Sourdough Starter Recipe

Sourdough Starter

Recipe by: Esther Nelson

"Make your starter in a glass container and store in the refrigerator after fermentation has occurred."

Ingredients

Original recipe yields 15 servings (3 cups)

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1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 cups warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour
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Directions

In large non-metallic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups warm water, and 2 cups all purpose flour and cover loosely.
Leave in a warm place to ferment, 4 to 8 days. Depending on temperature and humidity of kitchen, times may vary. Place on cookie sheet in case of overflow. Check on occasionally.
When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use. If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over. Keep it in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.
When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour and water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So, if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. If a clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don't worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter, the alcohol bakes off and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains! Sourdough starters improve with age, they used to be passed down generation to generation!
Use this starter to make the Sourdough Chocolate Cranberry Cake, and the Sourdough Chocolate Cake.

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Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 62 calories; 0.2 g fat; 12.9 g carbohydrates; 1.9 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 2 mg sodium. Full nutrition

By Patricia Guerra

How much yeast is in a package of yeast?

By Tim Claxton

Can I freeze dough and then bake it later?

By Tiffany J.

I want my bread loaves to have a thicker crust. What can I do?

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Reviews

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221 Ratings

Most helpful positive review

LADYJAYPEE

2/26/2007

This was my first successful sourdough starter! I made this on Friday, kept it in the oven with just the oven light on, and that made a nice warm little womb for this starter! :-) Today, day 5,...

Most helpful critical review

WahiniSuzi

12/21/2011

I may be back to edit this review but for now I have to criticize it for not telling me to feed it daily once I start with 1/4 flour and warm water. It's been in my oven with the light on for 4 ...

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LADYJAYPEE

2/26/2007

This was my first successful sourdough starter! I made this on Friday, kept it in the oven with just the oven light on, and that made a nice warm little womb for this starter! :-) Today, day 5,...

Valerie Brunmeier

3/24/2007

I let mine sit out for 4 days before transferring it to a mason jar and storing in the fridge. WARNING: Don't put an air tight lid on. If you are using a mason jar, just lightly close the lid...

MRSKJS

3/4/2003

I wish I would have known I needed to "feed" the starter. My first loaf came out like a brick. I have since given the starter a pinch of suger and it seems to have livened up and is ready for ...

Diyeana

3/30/2006

This starter has been working out really well for me. I used this basic recipe but fed the starter twice a day for a week with 1/3 warm cup water and 1/3 cup flour. Right before I put it in th...

KC192

4/3/2008

I absolutely love sourdough bread but was never sure about the whole starter thing... finally I gave in and did some research. I found a website that went on and on about how 'starter newbys' fa...

Flashsmith

1/12/2003

Very good and easy even for me. I've never made a sourdough starter. I kept feeding it (eery day) for 4 days before I made my first loaves (rounds) of San Francisco Sourdough bread. My family at...

WahiniSuzi

12/21/2011

I may be back to edit this review but for now I have to criticize it for not telling me to feed it daily once I start with 1/4 flour and warm water. It's been in my oven with the light on for 4 ...

Nikkohli

2/15/2008

This starter is very forgiving! I was worried my home wasnt warm enough for fermentation since it is a cold winter here but it did ok! I put it in the oven with the lioght on for 7 days...feedin...

Charlotte

5/27/2007

Be sure to use a LARGE container - I mixed mine up in a 4-cup tupperware and it oozed all over the counter within a couple hours (albeit during 31C/88F weather). Otherwise, seems to do the trick.

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients

Directions