Start your sourdough journey here with me! No discard, simple directions!
{I made this bread with the starter I began a couple of weeks ago. If I can do it, so can you!}
My onions and garlic are in the pantry, along with some things going in the dehydrator, and the canner is out!
I was stashing my jungle harvest (note to self: yes those little plants will get out of control, when will you learn that they laugh your flimsy stakes to scorn) in the freezer. I amassed about 30 lbs (filling my 20 qt.pot with enough left over for a big tray of oven roasted tomatoes) and finally got to work yesterday!
The ziplocks can be re-used for sure! They just have to dry out. Which is good, because I am hopeful there are more tomatoes to come!
Sourdough CornerI'll put the chitchat at the end — let's get you started with… starter! By the way, if you have starter but don't love it, maybe just start again. It takes about a week in this weather!
No Discard Starter.
While it's fermenting, which should take about a week or so, maybe you can help me figure out the best way to present this tutorial. I realized this week as I was mentally preparing for the Great Sourdough Starting Tutorial that I need help figuring out how to manage this part of the content!
Maybe I should do it on Substack? I have started a new one called The School for Housewives. I will start posting just the actual method over there, in case you don't want the whole week's worth as I have it here. We'll see how it goes…
Week 1: This is going to be very easy and you should be confident. You will literally mix a little flour with a little water and leave it in a warm place.
You need a pint jar with a wide mouth and a lid and later, a quart jar. I used a mason jar but any more or less straight-sided jar will work. If you have one that is rather narrow and tall (I didn't), that will work best at first to be able to observe any bubbly activity, but a normal jar from the recycling is also fine.
You will eventually need bread flour (BF) so put that on the list if you don't have any. You will really want good quality rye flour, because any starter or dough sluggishness at any point in your process will be remedied with rye flour, as it has nutrients not found elsewhere. You will also want some whole wheat flour (WW) because your bread will be healthier with it. I actually mill my own and we will get to that, but when buying it, check the expiration date and try to buy it where it doesn't sit on the shelf for long.
Keep any whole grain flours in the freezer. They get an off flavor very quickly, which is one reason people think they don't like anything but white flour bread. I put the bag in a ziplock before freezing (either decant or not, up to you).
I recommend getting the best flour you can (often the store brand is from one of the good companies — depends on the store). I use King Arthur for my bread flour (I get it at the restaurant supply store where it's called Sir Lancelot, not bread flour). If you can find flour more locally milled, go for it! We'll get into milling your own at another time. At least, do not get bleached flour! Making your own is so much cheaper than buying it, so go for good flour.
Two gadgets I really do use all the time: this thermometer is similar to mine; and a kitchen scale that displays weights in English and metric and can easily be zeroed out (tared) and has a display you can read even when there's a bowl on it. This is similar to the one I have. It's great other than the part about being able to read it when it has a big bowl on it, but it's fine — and I've had it now for 14 years! I certainly didn't pay $67 for it. You'll find one that works well for you and I'll try to get a recommendation for one that is reasonably priced. These are affiliate links! You support me just a little when you order within 24 hours, using a tab you open from these links!
These directions are going to be like reading a knitting pattern.
Pay attention to the abbreviations (look back up here if you need to) and you'll get it.
I'm pretty sure that after this post, the directions will be more succinct! I hope so!
Three teaspoons (tsp) = 1 tablespoon (T)
Where I have said BF I have often used a small proportion of rye and/or whole wheat flour in place of some of it, for instance, 1 T of rye and 7 T of BF to equal 8 T of flour. But for ease of reading, I've left that out. If you can get some rye in there, it will vastly help your fermentation.
Day 1: in a nice clean jar, mix 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of bread flour (you can use all purpose flour for now if that's what you have) with 2 teaspoons of warm water. Stir it up and cover it with the jar lid.
There's so little in here that I am mixing it with a slender knife!
That's all you need to get started. There's no “discard” until the end, and then just that once (maybe twice) — but you'll use it, not throw it away, because by then it will actually be starter!
A note about the lid: there is plenty of room in the jar for any gasses, which won't start right away anyway. So do not fret about this at all. I always put the lid on the jar. Don't tighten it with all your strength, but it's fine.
A note about why people have trouble with starter: Your spot is not warm enough! That is the most common reason for bread-making woes of any sort. I use very few gadgets or special things in my kitchen work, but I highly recommend this thermometer (affiliate link) (well, the one I have seems to be discontinued but this is the closest) and literally use it many times a week for everything, from baking to roasting to smoking…
Stick it into the middle of your little starter mix and if it's not in the high 70s you need a warmer spot. Up on top of your fridge might be a good place. The oven with the light on… but it's a long time to have the light on… you could put a jar of hot water in a cooler and put your starter right in there. Use very warm water to mix. Maybe wrap your jar in a quilted cover or tea cozy?
Keep the temp in the high 70s (82 is not too warm) and under 85.
It will take longer if it's cooler, but if you can wrangle it, make yourself a nice warm spot. This is the key, this is it. Going forward, at all the stages, the thing to remember about your frustration is this: Things are probably not warm enough.
Day 2: Add 3 teaspoons (tsp) BF and 2 tsp warm water, stir well. You may see bubbles by evening — I did! (but my kitchen was very warm!)
A note about quantities: We are not doing 1:1:1 ratios. Stick with me here! A stiffer starter will work better, I find. Later you can land on the ratio that works for you. This stiffer starter is more forgiving.
Day 3: Add 6 tsp (2 T) BF and 2 tsp (1 T) water
Day 3 in the evening, since I noticed a lot of activity — my mix already doubled — that then slowed down. You can do this the next day if yours is not getting going yet — remember, it will ferment but the timing varies. You are looking for bubbling and rising, hopefully double, but this may take another day: 4T BF and 8 tsp (2 T + 2 tsp) water
Above is how it looked after a few hours.
Below is how it looked after I mixed in some more flour and water — note the gluten is developing!
It might help you to write on the jar. I used a black sharpie that I keep in my utensil drawer.
And definitely put a rubber band on outside at the level of your mixture. That way you don't have to guess about how much, if at all, it has risen.
At this point, the mix is small in volume and the jar is quite large, so it will be tricky to tell whether it has risen. But it will soon be much more clear. (This is how a narrower jar would help if you have one.)
Day 4: 8T BF and 3 T +1 tsp water — Mix and let sit in your warm spot.
At this stage you might find it actually slows down a bit, and that's normal, if a little disappointing.
Day 5: 16 T BF and 6 T + 2 tsp water: the total mix is about a cup of starter and will fill 1/3 of a quart jar.
THUS: you need to use a very clean rubber spatula and transfer it to a quart mason jar, the size I normally keep my starter in going forward.
I don't have a picture of this quantity just after mixing, but by evening, it had risen more than double and was filling the jar (see below)! If yours has not shown this activity, make sure it's in a warm place!
On this evening, if you're getting full in the jar, you can make waffles or pancakes for breakfast the next day (or make them and after they cool, put them in the fridge or freezer for another day). I chose this recipe for its ease and intuitiveness.
Making it will use up some of your starter so that you have room in your jar to feed it again. Otherwise, to double the amount of flour, you'll end up needing too large a jar.
I will put the recipe and method for the waffle/pancake mix at the end. If your starter is not very strong (i.e. hasn't doubled), you can add a touch of yeast to the batter (NOT to your starter jar!).
You can certainly look up any sourdough recipe you like and use the excess for that. I recommend something that's not a loaf of bread, just because your starter is not quite strong enough for that. Muffins, quick bread, pancakes… whatever.
The good thing about the waffle/pancake mix is that it sits out all night and doesn't require a lot of brain power while you're trying to grapple with your starter.
After making your batter, either feed your starter again in the same ratio if it was not very bubbly and hadn't risen double, or just put it in the fridge.
Day 6 (you should be back to around 1 cup of starter after making the waffles — I had a scant cup or 210 grams): Add 210 g. flour (or a scant cup) and 180 ml water (or about 2/3 cup).
By now you should notice the thickness of your starter and be able to eyeball the amount of water you need to achieve that thickness. If you add too much or too little, don't worry! Just add a little more flour or a little more water. Do not stress this part! The most important thing is how warm it is, not the quantity!
Now your starter should be bubbling and after some hours, rise double. You can experiment with it or hang in there when we check in next week with some bread baking! If the latter, pop the jar in the fridge. It will keep in there just fine!
As I made this starter, you see I put the notes on the jar(s), but I also jotted them down in the notebook — you might want to do that, but I was really doing it so I'd remember for this post:
(But I made a mistake on Day 3 here — it was 2 tsp. water.)
This represents a huge sacrifice on my part for your sakes so I hope you appreciate it!! This is as detailed as it gets, people! I told you to look elsewhere for help! I'm not good at this!!
The chitchat… and waffle recipe
People have their different methods.
This one is mine! Part of me wants to agree with whoever is out there tsk-ing over the thought that I could add anything to the vast stores of sourdough knowledge out there. But — part of me is pretty confident I have a little something to tell you!
Basically, the info I have found out there is divided among the people with big families who seem to be in the kitchen all day, making one or two loaves as needed, happy with giant jars of starter — and the artisan bakery experts who are somewhat fancifully and in a highly technical way, translating their undeniable experience into home-baking one loaf, which obviously is not going to work for us… and then there are the home bakers who have good thoughts but are also making one loaf.
Maybe I convey, despite all my efforts to convince you otherwise, a lot of energy over here, but I am a person who has always gotten rather exhausted if I have to do anything (shop, get people out the door for games or field trips, clean, garden) and spend a bunch of time in the kitchen. If I go grocery shopping, for instance, I schedule a very easy meal for that day and pull bread out of the freezer. I can't do both. It's too much.
And let me say here, regarding the other methods — it makes a huge difference to the hydration of the flour itself if you live in muggy Massachusetts with no AC or Arizona with AC. My flour will have more water content than that Arizona person's. So it really doesn't make a lot of sense to get into individual gram measurements.
You have to get the feel of things. Some direction really helps but the super technical people are overdoing it. Their precision helps them get consistent results but doesn't translate to others elsewhere, necessarily.
I didn't used to make sourdough (I started five years ago), but in my yeast baking days with lots of kids, I never made fewer than 4 loaves at a time.
This corner is for the housewife who wants to — and has to — make a lot of awesome sourdough, beautiful boules and bâtards as well as sandwich loaves, and who loves being in the kitchen but not all day every day. And who doesn't want to — and doesn't have room to — keep a large amount of starter.
When I started sourdough, I followed the directions I found and ended up with way too much starter. There are actually two reasons for that: because I started with too much and it took too long for it to ferment.
That's why I start you with so little and emphasize how warm it needs to be. This is my method!
The waffle/pancake recipe
PRINT: Overnight sourdough waffles or pancakes
Overnight sourdough waffles or pancakes, Like Mother, Like Daughter
Makes about 6 Belgian waffles and a platter of pancakes enough for 4 people. You can double the recipe (same amount of starter/yeast) if you want, no problem. Leftovers can be cooled and popped in the freezer or kept in the fridge for a day or two. Reheat in the toaster or oven. Naturally fermented waffles are far superior to the other kind! They are crispier and more substantial, yet also very light.
Directions
This recipe is in two parts. Read both parts to see what ingredients you need!
The evening before:
1 cup (210-250 grams) starter (when your starter is very active and mature, you can use as little as ¼ cup; just add water and flour to make one cup)
NB: [If you don’t have starter or your starter is not very active:
1 tsp. yeast]
2 cups flour (I like to use ½ c. whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour)
2 cups milk (or water; you can add dried milk powder the next day with the other ingredients)
Mix well with a whisk. Cover and leave out on the counter. You don’t have to worry: it’s fermenting – nothing will happen to the milk.
The next day:
Mix together in a separate bowl (you can just add directly to the overnight mix but it deflates it less if you premix and then add):
¼ cup melted and cooled butter or oil such as peanut, avocado, coconut, or cooking olive oil
2/3 cup of dry milk powder if you didn’t use milk in the overnight mix (sometimes I don’t want to use up my fresh milk for this)
2 eggs
1 tsp. table salt (more if you’re using flake salt)
1 tsp. baking powder
Add to the overnight mix and whisk gently, folding in.
Allow to stand for about 20 minutes while you prep your other breakfast things, heat up your pan or waffle iron, and tidy up.
Make your pancakes and/or waffles the way you usually do!
We'll check in next week and see how the starter is going!
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