One of the breads we loved to make was sourdough bread. Since I am on a bread-making kick, I decided to adventure into making sourdough starter. I was worried because sourdough is a living culture; what if I couldn't make bread that week(s)?
After picking my mom's brain and doing some research here, I was ready to dive in. Thankfully, I was old enough to vaguely remember some sourdough essentials, but between my mom and the research, I am much more confident.
{Day 1--Just mixed the sourdough starter}
I looked and saw articles about 'wild yeast' compared to 'commerical yeast'--it might have some validity to it, but I'm all about easy. It's much easier to use commerical yeast than to try and 'capture' the wild yeasts. If this fails, then I might try to capture those wild yeasts by saddling up Ziffi and riding her to the wild unknown of Yeast Country! (Ziffi is my wild kitty LOL)
{Flour, yeast, and milk--that's it!}
Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
2 cups bread flour
2 cups warmed milk
1 package of active dry yeast
- Warm the milk to about 100 degrees (should be slightly warm to the touch) and add yeast to bloom. Dry yeast should be rehydrated because it will work better.
- Place flour in a large container (the starter will need room to grow!).
- Mix yeast, milk and flour together until combined.
- Cover the top of the container with a breathable material like a cotton towel so the starter can 'breathe'.
- Place starter in a warm, draft free environment.
- Feed daily with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup milk or water for 1 week.
- Ready to use after 10-14 days of growing.
- If you need to slow it down or are unable to bake, place it in the fridge until ready to use.
{Day 2}
Bubbles and brownish liquid (which is normal--just stir it back in!) means that it's working! It's smelling sour too which is also a good sign. Since this is a living culture, you have to 'feed' it with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup warm milk or warm water (I am alternating because that's what my family did). I found that keeping it in the fridge is working for me because it gets too sour if left out.
{Day 3--Side view (this is a gallon jar by the way). It's still bubbling and working which is fantastic!}
The first few days are the hardest. After about 5 days, the liquid should be stable enough not to kill. Sourdough starter is ready to use after 10-14 days (which I could barely wait!).
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