Ingredients
Steps
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
Servings:
varies
Scale:
Scale
0.25
0.5
1
2
3
4
5
6
Steps
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Nutrition Facts
Nutrition facts are based on 1 serving. If servings is not specified, 6 is assumed for the total
recipe.
-
Calories250kcal12%
-
Fat1g0%
-
Saturated Fat0g0%
-
Carbohydrates50g2%
-
Fiber8g0%
-
Sugar0g0%
-
Protein10g0%
-
Cholesterol0mg0%
-
Sodium0mg0%
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Notes
Why do you need to discard half the sourdough starter? It seems so wasteful... But unless you discard starter at some point, eventually you'll end up with a very large container of starter. Also, keeping the volume down offers the yeast more food to eat each time you feed it; it's not fighting with quite so many other little yeast cells to get enough to eat.
If you're uncomfortable dealing with discard, though, try maintaining a smaller starter: the smaller the starter, the smaller the amount of discard.
Why does this sourdough starter begin with whole grain flour? Because the wild yeast that gives sourdough starter its life is more likely to be found in the flora- and fauna-rich environment of a whole grain flour than in all-purpose flour. What if all you have is all-purpose flour, no whole wheat? Go ahead and use all-purpose.
Tap water is fine.
A note about room temperature: the colder the environment, the more slowly your starter will grow. If the normal temperature in your home is below 68°F, we suggest finding a smaller, warmer spot to develop your starter.
Conditions vary so widely that 7 days can be far too little. I've learned the key is to watch for a dramatic and consistent rise in the jar — at least doubling between 1 and 4 hours after feeding. This could be 7 days or less after you begin, or it could be three weeks (for me it was 12 to 14 days). I would encourage you to consider tweaking your wording a bit to guide bakers to watch for this phenomenon, rather than watch the calendar.
If you're uncomfortable dealing with discard, though, try maintaining a smaller starter: the smaller the starter, the smaller the amount of discard.
Why does this sourdough starter begin with whole grain flour? Because the wild yeast that gives sourdough starter its life is more likely to be found in the flora- and fauna-rich environment of a whole grain flour than in all-purpose flour. What if all you have is all-purpose flour, no whole wheat? Go ahead and use all-purpose.
Tap water is fine.
A note about room temperature: the colder the environment, the more slowly your starter will grow. If the normal temperature in your home is below 68°F, we suggest finding a smaller, warmer spot to develop your starter.
Conditions vary so widely that 7 days can be far too little. I've learned the key is to watch for a dramatic and consistent rise in the jar — at least doubling between 1 and 4 hours after feeding. This could be 7 days or less after you begin, or it could be three weeks (for me it was 12 to 14 days). I would encourage you to consider tweaking your wording a bit to guide bakers to watch for this phenomenon, rather than watch the calendar.