across 8 days; use high protein or bread flour for best results)
• 425 ml Filtered water (Total amount used across 8 days; use filtered water to avoid chlorine inhibiting yeast)

Steps

1. 1

   Day 01: In a clean glass jar, mix 25g of bread flour and 25ml of filtered water until it forms a thick paste.

2. 2

   Mix the paste well, cover the jar loosely, and let it sit at room temperature (around 24-29°C or 75-85°F) for 24 hours.

3. 3

   Day 02: Do not discard any of the mixture. In the same jar, add 50g of flour and 50g of water.

4. 4

   Mix well, cover loosely, and let it sit for another 24 hours at room temperature.

5. 5

   Day 03 to Day 05 (Repeat Daily): Start a new jar. Add 50g of the starter from the previous day, 50g of flour, and 50g of water. Discard the remaining old starter.

6. 6

   Mix well, cover loosely, and let it sit for 24 hours. Repeat this process once every 24 hours through Day 5.

7. 7

   Day 5 onwards (Repeat 2x Daily): In a new jar, add 50g of the starter, 50g of flour, and 50g of water.

8. 8

   Mix well, cover loosely, and let it sit for 12 hours. Repeat this feeding every 12 hours until Day 8.

9. 9

   Day 08: The starter is ready to be used when it consistently doubles in size at an average proofing temperature of 25-28°C.

10. 10

    Perform a float test before using: drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of water; if it floats, it is ready for baking.

Notes

If the starter does not double by Day 8, continue the 12-hour feeding cycle as long as there are no faulty smells. It is ideal to keep the starter in a cozy spot (25-28°C) to promote fermentation. Use a rubber band around the jar to track the height of the starter and monitor doubling.

Nutrition per serving

• sourdough
• starter
• baking
• bread
• vegetarian
• fermentation
• from scratch