Authentic Sourdough Starter Recipe

 Step one:

In a ceramic bowl, mix well 1 cup plain, unbleached wheat flour with 2 cups spring water (no chlorine). Cover with a cotton cheesecloth, and peg it to the rim. Leave this near the kitchen window, not in direct heat or light, but in a warm nook. Give the mix a stir a few times during the day.

Step two:

After 2/3 days, stirring regularly, bubbles will appear on the surface, evidencing the presence and action of wild yeasts. Now feed it, like a new baby, by adding 1 heaped dessertspoon of flour, plus same amount of water and mix well, until there is no dry flour left, and transfer the mix to a new, dry, clean ceramic bowl. Feed it more when the bubbles again appear, but when 7 days has passed, it’s ready to use.

You have your sourdough starter. And each is unique according to the variety and density of the yeasts gathered there. There are hundreds of different yeasts in the atmosphere.

Some sourdoughs being used in the US and Europe today began their lives as far back as the 1850’s!

Sometimes, some brown liquid (hooch) may form on the surface. This is ok. If the mix is already fairly wet, you can drain off the hooch. If not, you can simply mix it back in.

Step three:

After 7 days, distribute the mix into 500ml. (or less) glass jars, perhaps 3 - 4 jars will be needed. Don’t use metal or plastic containers. Always leave some space at the top of the jar for expansion, and the lid should have a small breathing hole, like nail size. Store these jars in the fridge.

For use in sloooow bread-making, to make about 3 medium loaves, mix 250mls. of starter well into the dough, and leave it sit overnight (as per the previous recipe pages). It will rise slower than baker’s yeast. When you have just 1 jar of starter left, empty it into the ceramic bowl again, add 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of water, and leave out, covered, for 24 hours, giving regular stirs. This activates a new batch. If you want more, do the same again next day. Then put back in clean jars once again, and into the fridge.

(Go to www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm or home.teleport.com/~packham/sourdo.htm for greater detail, especially on the step called “sponging”, which is not essential, but interesting for the purists.)

This is an extract from Clive Lawler's rousing new book, "Whole don't mean Wholesome - A Love of Fermentation and all Things Sloooow". He is happy to receive questions/comments at: contact Clive Lawler.