Sourdough Starter
A Natural Leavening
Sourdough is a natural leavening – it contains little or no preservatives at all. It is also a good source of B vitamins and essential minerals, vegetable protein, and carbohydrates.


Basic Sourdough Starter
You will need the following ingredients for you basic sourdough starter:
  • One cup of warm water and one cup of all-purpose flour
  • One tablespoon of active dry yeast
  • Three tablespoons of sugar
  • If desired, one half teaspoon of sea salt
Whole Wheat or Rye Sourdough Starter
Same as the basic sourdough starter, except reduce the yeast to one teaspoon.

Honey sourdough starter
Increase the warm water and the flour to two-and-one-half cups each, and two tablespoons of honey instead of the three tablespoons of sugar

Combine all ingredients in a six-cup container (do not use metal), and beat with a wooden or plastic spoon. Cover loosely with plastic wrap to permit the starter to breathe. Place away from draft in room temperature (about 75ºF – 85ºF). Cover loosely. Fermentation is in two to three days, when you will see some tiny bubbles on top. That means that the yeast is developing – it is producing gas. You can then transfer the sourdough starter to its actual container and refrigerate. Do not forget the vent holes or cover loosely to allow the starter to breathe.

How to Use Your Sourdough Starter
A few hours before you need to bake, take the sourdough starter from the refrigerator. Take from the starter what you need for your recipe. Replenish your starter immediately by adding two cups of warm water and two cups of flour. Let sit in a warm place for several hours or overnight and then refrigerate. Remember to cover loosely. Remember also not to use a metal container as it tends to inhibit the growth of the sourdough starter. Stir into the starter any liquid (hooch) that forms on top.

Things to Remember About Your Sourdough Starter
  • Keep your sourdough starter in a sufficiently large container, as your mixture needs a little room to expand.
  • Check if your tap water is heavily chlorinated. If it is, use bottled water for your sourdough starter.
  • If you have not used your sourdough starter for about four weeks, discard half of the mixture. Replace what you discard with the same amount of flour and water, and let sit in room temperature for several hours or overnight prior to refrigerating it.
  • Always keep at least two cups more of sourdough starter than what you will need at one time. For example, if you normally use two cups of starter when baking, you should keep your starter volume at four cups.
  • If you want to use your sourdough starter for yeast, you can do so by substituting one cup of starter for every one-ounce yeast cake. Reduce also by one cup each the flour and the liquid. This substitution does not apply to quick yeast or quick rise recipes.
  • Sourdough starter means the acidity in the starter. It does not in anyway refer to how sour your finished baked goods will be.
  • Some sourdough starters are a combination of flour and water, and others are of flour and milk. Make sure to feed your sourdough starter with the right liquid.


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