Okay, here’s the deal… when I started creating my sourdough starter I had zero idea what I was doing… and I mean zero… so I searched, read, and watched a zillion different blogs and videos… I stalked people on Instagram and would watch what they were doing… and yet, I was still struggling. Why was I finding this so hard when others were making it look really easy?

To be honest, I am still learning and am far from an expert, but over the past month I have learned quite a lot, so I will share what I know so far and then update this as I learn more. This is my personal journey and I hope that I can help you create an amazing sourdough starter with my tips below.

My first mistake was not having enough patience.

I’m a throw-it-all-in and hope for the best kinda cook – not what you do with a sourdough starter as it turns out 🤦🏼‍♀️.  Allow yourself anywhere up to 10 days (sometimes even longer according to some blogs I read) to create a solid, strong starter. You do not want to start cooking with your starter until it is bubbling and doubling in size.

Again, do NOT try to rush the process, follow the below steps, and don’t deviate!

I also live in Hobart, Tasmania and as I write this, it is the middle of winter. There is zero humidity and the air is crisp and somewhat chilly. I quite literally started my sourdough journey in the toughest climate, lol! Not ideal, but also not impossible (I’ll share my hints on this below, so keep reading). However, if you are reading this and it is summer, or if you live in a hot or humid environment all year round, then hopefully your sourdough starter journey is a bit easier than mine.

TEMPERATURE

Ideally, you want a stable temperature to grow your starter. Somewhere around 21˚C is ideal because if it’s too cold, it won’t ferment enough to become active.  On the flip-side, anything over 35˚C risks killing the yeast you are creating.  It is worth noting, my primary source of heating is a wood heater and it is much harder to get a stable temperature than let’s say electric/ducted heating.

A few hints on creating a starter in colder temperatures:

  1. Keep your starter in the oven with just the light on, or if you have a dehydrator, you can use that on a very low setting (21-25˚C).
  2. Another place is on the top of the fridge, or next to the kettle. Somewhere warm but draft-free.
  3. Do not place in direct sunlight.
  4. Use a thick sock or tea cozy to wrap around the jar, especially at night.
  5. I have never used one, but a yogurt maker or heat pad might work, as long as the temperature stays below 25˚C.
  6. Use lukewarm (not hot) water when feeding the starter. This helps to get the yeast and bacteria going.
  7. Never, ever put your starter in the fridge while building it. It can only be stored in the fridge once fully active and ready to use.

WATER

Ensure the water you use is filtered, even if that means you have to buy water. Both chlorine and fluoride will kill your starter before you have even begun. It is worth noting that to remove chlorine you would need to boil water for longer than 15 minutes, and boiling doesn’t remove fluoride at all.

FLOUR

  • Use organic, unbleached bakers flour (this is different from plain flour and in some countries it can be called bread flour or strong flour). In Australia and New Zealand, you’ll see it called bakers flour and you can find it in most leading supermarkets, but again, it must be unbleached (and organic if possible).
  • The difference between plain flour and bakers flour is that bakers flour is higher in protein (gluten) than plain flour which will give you a much nicer end result.
  • Don’t mix the flours up when starting out. Keep using the same flour to create your starter, then once it is ready you can start to introduce different flours.

OXYGEN

Just like any living thing oxygen is vital, your starter is the same.

  • Make sure to stir your starter for at least a minute each time you feed it, this helps to activate the starter by allowing more oxygen into the mix.
  • Rest the lid on the top or use a breathable cloth to cover your starter.

JARS

  • Use a thick-walled, tall, glass jar. A large mason ball jar is perfect (you can find these in most kitchen/department stores,  or even some large supermarkets).
  • Ensure your jar is at least 500ml – 750ml in size.
  • Having three jars is perfect, you’ll see why in the method below.
  • Do not use plastic as the acidity in the cultures may react with the plastic.
  • Stainless steel or glass is best. I used glass so I can see the activity in the starter.

TOOLS

  • A decent set of scales is a must.
  • A whiteboard marker pen or an elastic band.
  • A spatula.
  • A whole lotta patience!

OTHER HINTS AND TIPS

  • Try and feed your starter at the same time each day, give or take an hour.
  • Don’t screw the lid on tight, instead, just rest it on top of the jar to allow for air to get into the starter. You could use a clean muslin cloth or even some paper towel. Personally, I just rest the lid on the top of the jar.
  • If you ever get a dark liquid on top, this is called hooch, and it is a sign that your starter is hungry. If that happens increase the amount of flour and water you are adding to the starter by double, for one day, then drop back to the ratios below.
  • Hooch will often develop on your discard, don’t be concerned by this. Simply pour it off and either use your discard or feed it some flour and water. The amount you feed it will depend on how much discard you have. If your discard is really runny feed it some flour only (maybe 50-100g, again, it depends how much discard you have), stir that in and place it back into the fridge, repeat this daily until there is no hooch developing overnight.
  • Always keep your discard in the fridge, this helps to slow down the fermentation process. I try and use up my discard within 2 weeks (I have recipes to come on using the discard, so stay tuned).

LET’S GET STARTED

If you have skipped past reading the hints and tips above, please go and read those first 😀

DAY ONE

Ingredients

  • 30g bakers flour
  • 30g filtered water

Method

  1. In one of the jars, add the flour and water and stir well for at least one minute, ensuring that all the flour is mixed into the water.
  2. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  3. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  4. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  5. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

DAY TWO

Ingredients

  • 30g bakers flour
  • 30g filtered water

Method

  1. In the same jar as yesterday, add flour and water and stir everything together for at least one minute, ensuring that both yesterday’s and today’s starters are all mixed together.
  2. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  3. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  4. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  5. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

DAY THREE

Ingredients

  • 50g starter
  • 50g bakers flour
  • 50g filtered water

Method

  1. Take out 50g of starter and place that into a fresh clean jar. The first (original) jar will now become your ‘discard jar’. Place this in the fridge.
  2. Add flour and water to the new starter jar and stir everything together for at least one minute, ensuring that everything is all mixed together.
  3. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  4. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  5. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  6. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

DAY FOUR
You may see some sort of action by now, maybe a few bubbles, however, don’t worry if nothing is happening.  Keep following the steps – remember it is all about patience. Also, if you are seeing any hooch, you shouldn’t be, but if you are, then add an extra 20g of flour and 20g water on day 5.

Ingredients

  • 50g starter
  • 50g bakers flour
  • 50g filtered water

Method

  1. Take out 50g of starter and place that into a fresh clean jar (this is why 3 jars are ideal). The rest can be poured into your  ‘discard jar’ and placed back in the fridge. Wash out the empty jar ready to use tomorrow.
  2. Add flour and water to the new jar and stir everything together for at least one minute, ensuring that everything is all mixed together.
  3. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  4. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  5. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  6. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

DAY FIVE (Repeat Day Four)

By day five you should be getting a nice bubbly reaction and your starter rising slightly above the rubber band each day. If not, then #dontstressit, especially if you are in a colder climate like mine. Remember it can take up to 10 days (or even longer) to create a strong starter. Do not deviate from the steps. It is tempting to try and ‘move things along’ but this will just create more issues in the long run. Just keep with the ratios of feeding and I promise it’ll all come together soon.

DAY SIX

Ingredients

  • 50g starter
  • 100g bakers flour
  • 100g filtered water

Method

  1. Take out 50g of starter and place that into your fresh clean jar. The rest is poured into your  ‘discard jar’ and placed back in the fridge. Wash out the empty jar ready to use tomorrow.
  2. Add flour and water to the new jar and stir everything together for at least one minute, ensuring that everything is all mixed together.
  3. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  4. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  5. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  6. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

DAY SEVEN
Even after 7 days your starter is probably not strong enough to get bread to rise, even if it is bubbly and doubling in size. I highly suggest you keep repeating the below steps for another 3 days (10 days in total). The stronger your starter the better rise you will get in your bread.

Again, if you are getting hooch then slightly increase the amount of flour and water you are adding to your starter. Likewise, if your starter is not doubling in size just yet, keep repeating the ratios until it does.

Your starter should be a fairly thick, gluggy consistency (the best analogy I have is like custard, but imagine it is bubbly and full of air). If it is runny and easily pourable (like cream), then for one day only, double the flour quantity – 200g flour (still add 100g water). It should improve after this.

Ingredients

  • 50g starter
  • 100g bakers flour
  • 100g filtered water

Method

  1. Take out 50g of starter and place that into your fresh clean jar. The rest is poured into your  ‘discard jar’ and placed back in the fridge. Wash out the empty jar ready to use tomorrow.
  2. Add flour and water to the new jar and stir everything together for at least one minute, ensuring that everything is all mixed together.
  3. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar.
  4. Place the elastic band around the jar to measure the height of the starter (or mark it with a whiteboard marker).
  5. Rest the lid on top, do not screw/secure it in place.
  6. Place somewhere warm and leave for 24 hours.

ACTIVATING YOUR STARTER

After 7-10 days, as long as your starter is doubling in size, (no earlier) you can start keeping it in the fridge. This, as mentioned above, slows down the fermentation process and it means you won’t need to feed it daily. You can leave it for weeks, sleeping, in the fridge, but it is a good idea to take it out and feed it at least once a month.

Getting it ready for baking depends on how much starter you need for your recipe. I tend to only bake one loaf at a time, but as you get more confident you may like to start discarding less and creating bigger quantities of starter.

Almost every recipe I read online said to do equal parts 1:1:1 (starter, flour, water) but that just wasn’t working for me and every time my starter developed hooch (meaning it was hungry). So I prefer to have my ratios at 1:2:2. This could be a temperature thing (most likely) so adjust your ratios accordingly (read the hints and tips above).

I know this seems like a lot of information to take in, but once your starter is active and healthy you will have an amazing product to bake your own bread free – from additives and preservatives. Not to mention the cost savings for your family.

I hope this blog has given you enough encouragement and information to give it a go. If I can get it to work, anyone can.

Just keep feeding and discarding and you will keep your starter happy, active, and ready to use.

I can’t wait to see your bread baking, so remember to share and tag us on Instagram and Facebook.

Happy baking
Tracey 😊

PS – don’t forget to download the handy guide to stick on your fridge.