(Printable link at the bottom of the recipe!)
This is the very easiest way to create a viable sourdough starter from ANY flour in about 2 weeks, with almost no effort. Note that if your starter molds during the first week, your home is high in mold spores, and may even be colonized. You can try again, adding 2 drops (only) of vinegar (any kind) to the initial mix, which may help guard against mold invasion. But if your starter molds again, you’re going to have a very difficult time creating a starter from scratch. Buy a starter online, or adopt one from a local Facebook sourdough Group.
Simple Sourdough for Lazy People Method
Sourdough Starter Experiment series: (more science, faster but more complicated method) https://youtu.be/A_PghQtLZtk
My favorite kitchen scale (restaurant grade, takes AAA batts or electric power)
The container I use for my starter’s “forever” home
RECIPE / METHOD
DAY 1 – In a 1 quart / 1 Liter sized container (or larger), combine:
4oz / 113g filtered or purified water
4oz / 113g flour (any type)
Stir very well. Scrape down the sides of the container and then wipe the sides of the container clean with paper towels. (Helps reduce risk of mold infestation.) Cover loosely (NOT airtight!) and rest at room temp for 1 week, or until liquid begins to gather on top of the surface. (If this happens sooner than 1 week, proceed to the next step. If it has not happened in 1 week, wait until you see the liquid gathering on top.)
DAY 8 – First Feeding
Stir well and discard at least half of the starter. Then add:
4oz / 113g filtered or purified water
4oz / 113g flour (same type)
Stir well, cover loosely, and rest at room temp for 2 days.
DAY 10 – Second Feeding
Stir well and discard at least half of the starter. Then add:
4oz / 113g filtered or purified water
4oz / 113g flour (same type)
Stir well, cover loosely, and rest at room temp for 2 days.
DAY 12 – Third Feeding
Stir well and discard at least half of the starter. Then add:
4oz / 113g filtered or purified water
4oz / 113g flour (same type)
Stir well, cover loosely, and rest at room temp for 2 days.
DAY 14 – Fourth Feeding
Stir well and discard at least half of the starter. Then add:
4oz / 113g filtered or purified water
4oz / 113g flour (same type)
Stir well, cover loosely, and rest at room temp for 2 days.
DAY 16 – TEST!!
If your starter has been rising to almost the top of its container after a feeding, it’s time to test by removing 4oz / 113g starter and using it to bake a test loaf using my Simple Sourdough method.
If the dough doubles in volume in less than 24 hours, your starter is mature. If not, continue the discard/feed/wait 2 days cycle until your starter rises almost to the top of the container within 1 day of a feeding. Then proceed.
FINAL STEPS: Add your remaining starter to the final container your starter will live in. (You should never feed your starter more than will fill HALF the volume of the container it lives in.) Container should be plastic, glass, or stainless steel (NOT aluminum.)
At least double the starter’s weight (or more…as much as you want, as long as the container isn’t more than half full) with half flour and half filtered water. (A typical feeding for me is 16oz / 455g each of flour and water.) Let the starter sit on the countertop for a few hours, until you see bubbles beginning to form, and then refrigerate.
FUTURE CARE: Only feed your starter when you want/need to make more, by AT LEAST doubling its weight with equal weights of flour and water. Leave it on the countertop for a few hours until bubbles begin to form, and put back in the fridge. Your starter can live happily for months without a feeding. When ready to use, stir any “hooch” or surface liquid back into the starter before measuring. NEVER pour off the hooch. If it has been many months since a feeding and your starter can’t successfully leaven a loaf in 24 hours or less, discard half of it, and give a feeding. Leave on the countertop for 6-12 hours, then try again and refrigerate after.
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