I love sourdough bread, it’s one of my favorite things to eat and I’ve always wanted to make my own sourdough starter but it requires some time to get going and I’ve never really had that kind of time until now.  Quarantine time is the perfect time to make a sourdough starter so I did!  The first one I tried ended up in the garbage but this second one worked really well, you just have to be patient.

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup water, room temperature

1  Stir together flour and water in a large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap that covers the whole surface of the bowl but don’t press it down or seal it tightly, let it breathe a bit.  Set in a warm (70 degrees) place and let stand for 24 hours.

2  Stir in another 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water.  Cover as directed above and let sit for another 24 hours.  Repeat this process for 5 – 7 days until mixture is bubbly and aromatic.

3  At this point your starter is ready to use.  I had a lot by this time so shared with some neighbors (4 to be exact) giving them each 1 cup and the instructions that I had been following.  I also made bread at this point which I will post about tomorrow.  (Spoiler alert – it was awesome!)

4  You can store the starter at room temperature and feed it everyday.  It will grow quickly and you can make a lot of bread or pancakes or waffles or whatever or you can  share it.  To slow it down, you can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week.  Let the starter come to room temperature before using.  When using, remove amount needed and then feed it.  Let it stand at room temperature for 24 hours before chilling again.  If your starter gets to be too much, discard half before feeding.

See?  Not so bad, you just have to be patient.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the sourdough bread recipe!

recipe from Better Homes and Gardens