How to Make a Sourdough Starter?
For this process, I’m using Maurizio’s method from The Perfect Loaf. I love what he does with his sourdough starter, and we met last November, so I could contact him with any questions.
His method worked PERFECTLY for me, and I never even had to write to him, haha. It takes about a week to reach the point where you can use your sourdough starter for baking. Read to the end, though, where I tell you the REAL indicator of when you can start using it.
Day 1 – flour and water
On day 1, we mixed the flour and water for the first time (let the adventure begin!). I used only rye flour, as Maurizio recommends, but you can also use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour without baking powder. I recommend doing these steps in the mornings. Have breakfast, and have breakfast with your sourdough starter.
- Place the container you have chosen on the scale and click on “Tare”, “Zero,” or whatever your scale has to zero it with the new weight on top.
- Put 100g of flour (rye, wholemeal, or regular) and 150g of water inside. If the water is frozen because it’s winter, mix it with a small amount of warm water. It should still feel cool to the touch but not cold and definitely not hot. Mix.
- Cover the container and place it over a bowl. The bowl will help catch any overflowing sourdough starter, making cleanup easier. Leave it like this until the next day at the same time. Keep it in a place that isn’t too cold and definitely out of direct sunlight. This last point applies indefinitely. Don’t put it in the refrigerator yet; you can do that later, but for now, we need it to be at its most active.
Day 2 – Is anybody there?
24 hours later, you may or may not see any activity. It may grow a lot, a little, or not at all. Mine didn’t grow at all, and I didn’t see a single sign of activity. Keep going.
On day two, you’ll use half wheat flour and half rye (or wholemeal) flour, or you can continue with just wheat flour. Set aside 75g of the mixture from the previous day (compost it or discard the rest).
Return the 75g to the container (no need to wash it) and mix it with 50g of rye flour, 50g of wheat flour, and 125g of water. Mix, cover, and you’re done. Remember that it’s best to use lukewarm water, especially during the winter months.
Day 3 – Hey! There might be someone there.
24 hours later, you might see a couple of bubbles, or you might experience what I did: wake up and find your sourdough starter has overflowed due to its high activity.
Again, take 75g of the mixture from the previous day (compost it or discard the rest) and add 50g of rye flour, 50g of wheat flour (or 100g of just wheat flour), and 125g of water.
Days 4, 5 and 6 – I see we have a demanding relationship
Today we’re starting to feed the sourdough starter (I hope it has a name by now – mine’s a boy and his name is Joe) twice a day. Yes, demanding, I know.
In the morning, you should see activity, and you’ll add back what we did on day 3: 75g of the previous day’s mix, 50g of rye flour, 50g of wheat flour (or 100g of just wheat flour), and 125g of water. Repeat the same process 12 hours later.
At this stage, the smells coming from your sourdough starter will be varied: alcohol, fermentation, acidity, etc. It’s not very pleasant, but I want you to know that they improve a lot over time, and it will smell more like beer.
Day 7 and forever – I’ve got the rhythm now
From day 7 onwards, we do the same but with less of the initial 12-hour starter. Use 50g of the starter and add 50g of rye flour, 50g of wheat flour (or 100g of wheat flour), and 100g of water. Repeat this every 12 hours.
Lorena, tell me once and for all when I can use it to make bread
Okay, okay. I advise you to listen to me on this because I didn’t follow Maurizio’s advice and the bread didn’t turn out. The moment you can make bread is when your sourdough starter grows predictably. This means that it always reaches its peak activity at the same time.
As you can see in the photo, it helps to put a rubber band on it to see where it started when you mixed it and to observe the growth. Once you see that your sourdough starter grows the same every day, you can use it to make bread.
