Hard

Chef John's Sourdough Starter

Total Time
1h 38m
7m prep · 91m cook
Servings
4 people
Rating
Difficulty
Hard
2 views
🌱 Vegan 🥬 Vegetarian 🥛 Dairy-Free 🥜 Nut-Free ☪️ Halal ✡️ Kosher

This sourdough starter is part 1 of my 2-part recipe. It takes 4 days to make the starter, but there's really not much to it other than feeding the starter once a day for about 10 days.

Ingredients

  • 700 gramss bread flour
  • 700 gramss filtered water , divided

Instructions

  1. 1

    Gather all ingredients.

  2. 2

    Day 1: Mix together 70 grams flour and 70 grams water in a container with a lid. The container needs to be large enough to accommodate another 70 grams water and 70 grams flour. Cover loosely so gases can escape. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours at 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).

  3. 3

    Day 2: Add 70 grams flour and 70 grams water. Stir. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 24 hours at 70 degrees (21 degrees C).

  4. 4

    Day 3: Remove half (140 grams) of the starter. Add 70 grams flour and 70 grams water. Stir. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 24 hours at 70 degrees (21 degrees C).

  5. 5

    Day 4 through about Day 10: Repeat Step 3 each day until the starter smells fruity and yeasty and is beautifully fermented. You can test this by seeing if it doubles in size within 2 to 3 hours of feeding.

  6. 6

    Refrigerate until needed. Most people recommend you feed the starter once a month or so (Step 3).

  7. 7

    It's ready to use!

Nutrition Facts

Per serving

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