Sourdough starter recipe

Sourdough Rye Bread

Sourdough Starters are very easy to make. The hard part is remembering to feed it and keep it alive! Make sourdough bread, sourdough carrot cake, pancakes, bagels, coffeecake and muffins, quick breads, brownies, buttermilk biscuits and lots more with this living, breathing organism!

Homemade Sourdough Starter Recipe

• 2 cups Unbleached King Arthur Flour, or similar all-purpose flour
• 1 pk Active Dry Yeast (Play around with potato water, scalded milk, wild yeast.)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
• 2 cups (more or less) lukewarm spring water

How To Make Sourdough at Home

• Use a plastic container or a crock with a lid.
• Make sure it is double the size of your beginner as it will rise and fall, giving off gases. This is normal.
• Never use metal containers or spoons. A chemical reaction will take place and ruin the process.
• Mix Flour, yeast and sugar in container.
• Add enough water to make a pancake batter-like consistency.
• Place the cover on top, but don't seal it.
• Set it in a warm place for 24 hours or until bubbly and yeasty smelling.
• It will have risen during this time, so stir it down, cover and place in refrigerator.

Care and Feeding

Now that you've created a life, you need to feed and nurture it. Some bakers give their sourdough a name, although that's really not necessary. At this point it's still a baby and needs to be cared for. After a day or two when it smells sour and tangy, cover and put it in the refrigerator. As it gets older, it will soon be called "Mother" and has to be replenished each time you use "her". If you use 1 cup of starter, then you need to put 1 cup back. Replace with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water, mix in well, let her sit out for a while, cover and put her back in the refrigerator. Every now and then, add some potato water to help her along. You must remember to feed her often or she will get moldy and die. :-(

Sourdough Baked Goods

Sourdough Suggestions; sourdough bread, sourdough carrot cake, pancakes, bagels, coffeecake and muffins, quick breads, brownies, buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon rolls and, well, you get the picture. Just about anything that calls for leavening can be substituted with sourdough and with a little tweaking, turn out delicious baked goods.

This Sourdough Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is from my own collection. I've literally made a thousand or more of these cakes over the years. For obvious reasons, I highly recommend it!