Sourdough Starter: Super Easy - A Bountiful Love

Sourdough Starter: Super Easy

To my shock during the stay-at-home orders, the grocery store shelves were pretty much empty. It is not just the toilet papers (as you may all recall), the bread aisle too. However, to my delight, I did not worry about the empty shelves in the bread aisle. I already had my hands on my precious sourdough starter, 12 months before the chaos began. My family and I had been making delicious recipes from our starter. Several days and weeks after the stay-at-home order was announced, with people panicking..people also became creative. People started baking. Sourdough became a hit. I shared the recipe with friends and family. I shared it on Facebook. I shared it on Instagram. I want everyone to not be afraid of baking and making their own food from scratch. I must tell you, once you have tried to make your own bread or tortillas with sourdough...you will notice the difference. It will be hard to go back to our usual store-bought goodies. 


 Why am I an advocate of sourdough? Sourdough is fermented thus making it gut-friendly. When left to sit (you will understand this term below), lactobacillus (the good bacteria) breaks down and creates lactic acid which helps your gut better absorb the many nutrients in the bread. It is easily absorbed by our bodies and is good for blood sugar control Sourdough is also rich in Folate! You can read all the benefits and nutritional content HERE.


Are you ready to make your own starter now? It is easy, all you need is flour and filtered water. You have those two ingredients...you got this!





Ingredients:

1 cup of flour
1 cup of filtered water

Materials you will need:

glass bowl and mixing wooden spoon
glass jar (for storing)
largemouth funnel (optional)
Cheesecloth or Tea towel

Directions:

DAY ONE-  Mix the flour and filtered water (vigorously while scraping down the sides) in the glass bowl. Cover with a cheesecloth or a tea towel. I have used both and they did not harm the starter as long as you let the air in. Let it sit on your counter for 24 hrs.

DAY TWO- Discard half of the mixture. Add 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of filtered water into your bowl. Stir it like you mean it and cover.

DAY THREE TO  FIVE- Repeat the process.

DAY SIX AND SEVEN- Repeat the process and feed every 12 hrs instead of 24.

Note: There are discard recipes all over Pinterest. If you want, you can use the discard for recipes such as sourdough crackers, pancakes, or waffles (recipe coming soon). I'm sure by now, you are wondering why do you need to discard it. It is because, by day four, your bowl will overflow! Also, we need to feed the yeast properly with the right amount of flour and water so the beneficial yeast will work properly.

DAY SEVEN- Get your apron ready and your sourdough starter is ready! 




HOW ABOUT THE FEEDINGS?

Did I mention that I call my starter a pet and sometimes my baby? Because just like your pet and our babies, they do need "feedings". The beneficial yeast in your starter needs to be fed or given an equal amount of flour and filtered water. 

The proper maintenance of your starter (a.k.a proper feeding) will make your sourdough starter last for years! Even centuries and I am not kidding. You can pass it on to your kids, then to their own kids.



STORING

I store mine in the fridge when I don't plan on using it the next day or several days. You just need to feed it once a week. When I need to use it, I take my starter out of the fridge in the morning, feed it (I do wait a few minutes), and leave it in the counter overnight. The next day, it is all bubbly, active, and ready to use.



For example, I want to make a couple of sourdough recipes Monday morning. Sunday morning, I will pull it out from the fridge and feed it with equal amounts of flour and filtered water. You can put it back in the fridge for storing if you are not planning on using it every day.

If you plan on leaving it on your counter and plan to use it every day, you will need to feed it every day. Leaving your starter on your counter will keep the yeast active.



Other resources: I decided to only follow and read one blogger and you tuber when it comes to sourdough recipes. I did this because I like to make things simple as there are several ways in the net that may confuse you. I do love this lady, aside from the calmness that she exudes in her videos..her recipes are healthier and easier to follow. Her recipes are NOT complicated. Visit Farmhouse on Boone. You will love her too!


Why do I use a large mouth funnel?



Sometimes, the jar gets nasty with the dried starter. I like to transfer my starter to a glass bowl so I can clean my jar. also, it is easier to mix the starter that way.



   Do not be overwhelmed and be patient. I have heard some stories that their starter did not bubble or did not turn out the way they expect it to. There are also several videos on YouTube on how to troubleshoot your sourdough starter. Once you have learned how to make your starter and get it going, you will see the difference in the taste of most of the baked recipes you used to buy in the grocery stores. 

Don't forget to pin and share!



RECIPES TO TRY:






















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