How to make your own sourdough

Written by Anna Bembry on 9. July 2017 in Basics, Breadbasket, Cooking Techniques, Sourdough breads

Baking with sourdough is considered the King’s Discipline of bread baking. Sourdough begins with a combination of flour and liquid and can range from the classic starter made entirely with rye flour and water (like the one I’m sharing here with you) to a liquid batter of milk and cornmeal – with many variations in between. Every baker in the world has his/her own way to make and bake with sourdough. The recipe below is one that works best for me in most sourdough bread recipes.

How to make your own sourdough

Servings: 700 g
Time: 3 - 5 days
Difficulty: simple
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Ingredients

rye flour
water
a large jar with lid (your sourdough will expand during the fermentation and double its volume.)
time

Method

To prepare a sourdough, mix 100g of rye flour with 200ml of lukewarm water and leave the mixture at room temperature for 24 hours. The next day, add another 100g of flour and 100ml of water and set aside for another 24 hours. On the third day repeat the procedure, then observe. As soon as the dough forms bubbles and smells sour, it is ready for baking. Usually, it takes 3 – 5 days until the leaven is ready.

Storage

At room temperature: If you bake often – let’s say several times a week – store your sourdough at room temperature, loosely covered with a lid, and feed it once a day. This way your sourdough will stay active and ready to use faster.

In the fridge: If you don’t bake that often, store your sourdough in the refrigerator, loosely covered with a lid, and feed it once a week or so, to maintain its strength. You don’t have to warm it up before feeding or leave it at room temperature afterwards. However, when you are ready to make a dough, feed your sourdough at room temperature to reactivate it.