<< For a list of ingredients, equipment and FAQ, see Day 0 – How to Make a Sourdough Starter.

<< Previously: Day 4 – Feeding Your Sourdough Starter

Day 5 – Morning

It’s the big question day: Is my sourdough starter ready to be ‘refreshed’?

If it looks like this picture, then the answer is ‘Yes, finally, yes!’ Frothy, extra-bubbly, airy, all these are good signs.

Day 5 – You're Ready

If your starter was very active yesterday, but has now developed a thin liquid on the surface, this is fine too.

Day 5 – Not a Problem

So now’s the time to be really honest with yourself. Does you starter look like either of the pictures above?

Option A: Yes It Does

In that case, congratulations, you’re ready to refresh your starter. Here’s how to do it:

In a clean medium-sized bowl, weigh out 25g of your active sourdough starter. (Stir in the liquid before hand if any has developed.) Add 90g tepid-to-warm water, and stir well until there are no lumps of starter. Add 70g of strong white flour, and stir until well mixed.

Cover the bowl, and leave in a warm place (around 20°C / 68°F) for 12-24 hours (i.e. until the next morning).

[Variations: If using whole wheat flour, follow instructions above using 90g water and 60g flour. If using rye flour, follow instructions above using 100g water and 50g flour.]

Option B: No, It Doesn’t, Argh What Do I Do Now?

Let’s do a sourdough health check. Does it look completely dead? No bubbles and yeasty smells at all? If so, it’s time to try using a different brand of flour, and a warmer room. But if you’ve been following the instructions, this scenario should be very unlikely.

So does it have some bubbles? If so, great, there’s life in there. Now it’s time to nurture it further.

In a clean bowl, weigh out 50g of your sluggish-yet-slightly-active sourdough starter. Now feed it, following the instructions from Day 2, until it reaches an active state (see pictures above). Then (however many days later) move on to the instructions in Option A above.

Tip #1: Make sure you’re leaving your starter somewhere warm (around 20°C / 68°F) while it grows. You know those people who always complain they’re cold? Your sourdough starter is just like them. Crank up the heating, or move your starter to an airing cupboard.

Tip #2: Similarly, make sure you’re using tepid-to-warm water – i.e. around skin temperature. Too cold, the yeasts will be slow. Too hot, and you’ll kill off the yeasts.

Tip #3: Stir well when you mix in the water and new flour. It’s all food to your starter; make sure it’s distributed well.

Next up: Day 6 – Baking with your Sourdough Starter  [Link goes live on Fri 27 April.]

These posts are part of a Sourdough Tweet-Along taking place from Sunday 22nd April (a.k.a. Day 1) until… well, until your starter is good and ready! Follow along at @BakerAndLoaf on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #SourdoughTweetAlong

<< For a list of ingredients, equipment and FAQ, see Day 0 – How to Make a Sourdough Starter.

<< Previously: Day 3 – Feeding Your Sourdough Starter

Day 4 – Morning

By Day 4, a mildly bubbly starter should have gained more bubbles, and might look like this:

Day 4 – More Bubbles

If your starter was particular active yesterday, it may have developed a pale liquid on the surface (see photo below). Don’t worry, just stir this back in and carry on.

Day 4 – Don't Panic, Just Stir Back In

To feed: Add 35g tepid-to-warm water to your starter, and stir well. Then add 25g strong white flour, and stir well again.

Cover the bowl, and leave in a warm place (around 20°C / 68°F).

Day 4 – Evening

Give your starter a bit of a stir. Cover again.

Variations

If using whole wheat flour, use 30g flour to 45g water.

If using rye flour, use 25g flour to 50g water.

See the Day 0 FAQ for questions on flour types.

Next up: Day 5 – Refreshing your Sourdough Starter. [Link goes live on Thu 26 April.]

These posts are part of a Sourdough Tweet-Along taking place from Sunday 22nd April (a.k.a. Day 1) until… well, until your starter is good and ready! Follow along at @BakerAndLoaf on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #SourdoughTweetAlong

<< For a list of ingredients, equipment and FAQ, see Day 0 – How to Make a Sourdough Starter.

<< Previously: Day 2 – Feeding Your Sourdough Starter

Day 3 – Morning

By Day 3, your starter should have developed more air bubbles, and might look something like this:

Day 3 – Less Active

If you’re lucky, your starter could be becoming rather active, and might look like this instead:

Day 3 – More Active

To feed: Add 35g tepid-to-warm water to your starter, and stir well. Then add 25g strong white flour, and stir well again.

Cover the bowl, and leave in a warm place (around 20°C / 68°F).

Day 3 – Evening

Give your starter a bit of a stir. Cover again.

Variations

If using whole wheat flour, use 30g flour to 45g water.

If using rye flour, use 25g flour to 50g water.

See the Day 0 FAQ for questions on flour types.

Next up: Day 4 – Feeding your Sourdough Starter. [Link goes live on Weds 25 April.]

These posts are part of a Sourdough Tweet-Along taking place from Sunday 22nd April (a.k.a. Day 1) until… well, until your starter is good and ready! Follow along at @BakerAndLoaf on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #SourdoughTweetAlong

<< For a list of ingredients, equipment and FAQ, see Day 0 – How to Make a Sourdough Starter.

<< Previously: Day 1 – Mixing Your Sourdough Starter

Day 2 – Morning

By the next day, your starter may have developed a few air bubbles and a light layer on condensation on the inside of the clingfilm/shower cap. If it hasn’t, don’t worry. Just carry on with the next step.

Day 2

Add 35g tepid-to-warm water to your starter, and stir well. Then add 25g strong white flour, and stir well again.

Cover the bowl, and leave in a warm place (around 20°C / 68°F).

Day 2 – Evening

Give your starter a bit of a stir. Cover again.

Variations

If using whole wheat flour, use 30g flour to 45g water.

If using rye flour, use 25g flour to 50g water.

See the Day 0 FAQ for questions on flour types.

Next up: Day 3 – Feeding your Sourdough Starter.

These posts are part of a Sourdough Tweet-Along taking place from Sunday 22nd April (a.k.a. Day 1) until… well, until your starter is good and ready! Follow along at @BakerAndLoaf on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #SourdoughTweetAlong

<< For a list of ingredients, equipment and FAQ, see Day 0 – How to Make a Sourdough Starter.

Day 1 – Morning

In a medium-sized bowl, weigh out:

25g strong white flour 35g tepid-to-warm water

Mix into a paste. It should look something like this:

Day 1

Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a shower cap, and leave in a warm place (around 20°C / 68°F).

Day 1 – Evening

Give your starter a bit of a stir. Cover again.

Variations

If using whole wheat flour, use 30g flour to 45g water.

If using rye flour, use 25g flour to 50g water.

See the Day 0 FAQ for questions on flour types.

Next up: Day 2 – Feeding your Sourdough Starter.

These posts are part of a Sourdough Tweet-Along taking place from Sunday 22nd April (a.k.a. Day 1) until… well, until your starter is good and ready! Follow along at @BakerAndLoaf on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #SourdoughTweetAlong

French Sourdough Boule

One of the questions I often get asked at my Essential Artisan Bread Making course is: ‘So how do you make sourdough bread?’

I’ll be the first to admit that my main two answers — a) ‘grow a wild yeast culture in a paste of flour and water’, and b) ‘come along to my Wild Yeast & Sourdoughs class!’ — are somewhat lacking.

So recently I’ve been going with c): ‘I’m about to write a series of articles over at the Baker & Loaf blog on how to make sourdough, I’ll send you the link, I promise.’

So true to my word, here’s the first in a series of posts on How To Make A Sourdough Starter.

Continue reading How To Make A Sourdough Starter »