Sourdough and sourdough starters can seem mysterious and intimidating- but at their most simple (as in this case) they are quite simply a mix of water and flour that is given time and a favourable environment to allow natural, wild yeasts to thrive.
Sourdough Starter
You can dive down the rabbit hole and learn more and more about sourdough but for those that want to keep it simple, just follow these instructions, read the blog, and get ready to make the best pizza you’ve ever had….
The world of sourdough baking and pizza making can seem quite intimidating but it needn’t be! This is our recipe and technique for developing an awesome sourdough starter from scratch. Click here to read the blog post for more detail…
Day One;
In one of the clean glass jars weigh out 125g of water at a temperature of 73°F/23°C and add 100g of Rye flour. Mix well with the rubber spatula until no dry bits remain and push the mix down to the bottom of the jar. Cover with the loose fitting lid and leave on a kitchen side (ideally at around 73°F/23°C) for 24 hours.
Day Two;
Spoon 70g of yesterday's mix into the clean jar (discard the rest and clean out the jar for the following day) and add 110g of water (at 73°F/23°C). Mix well before adding 50g of rye flour and 50g of All Purpose/Plain flour and mixing till there are no dry bits. Push the mix down to the bottom of the jar, cover with the loose fitting lid and leave in the same place as yesterday for another 24 hours.
Day Three;
Perform exactly the same steps as day two.
Day Four;
Spoon 70g of your starter into the clean jar and add 100g of water (at 73°F/23°C) mix well before adding 50g rye flour and 50g all purpose/plain flour. Mix again until there are no dry bits and push the mix down to the bottom of the jar, top with the loose fitting lid and leave in the same spot for 24 hours. It’s a good idea to mark the height of the mix with the rubber band at this point - do this every time you feed so you can monitor the progress and development of your starter.
Day Five;
Perform exactly the same steps as day four.
Day Six;
Spoon 50g of your starter mix into the clean jar and add 100g of water (at 75f/24c) mix well before adding 50g rye flour and 50g all purpose/plain flour. Mix again until there are no dry bits and push the mix down to the bottom of the jar, top with the loose fitting lid and leave in the same spot for 24 hours.
Day Seven;
The feed you perform today can be your daily feed going forward (or you can feel free to play around with other brands and types of flour from this point should you wish!) or if you’re only planning to use your starter intermittently you can feed it once a fortnight rather than daily, and keep it in the fridge instead. For this final (and ongoing!) feed, spoon 25g of starter into the clean jar and add 100g of water (at75f/24c) mix well before adding 50g rye flour and 50g all purpose/plain flour. Mix again until there are no dry bits and push the mix down to the bottom of the jar, top with the loose fitting lid and leave in the same spot for 24 hours.
Day Eight and Beyond;
You’ll notice the starter will rise and fall over the 24 hour periods- learn to understand roughly when you can expect to see a rise three times the height of the starter- this is a great indication the starter is good to use!
Ingredients
1kg Bag Good Quality Rye Flour
1kg Bag All Purpose/Plain Flour
Water
Equipment
2x Glass Jars with Loose Fitting Lids
Rubber Spatula
Scales
Rubber Band
Temperature Probe