Sourdough Starter Tips for Beginner Bread Bakers
A Non-Expert’s Process For Starting a Starter
Before I get started with sharing sourdough recipes, I want to talk a little bit (or a lot a bit ) about sourdough starter for anyone interested in trying their own.
I feel like the “sourdough movement” that happened in 2020 (and seems to still be going strong) has done a lot of good for getting people back in their kitchens and playing around with homemade pantry staple items, which I LOVE. The biggest reason I do what I do is so these skills and techniques don’t die out in the face of convenience. It does my heart good to see so many not willing to give up on homemade, body-nourishing, and heart-filling bread.
On the flip side, I do think a negative side effect is that it has made sourdough seem a little more complicated than it really is. There are so many people out there saying “Do it this way!”, and all the ways they’re doing it seem to be just a little different. Or just a little complicated. Or just a little time-consuming. So.. What is the right way?
I’m not an expert. All I can tell you is my experience in the last 9 months since picking up this skill. You may disagree with it, and that is perfectly okay. Because the conclusion I’ve come to when it comes to sourdough starter and bread is that the right way to do it is really whatever way works best for you and your starter.
I’m also doing this because my starter has NEVER given me a problem. I’ve left it in the fridge for months at a time, and it always wakes right back up on the first feed. This process worked crazy well for me, and it has given me a starter that makes bread with a good rise that tastes *chef’s kiss*. Nice and sour and hearty. I’m not saying it’s fail-proof because you don’t know that until it fails or doesn’t, but so far, it’s been smooth sailing.
So, here was my process. Take it or leave it.
How I started my starter:
Rye Flour and water.
The bacteria and yeast that you’re trying to attract and grow love whole grains. The more fiber content in your starter, the happier the colony. Rye flour also has higher enzyme activity than whole wheat or unbleached flour, which makes it a great host for a newly forming yeast colony.
Time.
It took my starter about 2 weeks to get healthy and ready to use. If I remember correctly, it started growing in about 2 days. I fed twice daily with rye flour (every 12 hours) and discarded as needed when I had too much in the jar (PSA: The discard from this starter can’t be used because it has bad bacteria along with the good. For me, it just went in the trash). After about a week, all activity stopped and it started smelling heavily like alcohol. The color changed a little bit, and I thought it was dead. Nope! It was just the good bacteria wiping out all of the bad bacteria. I kept feeding it all throughout this process, and one day, I woke up to an active starter that smelled like bread. Win! I fed it for 2 more days after that just to strengthen the yeast colony as much as possible, and then I tested it on my first loaf and it worked perfectly. (The discard is now safe to use if you choose to do so.)
That’s it?
Since my starter has gotten healthy, I’ve been amazed at how invincible it has seemed. I store it in my fridge and only take it out and feed it how much I need for the recipe I’m making. (It’s been in there for months at a time.) I never have any discard or waste. I also don’t always weigh my ingredients when I’m feeding. I just dump in some flour and add water until it’s the consistency and volume that I’m looking for. (I like mine to be muffin batter consistency after I feed.)
4. Throwing This One In For Free.
I do a lot of baking with whole wheat flour, so, to save a few dollars, once my starter was healthy and established, I switched from feeding with rye flour to feeding with 100% stone ground whole wheat flour. Walter couldn’t tell a difference and he stayed just as healthy. But I do highly recommend using rye flour to start your starter if you can.
5. What I don’t do:
I don’t bother with always using purified water instead of tap. I don’t bother with never using a metal spoon to stir my starter. I don’t bother with discarding (after my starter was established). I don’t feed regularly and I just store it in the fridge when I’m not using it. I don’t bother with feeding ratios. I don’t bother with treating my starter like it’s my actual child (even though I did give him a name and feel very sentimental about him. )
Sourdough Recipes:
Main takeaways:
Rye flour gave me a great start. Whole grains have helped sustain it. The first two weeks are gonna be a little rocky and you have to be a little more devoted to the project. Just keep feeding and trust the process. Once your starter is healthy and doubling in size as you need it to, use it, feed it, and then throw it in the fridge until you need it again. Also, breathe. If your starter isn’t working, there IS bread at the store so you can feed your family.
Shop Basic Sourdough Tools:
Before I end here, I do want to say that if all you have in your pantry right now is bleached, All Purpose flour… Use it. Go for it. TRY. I can’t speak to what the result will be because that isn’t the route I’ve gone, but I can tell you for darn sure that you aren’t the first one to ever do it. I promise, sourdough isn’t as fragile as the internet would have you believe so they can sell you their sourdough tips. Use that AP flour and do it with confidence. Just trust the process and look for bubbles and growth. It really is so fun when you see it starting to work.
With love,
Your Baker, Hannah