Make Your Own Sourdough Starter
I stumbled into the world of fermenting – quite literally. I never really knew it existed! But after I found myself enjoying kombucha made in my own kitchen, and then milk kefir, I realized it was a great investment of the little bit of time it takes to give my family the goodness and benefits fermentation offers.
Did you know fermented foods are easier to digest?
Did you know they are full of good bacteria that help wage a war on bad bacteria?
Did you know there are good yeasts that control candida (a bad yeast) and are immune system boosters?
I didn’t – until I stumbled. Visit BodyEcology for a great reference regarding bacterias and yeast and the fermentation process.
Among the many foods in the world of fermentation, we have SOURDOUGH! I want to talk to you about making your own sourdough starter from which you can make several items – not just beautiful sourdough bread!
Not to worry, though. If you are not confident about starting your own, Cultures for Health has a starter you can buy online and still get the same great benefits! 🙂
The simple steps to making your own sourdough starter involve unbleached flour and water. That’s it!
There is a wild yeast that is present on grains, in the air, etc. And what you are doing is creating an environment for that yeast to grow and thrive. The result will be some of the most lovely sourdough you ever want to taste!
Basically your starter is begun with
4 oz unbleached flour (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
4 oz of water (1/2 cup)
Whisk together in a ceramic or glass bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and keep it in an average temperature environment between 70-75 degrees.
You will be feeding your starter the same measurements of flour and water as above each day for the next 3 days. (I have found my starter requires feeding more often but you can tell it is needed when it is no longer bubbly and it starts to form a bit of a liquid layer across the top.)
On the following day your starter would be ready to use. It should reach a bubbly frothy condition that indicates the yeast is thriving. We’ll be updating our site with some great recipes to use your starter with. But don’t forget! – The remaining starter that isn’t used in your baking recipe still needs to be fed as well to keep it healthy and ongoing.
TheKitchn has fabulous instructions on the starter making process!
I have also been currently working with a starter that originally came from Cultures for Health that I received from my lovely friend and owner (along with her husband, Elisha) of Balm of the Earth, Elizabeth Somerville.
It is so easy and my family is SO HAPPY. Win // Win !!
I am here to tell you —I have loved this starter. I thought it may be a bit of a pain to feed it but I feel like I’m keeping something very VALUABLE going.
Do you think you’ll try it? Or have you already? We can’t wait to hear from you – let us know what you plan to bake with yours and how much you love it!
I did not know that fermented foods were easier to digest. I like that it doesn’t have lots of ingreds. Thanks for posting. Looks yummy!!!!
This is very interesting! I didn’t know a lot of what you shared.
Thanks Amber, it’s been very recent for me – I find it interesting too! ~Jayne
This is all way beyond me, but I’m hoping to talk my husband into doing it.
Triplezmom recently posted…I Have A Little Crush. I Also Need Advice.
Triplezmom, great strategy! hehe My husband has said more than a few times ‘don’t forget to feed that starter – it would be a shame to lose it.’ Thanks for dropping a line! ~Jayne
It was one of my health resolutions to add in fermented foods every day. So far so good. I make my own sour cream and yogurt. I eat miso, kimchi, sauerkraut…. I was having ACV and need to get back into it. I’ll have to bookmark this post!
Meredith Elizabeth recently posted…Do you know who to blame?
Meredith – that’s awesome! I hope you find great success with your health resolutions! I want to start fermenting kimchi and sauerkraut. I do have a batch of ACV I just made that’s ready now! So much health benefit for very little money!!! ~Jayne
I remember hearing about this a very long time ago. Good to know. You don’t always associated fermented as being healthy for you.
Bella Vida Letty recently posted…Oven Baked Spinach Kale Ricotta Frittata Recipe
Bella Vida, I am learning a lot about lactofermentation! – it’s been around for an amazingly long time – but our culture has become so dependent on a processed, bland diet. I find it very interesting and I’m feeling great since introducing so many good bacterias into my diet 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! ~Jayne
I had no idea fermented foods had so many benefits! I don’t know why I have never thought of making my own sourdough because I LOVE it, but now I think I am going to have to give it a try! Thanks Laura!
Jen recently posted…Chunky Slow Cooker Tortellini Chicken “Noodle” Soup
Jen – the process of lactofermentation is so interesting to me. I am feeling so good since I started adding so many good bacterias into my diet! – My next attempt will be either kimchi or sauerkraut! (I’ve been doing kombucha with green tea and also I’ve have batches of milk kefir – there are so many uses and I’m really enjoying it!
Milk Kefir
I have heard of the health benefits of fermented or aged foods. One that comes to mind is kimchi- my close friend who is of Korean decent raves about it.
My taste buds have been corrupted by sweet breads like the Hawaiian bread.
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Bola – mine too! I’ve been thinking a lot of trying to ferment some kimchi – i don’t have a clue what I’m doing yet…bt I will! I think I’d rather try that than sauerkraut. And maybe beets on the horizon. It’s so interesting to me… our culture has come so far away from many things so good for us! ~Jayne
Thank you for sharing.
Passed to Mark as he is a baker in our home 😉
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Agatapokutycka, I hope you enjoy! Here’s the recipe using that starter to make bread if you didn’t catch that post… Sourdough Bread
I’m excited to feed my flour and make starter!! We love this bread, and it’s expensive so this will help greatly.
Amy Desrosiers recently posted…Mini Chocolate Cream Pies Made with Fillo Dough Shells
Don’t tell anybody Amy but I’ve actually at one point had to set aside a bit of starter to make ANOTHER starter! … my family is loving the bread but I wanted to have some to play with… crackers, tortillas, biscuits, pizza… so good… I will probably never make another type dough again!
This really intrigues me because we are sourdough lovers and it is hard to find good sourdough in Emmetsburg, Iowa and the surrounding area. We usually have to travel to a Panera Bread but the last 3 times they were out. It is frustrating that they don’t just make more. Anyway, thanks for sharing this at #HomeMattersParty I am definitely pinning!
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Hi Michelle,
Thank you so much I hope you find making it at home is so easy 🙂