Your own Sourdoug Starter
Last month we showed you how to easily make your own sourdough bread. But you don't have a starter? No problem, here we show you how to make your own sourdough starter!
![Our sourdough starter and one of the delicious sourdough breads.](/posts/2024-01-07_sourdough-partii/S1_hu80be5975370707dba12a86d276250815_2983140_320x0_resize_q10_h2_box.webp)
Georg is our bread baker! Two weeks ago, he revealed how he makes our delicious sourdough bread. The only challenge with sourdough bread: Where do you get the starter?
I made our first starter myself back then because it’s quite simple. Coincidentally, we stumbled upon a rye sourdough starter at a market, which we then took with us. Because there’s a rule with sourdough: The older, the better!
So, if you have no other way to get a sourdough starter, you can easily make one yourself.
Making Sourdough Starter
Day One
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Ensure that the jar is thoroughly washed and clean. As sourdough produces gas during the fermentation process, the container should not be completely airtight. Use either a mason jar with a lid but without rubber or a regular, sufficiently large screw-top jar (e.g., a pickle jar) with a small hole in its lid.
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Add 50g whole grain flour and 50 ml lukewarm water (~38°C) to the jar. Stir everything with a spoon until a lump-free batter forms. Then close the jar and let it sit in a warm place (25°C – 30°C) for 24 hours.
Day Two
- Open the jar and add another 50g whole grain flour and 50 ml lukewarm water (~38°C). Stir everything again with a spoon until a lump-free batter forms. Close the jar again and let it sit in a warm place (25°C – 30°C) for another 24 hours.
Day Three
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Open the jar and check the contents for mold. Typically, none should have formed, but it’s possible. If you discover mold, you must discard the contents and start again.
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If no mold is present, repeat the steps from the second day. Add 50g whole grain flour and 50 ml lukewarm water (~38°C), stir everything, close the jar again, and let it sit in its warm place (25°C – 30°C) for another 24 hours.
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Don’t worry if your sourdough starter has already developed a slightly sour or vinegary smell. It could also have a slightly unpleasant odor. As long as no mold forms, it’s acceptable. However, if mold appears, you must start over.
Day Four
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Ideally, the sourdough should have risen significantly today and have a sour smell.
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If that’s not the case, repeat the steps from the third day.
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If the sourdough has risen and no longer has an unpleasant smell, congratulations! You have successfully cultivated your own sourdough, now known as a sourdough starter.
Hints
Your sourdough starter may not be very active at first, BUT: It gets better with time. The older it gets, the better it ferments. So, don’t give up right away! To support it, you can add a bit of yeast to the bread dough (CAUTION!!! NOT IN THE STARTER). 2g are enough to make the bread dough beautifully fluffy
Depending on the flour you use, you’ll get a wheat, rye, or spelt sourdough. We always keep our starter “pure” by using only the same type of flour we used at the beginning.