Discover the power of natural fermentation. A sourdough starter is simply a mixture of flour and water that collects wild yeasts from the environment and from the flour to create a living, fermented culture. This starter replaces commercial yeast and gives your baked creations a unique flavor dimension and improved texture. Follow this 10-day feeding schedule to create and maintain your own active sourdough starter.
Ingredients
Whole grain gluten-free flour: at least 290 g total.
Options: sorghum flour, buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, amaranth flour, teff flour, millet flour, and quinoa flour.
I made my sourdough with sorghum flour.
Water
Instructions
Day 1:
In a clean glass jar, mix 50 grams of your chosen gluten-free whole grain flour with 60 grams of water. Stir well. If the mixture is extremely thick (thicker than pancake batter), add 10 grams of extra water. Loosely cover the bowl (e.g., with a paper plate or a clean cloth) and leave it on the counter for 24 hours (at room temperature).
Day 2:
Add 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water to the mixture in the bowl. Stir everything well. Cover loosely again and leave for 24 hours.
Days 3 and 4:
Repeat the feeding from the previous day: add 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water each day. Stir, cover loosely, and let rest for 24 hours each time.
Day 5:
Time to refresh! Remove about half of the starter (you don't need to weigh this precisely, it can be discarded). Then add the standard feeding: 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
Day 6:
Today, don't discard anything. Simply add 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Stir, cover, and leave for 24 hours.
Day 7:
Again, remove about half of the starter. Add 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover and leave for 24 hours.
Day 8:
Today is another build-up day: discard nothing, just feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover and leave for 24 hours.
Day 9:
For the last time, remove half of the starter and feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover and leave for 24 hours.
Day 10:
If all goes well, your starter should now look very bubbly and smell pleasantly sour. Your starter is now active! Now place the lid on the glass jar and seal the jar completely. Store the jar in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Maintenance and tips
Use a jar that is large enough because an active starter can double in volume after feeding!
Are you planning to bake gluten-free sourdough bread often? Then simply leave your starter on the counter and feed it at least once a day.
Not planning to bake every day? No problem! You can easily store your starter in the refrigerator. In the cold, the starter goes into a kind of "dormant state."
You don't really need to feed your starter every week if you don't bake weekly. Has your starter been in the refrigerator for a while (or even months)? You can easily bring it back to life just before you need it.
My method:
I only feed my starter when I know I'm going to bake. For example, if I need an active starter on Wednesday morning? Then I take it out of the refrigerator on Monday and start "waking it up":
Monday evening: Take the starter out of the refrigerator and feed it with 50g whole grain flour and 50g water. Stir it well and add a little extra water if necessary to get the right consistency. This activates the dormant yeasts. Put the starter back in the refrigerator.
Tuesday evening: Give the starter a second feeding (50g whole grain flour and 50g water). If you see that the starter is a bit runny, you can feed it with 50 grams of whole grain flour and 30g water. Let the starter rest on the counter (room temperature) until it has almost doubled in volume; depending on the thickness, it may not fully double. This takes an average of 8 to 10 hours.
Wednesday morning: Your starter is now ready to use in your recipe!
What is that layer of water on my starter? Sometimes you see a grayish or transparent layer of liquid on top of your starter. This is also called "hooch." Don't panic: this is a completely natural byproduct of the fermentation process.