I love homemade bread for several reasons: I don’t like brewer’s yeast, I enjoy freshly baked bread, I adore the smell of baking at home, and, finally, it’s very cost-effective. And that’s not insignificant! After baking, I portion the bread and freeze it. In our house, bread is never wasted, even if it becomes slightly stale. Later on, I’ll tell you how to make pizza from stale bread. My kids love it, and it’s a great solution when you don’t feel like cooking. So, why am I telling you all this? Because first, I’ll give you the recipe for the sourdough starter. ??
Ingredients:
- 250g plain yogurt
- 250g flour
Instructions:
- Mix the yogurt and flour together. Knead the dough with your hands until there are no lumps and it becomes smooth.
- Take a glass jar or any other glass container and place the dough inside. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and make some holes in it. Leave it at room temperature for 48 hours.
- The dough should be moist and sticky.
If you see any black spots on the dough, discard it. This indicates mold. This should not happen if the dough is well kneaded.
After 48 hours:
- Keep 200g of the dough and discard the rest.
- Add 200g of flour and 100ml of water to the retained dough.
- For the next 14 days, you will need to take 200g of your dough, mix it with 200g of flour, and add 100ml of water.
- Cover it with plastic wrap, make holes in it, and leave it at room temperature until the next day. Repeat this process every 24 hours for 14 days.
On the 14th day, repeat the process and transfer your starter to the refrigerator. From this point on, you will only need to refresh it once a week, preferably every 4-5 days.
The sourdough starter can be kept indefinitely. However, it is crucial to follow the process of refreshing the starter weekly without skipping it. The longer the starter ages, the more active it becomes. My starter has been going for two years ?
Tips:
- Refresh the starter every 4-5 days.
- If you can’t refresh the starter, it’s better to freeze it. After thawing, refresh it more frequently until it becomes active again, every 2-3 days.
- The starter needs to breathe, so avoid sealing it with airtight lids.
- Do not add sugar or other similar additives to the starter.
- Maintain room temperature and avoid excessive moisture during the sourdough preparation process.
- If the starter doesn’t rise in the first few days, give it some time.
- If the starter is too sticky, you can add a little more flour.
Good luck! ?
