What do flour, water, and a little bit of patience have in common? Apparently, the power to turn you into the kind of person who says things like “My starter is hungry.” Welcome to my two-part sourdough journey. In this post, we’ll cover how I created my bubbly little jar of magic (a.k.a. a sourdough starter). In the next part, we’ll turn her into an actual loaf of bread. Because what good is a pet jar of flour and water if it doesn’t end in carbs?
The Recipe: Sourdough Starter (Part 1)
Here’s exactly what I used to get my starter up and running in 7 days:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (any unbleached flour works great)
- ¾ cup room-temperature water (filtered if possible)
- A glass jar or container (clear sides = maximum bubble admiration)
- A spoon or spatula
- A little patience (okay, maybe a lot)
The Process (Part 2)
- Day 1: Mix flour and water in your jar until smooth. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature.
- Days 2–7: Every 18–24 hours, discard about 75% of the starter, then feed with 1 cup of flour and ¾ cup water. Stir well.
- Day 3: You’ll start to see bubbles and smell that tangy, slightly yeasty aroma. She’s alive!
- Day 7: She doubled in size within 8 hours. Translation? She’s ready.
Now that our starter is officially alive, bubbly, and doubling like it just discovered caffeine, it’s time for the real fun…turning him/her into an actual loaf of sourdough bread. In Part 2, we’ll take this jar of tangy magic and transform it into the crackly, chewy, golden-brown loaf you’ve been waiting for. Get your oven mitts ready… things are about to get toasty.
Check out part 2 where I make sourdough with our new active starter.
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