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Sourdough Starter
A reliable sourdough starter is the foundation of great homemade bread. This simple mixture of unbleached bread flour, whole wheat flour, and filtered water ferments over a week to create a robust wild yeast culture. The daily feeding process develops a complex, sweetly sour aroma and strong rising power. Once established, this active culture can live indefinitely in your refrigerator to leaven countless loaves of rustic sourdough.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (65 g) unbleached organic bread flour, plus more as directed
- ½ cup (55 g) whole wheat flour, plus more as directed
- ½ cup (120 ml) tepid filtered water, plus more as directed
Instructions
- 1Mix the unbleached bread flour, whole wheat flour, and tepid filtered water in a medium bowl using your hands until fully incorporated. Move the blended dough into a clean glass jar.
- 2Place a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and fasten it tightly with a rubber band. Leave the jar undisturbed at room temperature for 24 hours.
- 3Remove and discard all but 120 grams of the fermented mixture from the jar. Stir in another half cup of unbleached bread flour, half cup of whole wheat flour, and half cup of water until smooth.
- 4Continue this exact feeding process once a day for approximately one week. Watch for the mixture to become highly active and bubbly, double in volume, and develop a pleasant sour aroma similar to yogurt, indicating the culture is ready to use.
- 5Store the mature culture in the refrigerator with a tight-fitting lid to slow down fermentation. Build a fresh levain from this cold culture the day before you plan to bake bread.
- 6Maintain the culture by feeding it the same ratio of flours and water at least twice a week. Keep it at room temperature for daily baking or in the refrigerator for less frequent use to ensure it survives indefinitely.
- 7Assign a name to your new wild yeast culture to follow traditional baking customs. Monitor its health and activity levels closely as you begin baking your first loaves.