Your very own sourdough starter is the start of something delicious, whether it’s a fun science experiment or a labor of artisanal love! This recipe is part of Zoë François’ all-new book, The New Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Get the printable recipe here —
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In this video
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Sourdough starter has a reputation for being tricky to use and keep around, but it’s really very simple and only requires two ingredients.
I promise you this sourdough starter will be soooo much easier than you think! This recipe is from my book “New Healthy Bread in Five” / but you can get it for free by clicking the ‘i’ in the top right corner.
So all you need is two things – flour – and water! See – I said it was simple!
Mix them together in a large bowl.
You can use just about any flour, but do make sure it isn’t bleached. Go with all-purpose, whole wheat, rye or a combination.
Cover it loosely with a lid or plastic wrap.
Air containing natural yeasts needs to able to get into the container, but not so much that it may dry out.
Now just let the starter sit on the counter for the next two days – how easy is that?
As it sits there it’ll have time to collect all the yeast it needs to become “active” – in other words produce carbon dioxide…
On the 3rd day you should see some bubbles, albeit small ones.
Stir in more flour and water. Cover the container loosely once again and let it sit.
Repeat this process on day 4,
and again on day 5
and again on day 6!
By now your dough should look foamy and active because of all the gas bubbles that the yeast has been creating in the starter.
On the morning of day 7 activate it again by adding – guess what – more flour and water
Now, you’re ready to use your foamy, active starter!
Don’t be alarmed if your starter looks brown and sludgy – that’s totally normal. Now just use it as directed by the bread recipe you are following. Remember, you can keep your starter until you are ready to use it.
You’ll be able enjoy fresh-baked sourdough bread any time you want! Who knew that such delicious bread could come from flour, water and air! It’s like magic!
Thanks for watching, and don’t forget you can click the “i” in the top-right corner of this video to get the FREE recipe I’ve been using in this video or to learn more baking techniques.