Making your own sourdough starter is really easy. Why would you bother? Well basically it is a lot easier on your digestive system to eat baked goods that have been pre-digested by the microbes in your starter. I have been using my starter for about 3 years now to make flat breads, naans and pizza bases and the difference is very obvious in how we feel after eating food naturally fermented as opposed to not fermented and made with conventional yeast. Just another thing you can do in the maintenance of a healthy gut.
When consuming cultured vegetables (kimchi and sauerkraut) and drinks ( kombucha and keffir) you actually ingest the live, beneficial bacteria, contributing directly to a healthy gut microbiome. When it comes to sourdough, which is used in baking, you don’t actually consume the live microbes as they die during the baking process. However you reap the benefits of their presence because they pre-digest the grains you use in your flour during the resting phase of the recipe. This breaks them down and makes them much easier for us to digest and to absorb their nutrients.
There is no more effort required when making a recipe that uses a sourdough starter – just a lot more time. So if we want to eat pizza or flatbreads, I know I need to do the prep 4-5 hours beforehand and then just make them as usual when we are ready to eat. So yes, if you want to work with a starter, you do need some organisation in the kitchen.
Below is the detailed recipe for creating your own starter. First, here is video of a starter that is in the perfect condition for use. It is rich with bubbles. You can actually see them moving.
Which flour to use
Starters can be made with a variety of flours. Here is a quick guide to their characteristics
Amaranth– My favourite as it activates well is reliable. Also a complete protein.
Millet – A nutritious grain but doesn’t activate as well as amaranth. Therefore it often needs more time and or more feeding. However it is more readily available than amaranth.
Quinoa – Very active and like amaranth, it is a complete protein. However the carbon footprint on quinoa is quite high and it is mostly imported from overseas.
Brown rice – Active and reliable however I would prefer to use a grain that is higher in protein.
Sorghum – My least favourite. I find sorghum spoils easily and has an unpleasant smell as a starter.
Mustard seed – I accidentally fed my sourdough starter with mustard seed once when I mistook it for millet. I thought it would be disastrous but actually, it was amazing. The microbes loved it and it became so active that it was like a volcano out the top of the jar. Of course the dough then had a strong mustard flavour which some people may not like. The virility of the starter lasted for the next 3 feedings even though I went back to using millet. What I learned is that if I am using millet which doesn’t cause as much activity as amaranth or quinoa, I can just add a couple of tbsp of ground mustard seed and it will cause more activation without flavouring the dough. I suspect it could also be a good activator in colder climates.
Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
The process of making a gluten free starter is the same as when making a regular starter but using a different flour. This recipe is one of 100% hydration. So that is 1 part water to 1 part flour. I used to use millet flour and thought it worked well until I tried amaranth flour. It is even better! Both these flours will work and are very nutritious. See above for specifics on flour. We grind our own millet and quinoa flours in a thermomix. You can buy it already ground but it is a lot cheaper to grind your own and sourdough cultures like freshly milled grain. What I often do is mill more than what I need and keep it in the freezer to maintain freshness.
Ingredients
Instructions
Day 1
Combine 1 cup millet or quinoa flour and 1 cup filtered water in your jar. Whisk well with a fork and then cover with your cloth and secure with an elastic band. The live microbes in a starter need to breath which means you need to allow air in but also protect the mix from impurities, bugs, vinegar flies etc. Leave in a warmish spot.
Day 2
Add another 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup water. Whisk well and leave as you did before.
Day 3
Do the same as you did on day 2. Bubbles may be starting to form by now. In warmer weather this will happen sooner.
Day 4
Continue as on the previous 2 days. Once your starter is very bubbly, it is ready to use. See pictures above.
Storage of your starter
When you are not using your starter, store in the fridge (covered by the cloth) and feed it once a week with 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. When you next want to use it, remove from the fridge and feed it right away and leave in a warm spot to re-bubble.
Sharing your starter
If you would like to share your starter with a friend, give them 1/2-1 cup in a jar and they may then feed as normal since the starter is already established.
Beware of Mould
If you leave your starter too long between feeds it will go mouldy. You will see fur and odd colours such as blue, pink or white forming on the surface. If this happens, please throw it all out and begin again. These moulds are not safe to consume. To avoid this happening, refrigerate your starter as soon as you have used it if you do not intend to use it again for a while. Remember to feed it once a week even when refrigerated. It is a living mixture and in order for the beneficial yeasts to stay active, they must be fed.
