A step by step guide to help you grow your own starter.

Sourdough starters are a mysterious thing.

I am by no means an expert in how to look after your starter, but a good friend once told me to give it a name so you remember to feed it and don’t let it die.

Mine is called Archibald, those who know me will know why!

The good news is, that they are quite hard to kill, but the bad news is they take time to grow and ferment and the process can’t be rushed.

The process can take up to a week, but the older the better!

INGREDIENTS

Bread flour (or rye flour)
Room temp water

EQUIPMENT

1 ramekin
or
1 container with a lid
1 weighing scales
1 spoon / stirrer

To start:

• Deep clean a ramekin or plastic container.

• Mix 100g of strong white bread flour and 100g of water in the ramekin until it has totally combined.

• PLACE the lid on top of your container so that is IS NOT air tight. You want the natural yeasts in the environment to help with fermentaion.

• Leave it in your kitchen for 1-5 days, checking on it every day. Once you can see bubbles forming in the mixture its time to feed your starter.

Feeding your starter:

• Pour away half of the starter, and keep the remaining contents in the ramekin.

• Mix in 100g of white bread flour and 100g of water until totally combined.

• Leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

2nd feed:

• Pour away half of the starter, and keep the remaining contents in the ramekin.

• Mix in 100g of white bread flour and 75g of water until totally combined.

• Leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

3rd feed:

• Pour away half of the starter, and keep the remaining contents in the ramekin.

• Mix in 100g of white bread flour and 100g of water until totally combined.

• Leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

4th feed:

• Pour away half of the starter, and keep the remaining contents in the ramekin.

• Mix in 100g of white bread flour and 75g of water until totally combined.

• Leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

Repeat this alternating process for 4-7 days. You can use any type of strong flour to feed your starter, but I like to use something easy and cheap to get hold of. Always use the same flour to feed your starter.

You will know it is ready when it starts doubling in size in 24 hours, and there are many bubbles forming in the dough from the gasses released during fermentation. To test this you can drop a spoonful in a glass of water… if it floats, it’s ready!

Happy Baking!