← Grain, flour and bread H45-02 · Module 2 of 7 · Pages: 20 · Worksheets: 6

Sourdough: starter and upkeep

How to make a starter from flour and water in 7–14 days, feed it, keep it in the fridge and as a dried backup, and turn it into a levain for bread

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Sourdough: starter and upkeep

In short

  • A starter is made from equal weights of flour and water, at 24–26 °C (75–79 °F), in 7–14 days.
  • It is ready when it doubles in 4–8 hours after feeding, has fine bubbles and smells tangy, like yoghurt.
  • If you bake once a week, keep the starter in the fridge and feed it once a week.
  • Dry part of your starter as a backup: in a jar it lasts more than a year.
  • Fuzzy mould, pink or orange patches or streaks: the starter goes in the bin, not to the rescue.

What's inside

Chapters

  1. What sourdough is
  2. What you need
  3. Making a starter day by day
  4. When the starter is ready
  5. Feeding: ratios and timing
  6. Keeping it: room temperature or fridge
  7. Keeping a backup
  8. From starter to dough: the levain
  9. Discard: don't throw it away
  10. When something is wrong
  11. Hygiene and who should take care
  12. Common mistakes
  13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

  • Starter-making schedule
  • Feeding calculator
  • Water temperature for dough
  • A starter's year
  • Starter log
  • Jar labels

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