Sourdough Starter

Nothing more than flour and water, sourdough starter gives many classic artisan-style breads their classic flavor and their rise. While flour remains shelf-stable on its own, when you introduce it to water, whisking the two into a thick, doughy slurry, they attract wild bacteria and yeast. As the tiny microorganisms eat the sugars in the flour, they transform the flour’s natural, if subtle, sweetness into sourness. Similarly, as the yeast eat the flour, they produce gas, which allows the bread to rise, developing an airy crumb and a crisp bubbled crust. As your starter ages, it will develop its own unique flavor and characteristics that depend upon the environment of your home and the frequency with which you feed it. No two starters will give precisely the same results in flavor, rise, or texture. Once established, your starter will become as forgiving as an old friend—even after several weeks of neglect—and will spring back to its original liveliness with a little care. While a sourdough starter thrives on any kind of flour, I find that most starters do best when fed on high-extraction or all-purpose flour rather than whole grain flour, which can leave the starter with an off-putting flavor. For newcomers to sourdough baking, pinching a bit of an established starter from a friend or purchasing a starter online can help to ensure that your starter becomes established more quickly and with less room for error. Remember, once established, your starter will rise and fall with every feeding, so make sure that your jar remains no more than half full, lest it expand, lift the lid of your jar, and create a mess.

INGREDIENTS:

• High-extraction wheat flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, or bread flour
• Filtered water
• Sourdough starter, purchased or given by a friend (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Begin your sourdough starter by whisking ¼ cup flour with 3 tablespoons filtered water in a small bowl. If you happen to have a bit of sourdough starter given to you by a friend, whisk that in, too.
2. Pour the slurry into a 2-quart glass jar with a loose-fitting lid and let it sit for 12 hours. Come back to the jar and whisk in another ¼ cup flour and 3 tablespoons water, cover the jar, and let it sit at room temperature for another 12 hours. The next day whisk ½ cup flour and ⅓ cup water into your starter, and continue whisking ½ cup flour and ⅓ cup water into your starter twice a day until it begins doubling in volume within 12 hours of each feeding, typically in 3 to 5 days.
3. Once your starter doubles with each feeding, you can begin preparing sourdough breads and other baked goods. Either bake with it immediately, or transfer it to the refrigerator. Feed the starter 1 cup flour and ⅔ cup water at least twice a week, or each time you bake in order to keep it lively.

PROOFING YOUR STARTER BEFORE BAKING:

• Before baking with your starter, you want to ensure that the yeast in the starter is lively and active so that it can help your bread to rise and develop good flavor. To proof your starter, remove it from the refrigerator and feed it with 1 cup water and ⅔ cup flour. Allow it to rest at room temperature until it doubles in volume, about 12 hours. Then remove the amount of starter called for in the recipe and return the remaining sourdough starter to the refrigerator.