How to make yeast – sourdough starter

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Making sourdough starter at home is so much easier than you imagine. A batch of starter only takes 7 to 14 days, perfect when you don’t have yeast.

When researching how to make sourdough starter years ago, I was absolutely intimidated. There was so much information and it seemed to be a bit more scientific that I had an interest in tackling.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Starter is easy and really very forgiving! Notice the line on the inside of the jar where you can see that the yeast grew and then reduced again.

When you feed the starter, the yeast colony has a lot of new food to grow on. Once the colony has depleted the available food, it will reduce in size.

What you need

• flour (use rye flour, or whole wheat flour to start, rye inherently has more yeast, because it is less processed.)
• dechlorinated water

Can you use tap water?

Yes, you can use tap water if you dechlorinate it. How do you dechlorinate water easily?

• Low boil water for about 15 minutes, uncovered. Let cool. Store in covered bottle at room temperature.
• Use a commercial activated carbon filter to remove chlorine.

Equipment needed

• 1 quart plastic or glass container
• kitchen scale

How to make it

Day one

1. Measure flour and water. It is best to weigh the quantities, it’s more accurate than measuring the volume.
2. Measure 4 oz. / 113 g. rye flour (you can use white or whole wheat flour, see notes below)
3. Measure 6 oz. / 170 g. dechlorinated water.
4. Mix well in a large jar (at least 1 quart / 946 g) , make sure no dry flour is left. (either food grade plastic, or glass)
5. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. I set the band to the jar on top, without securing it, so that the plastic can’t blow off, but it can also breath. Place in warm spot ( I use the top of the refrigerator) Cover jar with kitchen towel to block sunlight.

Day two

1. Remove half of the starter in the jar and discard.
2. Measure 4 oz/ 113 g rye flour. Measure 4 oz / 3.8 ml water.
3. Add flour and water with starter in jar.
4. Discard is about 1/2 – 3/4 cup.
5. Mix well again. Make sure no dry flour remains.
6. Cover with plastic and towel again. Let sit for another 24 hours.

Day three

After a few days I switch over to half rye and half white flour, only because my family prefers white. Once yeast is bubbly and has grown, you can keep storing at room temperature and feed it daily.

You can continue to use rye or wheat flour for your starter, for that flavor bread. You can start with only white flour, but be aware of the fact that it will take longer for your starter to be ready. Typically at least 14 days.

Day four

• By day four your yeast should be getting very bubbly.
• Feed one half rye flour and one half white flour.
• Mix well.
• Store for 24 hours.

Day five and beyond

After 5 days, I go to all white flour. By that time, the yeast is actively growing and bubbly.

You can stick with rye or wheat flour, if you prefer.

If using all white flour, the starter may get a bit less bubbly. Don’t worry, continue to feed white flour daily, until it gets very bubbly again.

• Before feeding.
• Before feeding
• Add flour and water.
• Mix thoroughly.

If you don’t want to feed it daily, you can refrigerate the starter and feed it only once per week. I usually do this during the summer, since I don’t bake much bread.

Pro tips for success

• Start yeast with rye or wheat flour. Preferably rye.
• Use only unbleached flours. Bleached flour will not support your yeast colony.
• Use room temperature, dechlorinated water, instead of tap water.
• If you feed your starter every twelve hours, instead of every 24 hours, the yeast will be ready in less time.
• Make sure your yeast is growing every time you feed it. That is a good indication that it is ready to use.

When is my starter ready?

Experts advise not to use your starter for at least 10 days after starting it, to ensure that the good yeast has taken over everything else. Make sure the yeast bubbles well and is growing daily, then the discard ready to use.

Once you refrigerate starter, remove it from refrigerator. Allow it to get room temperature and feed it for at least 3 days before using the discard for recipes.

What if I miss a feeding?

Your healthy starter should smell sweet. After a few days of growing, smell your yeast so that you know what it should smell like. It should smell sweet rather than sour.

If you miss a day feeding your yeast, smell your yeast. If it still smells sweet, then just feed it again, as normal. It will be fine.

I have let it go for as long as 3 days without any ill effects.

How to store yeast long term

You can literally keep yeast going for years, decades, even centuries! You just have to feed your yeast colony, to keep it happy. The older the starter, the more “sour” the flavor of the sourdough.

To keep your yeast colony alive, and ready to use, store it at room temperature. It needs to be fed every day, or every other day, while it is at room temperature.

Longer term storage

During periods when you are less likely to bake, (summer) you can store your yeast colony in the refrigerator. Feed the starter every 7-10 days. Then return to refrigerator.

To bake with the yeast, it should be brought back to room temperature, and fed daily, for at least 3 days.

Sourdough starter can be frozen for longer storage. When you are ready to use it again, thaw in refrigerator and then bring it room temperature, feeding it daily, for 3 days.

Drying starter

Starter can also be dried and then reconstituted and grown again. Just spread a thin layer of starter on parchment paper. Let it air dry for 1-2 days, until very dry.

Crumble dried yeast and store in canning jar, or plastic bag. In a dry place.

To reconstitute the starter, add a tablespoon of dried starter with 2 tablespoons of dechlorinated, lukewarm water, let soak for a few minutes. Then add 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover and allow to grow for 1 day.

The next day, add 2 tablespoons of flour and a tablespoon of warm dechlorinated water. Let sit again for 24 hours.

The third day, add 2 more tablespoons flour and only 2 teaspoons of water. Then proceed as normal, above.

How does baking and rising differ?

Baking with sourdough starter, or homemade yeast can be a bit different than using commercial yeast.

The dough may take longer to rise, particularly if you are used to using rapid rise yeast. Be patient and allow dough to rise until double in bulk, for most recipes.

What I make with homemade yeast

• Sourdough pizza crust
• Sourdough buns

Tools I use

• quart canning jar
• spatula
• kitchen scale

So in about 10 days, you can have your own batch of yeast to make all of your favorite breads!

I will continue to add sourdough breads, so keep up with my new recipes on my social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

If you have any questions or concerns about making your starter, please ask in the comments below.

That’s how easy it is to make homemade yeast, aka sourdough starter. Thanks for stopping by today!

Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

Xoxo,

Originally published  4/3/2020