Create a sourdough starter and you’re on the way to baking your own sourdough bread.
Choose a clear jar or bowl so you can see when your starter starts to ferment. There should be enough room for your starter to expand as it will ‘grow’ as it starts to bubble and ferment.
It better to cover the container with plastic as if the mix pulls in too many wild yeasts from the air there is a chance of it going off/too sour.
Developing a Sour Starter (‘Mother’)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or jar. Cover and let ferment 48 hours at 25 ºC, or 24 hours at 35 ºC
First feed:
Add ingredients & mix until combined. Keep 330g of this first feed, cover & let ferment for 24hours at 25ºC.
Second Feed
Add ingredients to 1st feed & mix until combined then mix for 2 mins. Keep 330g of this feed. Let ferment for 12 hours at 25ºC.
Third Feed
Same method as 2nd Feed. But keep all of the dough. Let ferment for 12 hours at 25ºC.
Use the 3rd step as the ongoing feed and it should be done daily if kept outside the refrigerator. If Starter is kept in the refrigerator it could be fed every couple of days. Refrigerated temp does not mean in a fridge that gets opened and closed 10-15 times a day!
Refrigeration at constant temp will slow your starter down.
Starter will become more acidic if fermented at a colder temp (20hours @ 15ºC).
Once this starter is cultivated after 5 days it should be strong enough to start using in your sourdoughs.
You will use around 300g to 800g of the Starter per kilo of flour in your sourdough loaves. Recipes will specify an amount to use. If you are a skilled baker you can judge for yourself.
Mother/Starter is another term widely used to describe the sourdough culture.
As you are getting your Starter underway, for the first few feeds you will discard around half the fermented dough. This can be used to make crumpets in the frying pan. People also bake crackers with the discard.
