Making a sourdough starter for sourdough bread is quite easy, though does take some real commitment. You need to understand that you are effectively growing what can be thought of as a living organism – and in order to do that effectively, you will need to care and feed for it. Now don’t worry, that takes almost no effort – but plan to spend a few minutes every day at least for the first several days.
Day 1 (Just get started…):
If you’d rather, you can watch me make this starter on video here.
On the first day, we just need to get the the process started. As with most things in life, committing to something requires us to take a first step forward, and today you will do just that. To begin, you just need a few items:
- Water – 125-130 grams
- Flour (organic is best, rye or wheat flour) 100-105 grams
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Glass Jar with loose fitting lid, at least 1 quart in size
I know a lot of the recipes out there are quite specific, but we are working with a very natural process driven by naturally occurring organisms we can neither see nor control. Take the moment to appreciate that and don’t attempt to force perfection into an imperfect world. Baking should, first and foremost, be enjoyable. It’s too easy to buy prepared food these days not to ensure you enjoy yourself along the way.
So let’s get to it.
Step 1 (of 4): Weigh out your water into the jar
Step 2 (of 4) Add your flour on top of it.
Step 3 (of 4) Once you’ve added the right amount, mix it well.
Step 4 (of 4) Once thoroughly mixed, cover loosely and set somewhere warm – in the 70-80 degree range.
That is all there is to it. You are officially done for today and trust that nature is already beginning to work its magic.
There is no need to stress over a few grams here and there, the key is to get the water and flour mixed up well in the glass jar, loosely covered, and placed somewhere it will be kept between 70-80 degrees. An oven with a light on works, and in many homes sitting it out on the counter covered with a towel works just fine as well.