A sourdough starter is a natural way to rise bread. Essentially, it’s a live active culture made of fermented flour and water that is full of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Creating one is much easier than you would think!
Why Sourdough?
Sourdough bread has been around for thousands of years and has been enjoyed by many cultures around the world. Unlike commercial yeast, sourdough starter is made by naturally occurring wild yeast and bacteria that are present in the environment. The natural cultivation of yeast provides the quintessential, tangy sourdough flavor to your bread, and also packs some health benefits:
- Improved Digestion
Sourdough bread is easier to digest than regular bread due to the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough starter. This helps break down complex carbohydrates and gluten. This means that people with gluten sensitivity or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may find sourdough bread easier to tolerate than other breads. [Disclaimer: this does not make the bread gluten free, so people with celiac and/or intense reactions to gluten should still avoid sourdough bread]
- Better Blood Sugar Control
Sourdough has a lower glycemic index than regular bread, so, your blood surgar levels don’t spike as fast when consuming. This can be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes or those trying to manage their blood sugar levels.
- Increased Nutrient Absorption
The fermentation process in sourdough increases the availability of nutrients such as iron, zinc, and magnesium, allowing them to more easily absorbed by the body.
- Rich in Prebiotics
Sourdough bread is a rich source of prebiotics, which are non-digestible carbohydrates that feed the beneficial bacteria in our gut. This can help improve gut health, boost the immune system, and reduce inflammation.
Sourdough History
Sourdough bread has been around for thousands of years and is a staple food in many cultures around the world. The first recorded use of sourdough dates back to ancient Egypt, where bakers discovered that fermenting dough with wild yeast and bacteria (i.e., using a sourdough starter) created a lighter, more flavorful bread.
During the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s, miners flocked to the San Francisco, creating a high demand for bread. However, the traditional yeast used for making bread did not fare well in San Francisco’s cool and damp climate. This lead bakers to turn to a wild yeast that could survive in the conditions. Wild yeast, which was naturally present in the air and flour, was used to make sourdough bread. Understandably so, the sourdough bread became incredibly popular in the city. Over time, San Francisco developed a reputation for its sourdough bread, with the unique flavor and texture of the bread becoming synonymous with the city.
Today, sourdough remains a beloved staple of San Francisco’s food culture, with many bakeries still using traditional methods to make the bread. The city even has its own “Sourdough Club,” which aims to preserve the art of sourdough baking and educate people about its history and importance to the city’s culinary traditions. This sourdough starter will help you get in on this delicious history!
How to Make a Sourdough Starter:
To make a sourdough starter, you’ll need:
- Whole wheat flour or rye flour (organic is best)
- Water
- A mason jar (or other glass container with a removable lid)
- a food scale (optional, but encouraged)
That’s it!
Sourdough Starter Day 1
Mix 100g cup of whole wheat flour (or rye flour) with 150g of water in a glass jar. Stir the mixture until it’s well combined and there are no lumps or dry flour pockets. Once well combined, loosely cover the jar and place it in a warm spot for 24 hours. If you have a bread prover, or bread rising mat that is ideal. However, the countertop or on top of your fridge are great places as well!
Sourdough Starter Day 2
After 24 hours, scoop out about 2/3 of your sourdough starter and throw it in the trash, this is your discard. Add in 50g of whole wheat flour (or rye flour), 50g of all purpose flour, and 100g of water into the glass jar with the remaining 1/3 of your sourdough starter. Mix until well combined, loosely cover, and place the jar back in its warm spot for 24 hours.
Sourdough Starter Day 3
Follow the instructions for Day 2!
Sourdough Starter Day 4
Follow the instructions for Day 2!
By this time, your mixture should have started to bubble and expand in between feedings. This means the wild yeast and bacteria are starting to grow and that your starter is almost ready to bake with! If you do not have activity yet, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes the temperature and humidity of our environments slow the growth of a starter. Either way, keep going!
Sourdough Starter Day 5
Follow the instructions for Day 2!
Sourdough Starter Day 6
Follow the instructions for Day 2!
Tip: A good way to test whether your starter is alive and strong enough to bake with is to mark the top of the starter mixture once fed, by drawing a small line on the outside of your jar with a dry erase marker. If the starter bubbles and doubles in size within a 5-6 hour period it is ready to bake with!
Sourdough Starter Day 7
Congratulations, by now, you should have a beautiful, active, bubbly starter that is ready to bake with!
If you’re still not sure whether your starter is ready to bake with, after you feed your starter, let it sit in a warm spot for about 5-6 hours. Once it is doubled in size, take a small spoonful of the starter and drop it into a glass of water. If the starter floats, it is ready to use! If it sinks, keep feeding it for a few more days until it’s active enough to float.
Maintainance
For Day 7 and beyond, you can switch to feeding your starter with just all purpose flour. If you choose to leave your starter at room temperature, you will need to continue to feed it every 24 hours by discarding about 2/3 of the mixture and feeding it with equal parts flour and water.
However, if you do not intend to bake bread every day (which most of us do not), it is perfectly fine to store your starter in the refrigerator. If you choose to store it in the refrigerator, you will need to remember to pull it out of the fridge, discard, and feed it once a week. Remember, when doing so, to allow it to sit out at room temperate for an hour or so, so that the activation process can start prior to returning it to the refrigerator.
Typically, I bake a loaf of sourdough bread every Sunday. So, I take my starter out of the refrigerator Saturday morning, so that I can start the feeding process.
I hope this helps! I have plenty of bread recipes tagged below! Happy baking!
Simple & Delicious Sourdough Bread
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