Sourdough Bread Starter

Using my cute bee bowl, a gift from my brother. Let’s do this! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sourdough Bread Starter

It’s been on my bucket list for awhile now and here’s my chance, making sourdough bread starter.

I met my first sourdough bread in San Francisco as a kid. It’s been a personal and family favorite for years and the one item I used to carry back from my visits with my Aunt and Uncle who lived there.

Not sure this will match the flavor memories but I have to find out. It’s my understanding the longer the starter “lives,” the better it gets.

You can find these kinds of basic recipes in cookbooks like the American Encyclopaedia of Cooking and my personal favorite, my mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook.

Sourdough Bread Starter Recipe

You will need:

A glass or non-metalic bowl

1 Packet of active yeast

2 cups flour

2 cups warm water

Patience!

Moved up to a larger bowl to prevent bubbling over. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To make:

Add the yeast packet to warm water. Add flour. Make sure the container is large so that will collect any spill over.

Best place to wait, on top of my kitchen stove. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Place in a warm spot, which in my kitchen is on my stove.

Cover lightly.

Wait 4-8 days allowing the yeast to bubble.

When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use. If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over. Keep it in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.

When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour and water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So, if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. If a clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don't worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter, the alcohol bakes off and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains! Sourdough starters improve with age.

Recipe from allrecipes.com.

What to do next? Make sourdough bread, of course!

Charlotte