There are different wild yeasts and different lactobacteria that we can capture when we make sourdough cultures. Each bacterium has specific needs that must be met in order to grow. Some need a cooler temperature, some need a slightly warmer temperature. No one can take a firm stand and say *this is the only way to make a sourdough culture* because of the different requirements each species has. The best thing to do, for anyone interested in sourdough, is experiment to learn what works with their own local beasties. There could be several hundred different strains of yeast and friendly bacteria in there, some from the starter, and some carried in on the air and from the environment, or from the water or flour. Different sourdough cultures will perform differently.

Another consideration is our own personal taste. Some have a gourmet taste palate, others.. well, not. Have you ever gone in a restaurant that was recommended to you and found out that the food wasn't that great at all? You leave thinking, "Wow, these people don't know what good (whatever specific food) is." The same is with sourdough. One can make a quick starter and get some results and be satisfied with it. In the early stages of a starter it is more often the bacteria that has proliferated and are making the gas bubbles.. and yes, it can raise bread, too. It takes longer for the yeast to develop in the number that is needed for a great bread. Again, it is what are we satisfied with. Varying the hydration and temperature of each stage gives some control over flavor. Sourdough bread may or may not have a sour flavor depending on the acids produced by the specific strains of lactobacilli that are involved in the fermentation process. Sourdough bread is not necessarily sour bread although it can be.

Compare it to wines. Some wines need to be aged before drinking. A trained palate will recognize when it is too early to drink the wine. It isn't that the wine cannot be consumed early...there isn't a timer on the cork that prevents someone from opening the bottle. One can choose to drink the wine before it has properly aged, or choose to wait until the full flavor and desired characteristics of that particular variety come to the fore.

I will use a young starter for sourdough crumpets. The taste doesn't have to be right, since I add a little garlic, parsley and butter to them. Plus, using a little baking soda helps the rise (baking soda reacts with the acid produced by the bacterium in the starter...remember the baking soda and vinegar reaction? It isn't the yeast that is causing the rise yet...it is the acid from the bacteria reacting with baking soda that is causing the rise.)

Do you want a Traditional Sourdough or a Contemporary Sourdough? Traditional is flour and water. Contemporary contains other ingredients added to the flour and water to start the culture. In choosing a flour to start with, an organic unbleached all purpose flour works quite nice. Rye flour is sometimes used, but the rye enzymes, although more heat stable, are inhibited in the acid sourdough environment...that is why you see rye flour phased out in only a day or two of the beginning of some sourdough culture recipes.

It typically takes from 3 to 8 days for the starter to begin to work. Remember, it takes several weeks for it to become well developed and a vibrant healthy starter. We are not talking *fast food*. If you do get *bubbles* in a day or two, most likely it is the bacterium that is blooming. You need extra time for the yeast to catch up, so don't be fooled by an early activity.

So, are we ready to get a traditional sourdough culture started?

Here is a list of what I used specifically for the starter in the pictures:

1 quart glass canning jar
Tupperware ½ cup measuring cup
Pyrex glass 1 cup measuring cup
King Arthur unbleached bread flour
Room temperature water
My favorite white plastic spoon from Walmart
Saran plastic wrap
Room temperature 70 degrees
(note: I fluff the flour in the bag and spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level off. I weighed it and it is 4.25 ounces per cup. Also, I normally use Organic unbleached, unbromated, unenriched all purpose flour...but this time I used tools and flours accessible to everyone in order to show anyone can make this starter.)

Day 1

1.6 p.m. Put 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water in canning jar, stirred vigorously. Covered lightly with plastic wrap.

 

 

2.Before midnight, added 1/3 cup of water, stirred vigorously, added 1/2 cup flour and stirred again. Covered lightly with plastic wrap.

 

No activity yet.

Day 2

In morning, noticed some liquid separating on top. Still smelled like flour. The red line is the one where we fed the culture last night.

 

1. 7 a.m., added 1/4 cup of water, stirred vigorously. Added 1/2 cup flour, stirred again. Covered lightly with plastic wrap. Marked top of culture with another red line on jar.

 

2. 6 p.m.,

I noticed a faint fermenting corn smell,and more liquid developing on top of culture.

 

Added 1/4 cup water, stirred vigorously. Added 1/2 cup flour, stirred again. Covered lightly with plastic wrap. Marked red line on jar at top of culture.

 

In late PM before going to bed, noticed a few bubbles starting. At this point, I did not throw any of the starter out yet, only added to.

Day 3

We doubled in volume overnight! The first increase in volume! The fermenting corn smell increased some. It is still not a strong smell. I waited until the starter was decreasing to do anything else to it. (note: A fully activated starter is full of large and small bubbles which are well-integrated throughout the starter (not just on top), there may be a layer of foam or froth on the very top and if the starter is a thick enough batter, it will have increased in volume by double or more.)

1.9 a.m., Stirred starter down (notice the consistency, it should be like thick pancake batter and this is what I aim for each time I add flour and water. If it gets too thin, add more flour next feeding. If it gets too thick, add more water next feeding) and added 1/2 cup water; stirred vigorously. I then threw half of it out and added 1/2 cup of flour, stirred again. (I did it this way so it would be easier to whip air into the starter for the benefit of the yeast (yeast needs oxygen), and to make it easier to pour the half down the drain, followed by cold water to clean the drain.)

This picture shows the starter on its way down. notice the frothy bubbles on top.

 

 

2. 7 p.m. Stirred starter down, added 1/2 cup water, stirred , threw out half, added 1/2 cup of flour. It was too thick this time, so I added 2 T. water and stirred vigorously. Depending upon the flour you use, etc., you will need to decide how much water to use to maintain the consistency you want in order to develop the characteristics you're aiming for in your sourdough.

Day 4

1. 6 a.m., Added 1/2 cup water and stirred. Threw out half, then added 1/2 cup of flour and stirred vigorously. It did not need any extra water this morning.

2. 9:30 a.m., I noticed some liquid forming on top of the starter. This is evidence that the starter is using up the food quickly (exhaustion of nutrients, waste products accumulating). I stirred the liquid back into the starter and added 2 T. flour and stirred.

By now, I think you have a feel for what to do. All it is, is adding flour and water,throwing some out, and being patient.

Here is what you can do with this sourdough starter once it has been nurtured for several weeks at the least:

 

Once you have an older, active starter.. let's make bread!

 

 

 

 

Someday you might even want to try homemade sourdough macaroni noodles! They are out of this world. mmmmm

A quality sourdough starter is a living, breathing thing that can last a lifetime with the proper care. Each sourdough starter is unique in that it is a living entity. Given proper care and conditions, it will live and reproduce itself for years.

An easy version of feeding and maintaining a starter when taken out of the frig for a recipe is: 1 tablespoon of starter to 1/2 cup of flour and a half cup of water. 12 hours later double the starter by another 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water. Repeat until you have the amount of starter you want built up for your recipe. (If you like a thicker starter, use less water at each feeding, a thinner starter, then use more water.)

Some Science Behind Sourdough Starters:
Sourdough starters need to be relatively cool and refreshed frequently with new flour and water, then aerated vigorously. If you want a maximally active starter, whisk air into it each time you feed it. To make this easier, add the water first to make a thin batter, and whisk this to a froth. Lastly, mix in the flour. Yeasts and bacteria grow fastest in liquid starters (it allows the microbes easier access to the nutrients). These growing microbes consume nutrients rapidly and produce acid and other growth-inhibiting substances so the starter needs to be divided and refreshed maybe even two or more times a day. Adding new water and flour dilutes the accumulating acids and growth-inhibitors, plus provides a fresh supply of food. The more frequently the started is divided and refreshed, the better the yeasts will be able to grow and the more leavening power it will have. Bacteria thrive at warmer temps such as 86 to 96 degrees, and yeasts in an acid environment grow better at a cooler temp like 68 to 78 degrees. Aerating (or whisking) the starter supplies the oxygen that yeasts require to build cell membranes for new cells.

You may hear of well-meaning folk who swear they only feed their sourdough on occasion and it still is *okay*, but apply the science above and it will be better than okay. ;-)

Tips:
1. Give your starter an extra feeding the day before you will be making bread, or preferably 8 hours before you will be starting the dough. Also, the water you use for your starter really does matter. Use pure water, not the chlorinated city tap water. If you have to get bottled water, make sure it doesn't contain chlorine or other *agents*.

2. When storing your sourdough starter in the frig, feed and proof it for a very short time before putting it in the frig. (At the least, make sure it has started rising before placing it in the frig) The proteins in the flour will neutralize some of the acid (bringing the pH closer to neutral) thereby assuring survivability of the yeasty beasties and bacteria with a plus that all the nutrients are not being depleted. The starter can then grow at a slow rate in the frig.

The temptation to surf the internet and join every bread site or group you find is indeed intense. Be forewarned there are many sites that contradict each other. You'll find advise to keep the starter cool, to keeping the starter by a warm stove, etc. The best thing to do is buy some reputable books on sourdough and leave the internet sites and groups alone. I know this even knocks my lens. Also there are some nasty so called experts that don't take kindly to newbies experimenting or questioning why they are handling sourdough the way they do, and bite off their heads. Some even think they own the formula of flour and water and anyone else is copying their information. I know, you want to chuckle with that... afterall, how much can you do with flour and water and make claim on it as your own idea? It doesn't take a genius to figure out adding flour and water together in all sorts of ratios has been done for milleniums, so no one can own it now. LOL

If you want to keep your sourdough experience a pleasant one, find one of your personal friends and share the adventure. You'll learn and grow, and with failures and successes you will figure out how to take care of the little beasties that you've managed to capture... to take care of your very own culture that only you know. Bread sites and groups do not have your culture so they can't really tell you how yours should be raised.... warmer/cooler, more liquid or less, etc. With this lens, I've shared what works for me with the beasties I capture in my area. This may or may not work for you and your beasties, but I hope it at least stirs you on to try it on your own. :-)

And lastly, if for whatever reason you are not comfortable with this recipe, try another one. This one has worked for me and many others, but everyone is different and in different areas. I encourage you to keep on trying and searching for something that you are comfortable with because sourdough in all its varieties and forms is definitely worth the extra work. :-)

Happy Baking!