One of my 2011 resolutions is to start making more of our family's grocery staples from scratch - granola, yogurt, pancake mix, etc... and of course bread. I have an awesome Zojirushi breadmaker, but I'm guilty of not using it nearly enough. That's all about to change, and I'm starting with sourdough bread.
Since sourdough starter takes around five days to finish fermenting, I decided to get a head start and whip up my first batch this afternoon - and I certainly learned a thing or two in the process. Namely that sourdough starter rises.
Yes, in hindsight I suppose that should have been a given... But when the recipe instructed me to pour the starter into a quart-size container, I did, even though there wasn't much excess room.
Doesn't it look pretty in the mason jar? I covered it with cheesecloth and went about my business. Twenty minutes later I walked back into the kitchen and was horrified to see that my starter had risen through the cheesecloth and was spilling over onto the counter.
Really it was pretty comical, and I wish I'd thought to snap a picture, but I immediately went into cleanup mode. At least you won't make the same mistake!
Printable Recipe ↓
How To Make Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water, warmed to 105-115℉
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or honey
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients. You'll need yeast, flour, water, and either sugar or honey to feed the starter.
- Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water.
- Whisk together the remaining warm water, flour, sugar or honey, and dissolved yeast mixture.
- Cover the sourdough starter with cheesecloth and let stand at room temperature for 3-5 days, stirring three times daily. The starter is ready for use when it smells fermented and the vigorous bubbling ceases.
- When your sourdough starter is done fermenting, you may store it in the refrigerator in a covered plastic container.
Maintenance and Use of Sourdough Starter:
- To use your starter, first stir it up. Then measure out the amount of cold starter that you need, and then let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with your recipe.
- Replenish your starter by adding ¾ c. all-purpose flour, ¾ c. water, and 1 t. sugar or honey to remaining starter. Let stand at room temperature for a day, and then you can cover and place it back in the refrigerator.
- If you don't use your starter within 10 days, remove one cup of starter and add 1 cup of flour and ½ cup lukewarm water and stir well. You can then refrigerate it again immediately.
Once you get your sourdough starter going, check out the recipe for my bread machine sourdough loaf - simple and delicious!
Katie Kimball says
Tara, I'm a little crazy about homemade yogurt - I think everyone can and should do it! Hope it's not too bold to share my method with you so you have someplace easy to start on that goal. (And there are no dishes or fancy machine with my techniques.) https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/01/10/monday-mission-you-can-make-homemade-yogurt/
Enjoy! :) Katie
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Thanks, Katie! I've actually been meaning to look it up on your site because I recall you mentioning it at Blissdom. It's next on my list to try!
Kristi says
Thanks Tara! It is now smelling sourdoughy instead of YUCK!!! So, I'll try a loaf today!
Kristi says
I'm on day 2 with my starter and it's not really bubbling. Should I start over? I hate to waste a bunch of ingredients with bad starter. I used bread machine yeast in equivalence to a packet, is this ok?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Mine doesn't bubble much beyond the second day either. I'd say it's probably ready to use already, Kristi. With the warmer temperatures indoors this time of year, it will ferment much more quickly.
Kelly Merg says
Well, how did it come out? I'm dying here to know!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Hee hee — working on the post right now. It was delicious!
Kelly Perry says
looking forward to bread recipe!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I've got one in the bread machine right now. Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells!
Michele Hamilton says
Have you made the bread yet? Would LOVE to have the recipe!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I'm going to try the new recipe I mentioned above tomorrow. Hopefully it's "the one"! I guess I kind of jumped the gun by sharing my starter recipe before having a really good bread recipe to share also. Lesson learned, but I was excited to try something new, LOL.
Lacey says
Tara-
Can you post a picture of what your starter looks like? I have mine ready and am waiting for the next step.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Sure, I'll take one tomorrow when I have better light. Also a friend sent me a sourdough bread recipe to try that sounds promising, so maybe I'll give that a try and be able to share it too!
Mairi Brayton says
I've got the starter together and it's been 7 days and it has stopped bubbling and smells like a brewery. My question is, is it supposed to be like pancake batter, thinner or thicker? Mine is on the thin side. I hate to waste ingredients making bread if the starter isn't right. Please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Hi Mairi! It's sounds like it's just fine — it's definitely a little on the thinner side. You can see pictures of my starter in my Bread Machine Sourdough Loaf recipe post.
Jean says
A great book about making bread is called Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day. After you've got that down then try Healthy Bread In Five Minutes. If you make this bread then reuse the container (without washing) for a new batch you have a loaf similar to a sourdough without the trouble of a starter. Try the cinnamon rolls and frost with a cream cheese frosting - wow. My family also loves the peasant loaf and the rye. I recommend starting with the Artisan book first. There are things to learn before you start changing up ingredients and using vital wheat gluten.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I'm glad to hear that! I actually bought the book last week and just mixed up my first batch of dough last night. I didn't have a chance to bake a loaf today. I can't wait to try it and will definitely be posting about i!
Carrie says
Hi, Tara. I've been looking for a good bread starter. Thanks so much! Also, where do you get your recipes? Random places (like I do), or do you come up with them on your own? I'm always looking for good recipe resources. Thanks!
Tara says
Thanks, Carrie! It's actually a little bit of both — I'm always tearing new recipes out of magazines or bookmarking them online. Plus I have a huge cookbook collection. Sometimes I'll follow the recipe to a T, but most of the time I kind of just use them as inspiration and tweak them to my tastes or to use ingredients I have on hand.
lyn says
Hi!
I'm starting a personal blog to talk about weight loss, exercise, etc. I will want to feature a recipe once a week or so. What kind of a program/template are you using for recipes? It's beautiful and so crisp.
Tara says
Hi Lyn! I actually have been saving my recipes on Plan To Eat so I can use them in my meal planning easily. They have an option to export them as html, so I use that and then just paste it into my blog post. Pretty handy!
lyn says
Thanks. I'll have to check that out. Organizing recipes is on my list for 2011
Jessica S. says
Will this work with whole wheat flour?
Tara says
Yes, you can absolutely substitute whole wheat flour. I didn't have any on hand when I got the urge to try this or I would have used it.
Lori says
Oh gosh how I love sourdough starter!!!! I have a couple of favorite ones I've always used....I think I'll make some! Thanks for the reminder T:) You got great looking photos woman;)
Tara says
Thanks, Lori! If you have a good bread recipe, I'd love to hear it. I haven't been very impressed with the ones I've tried so far, which is why I haven't posted any...
Cathy says
I've been making friendship bread since doing a project with my son's class, https://cathy5boys.blogspot.com/2010/12/im-apologizing-already.html. I'd be happy to share some of that starter!
Denise Wilson says
Please share your recipe for the bread after you try it. I agree with Alicia; I need a tasty bread recipe. Looking forward to trying this!
Alicia C. says
I can't wait for the Sourdough Bread recipe! I've had starter in my fridge for 6 months that I have religiously been "feeding" every week. I've tried a few recipes, but they just lack in flavor. Maybe yours will be just what I'm looking for.
Oh, and, yes, they never do tell you to leave room for the atarter to rise, do they? That's one stinky mess! LOL