Easy Sourdough Starter Guide: Just Flour & Water!

[00:00] - Welcome to my laboratory. (laughs)

[00:02] I've been so excited to

[00:05] We are making a sourdough starter.

[00:07] I think this is the thing

[00:10] and keeps them from

[00:12] And I'm gonna show you

[00:14] It is so easy.

[00:16] Literally two ingredients:

[00:19] And you're gonna be a pro

[00:22] in no time.

[00:23] Alright, let's do this.

[00:26] One of the best investments you can make

[00:28] in your sourdough journey

[00:31] This will save you tons

[00:33] and it'll be way more accurate.

[00:35] You can use a regular mason jar,

[00:37] but I love using my Weck jar

[00:39] because it weighs exactly 400 grams.

[00:41] So it's really easy to

[00:44] Start by zeroing out the jar.

[00:48] You can either use whole

[00:51] Using a whole grain flour

[00:54] your starter a lot more food to grow.

[00:56] Next, add 100 grams of filtered

[00:59] If you have spring water,

[01:02] If you keep your house cooler,

[01:05] but no warmer than 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

[01:08] Also, avoid adding cold water,

[01:09] which will really slow down the growth.

[01:11] Initially, the mixture

[01:13] which is why I like to mix

[01:16] This is especially true

[01:19] But this is totally normal.

[01:21] Mix it together. Scrape down the sides.

[01:23] You see how thick that is.

[01:26] Then put a rubber band around your jar

[01:28] to the level of the starter.

[01:29] This will help you keep track

[01:33] Cover that with the lid.

[01:34] And I love how the Weck jar

[01:37] If you're using a standard mason jar,

[01:39] just set the lid over the

[01:42] You definitely want air

[01:44] To keep track of your starter,

[01:46] slap a label on there with the start date.

[01:48] 24 hours later, we see

[01:51] It actually looks exactly the same.

[01:53] Continue to let it rest

[01:56] Then on day three,

[01:58] Also, make sure to let this

[02:01] and don't be tempted to

[02:03] Otherwise, it'll rise too

[02:06] Since we're seeing

[02:09] we're gonna do our first feeding.

[02:10] Discard half of the starter,

[02:12] and you should have about 100 grams left.

[02:14] You can see what I mean about

[02:18] The jar weighs 400 grams.

[02:20] We have about 100 grams

[02:23] Now we're gonna feed it with

[02:26] and 100 grams of room temperature water.

[02:29] Thoroughly stir that together.

[02:30] You wanna make sure

[02:31] there aren't any bits of

[02:34] Should be really well combined.

[02:35] And once you've got it all mixed together,

[02:37] scrape down the walls of

[02:40] Also, adjust your rubber band

[02:44] This way you can keep an eye on growth.

[02:46] Cover that with your lid,

[02:47] and let it rest for another 24 hours.

[02:50] For best results,

[02:50] try to stay on a consistent schedule

[02:52] and feed the starter at

[02:55] We are now on day four,

[02:56] and we're definitely seeing some growth.

[02:58] We a lot of rise above

[03:01] and plenty of bubbling inside.

[03:03] You wanna keep 100 grams

[03:06] Go ahead and discard the rest.

[03:07] Again, a kitchen scale will help you track

[03:09] exactly how much starter

[03:12] Now feed it the same way.

[03:14] You'll need 100 grams of all-purpose flour

[03:16] and 100 grams of room temperature water.

[03:19] Thoroughly stir that together

[03:20] until it's really well combined.

[03:22] You'll also notice as time goes on

[03:24] that the mixture will

[03:26] and be a lot easier to stir together.

[03:28] Once it's well combined, scrape

[03:32] And I also like to clean

[03:34] This will ensure

[03:35] that the lid doesn't

[03:38] Your starter needs to be able to breathe.

[03:40] We are now on day five, and

[03:43] If you get to day five

[03:44] and the growth seems to have slowed down,

[03:47] don't worry, just continue to feed it.

[03:49] In all of my testing,

[03:50] I've had several starters

[03:52] around day four or five,

[03:55] Just keep going.

[03:56] Keep 100 grams of the starter in the jar

[03:59] and discard the rest.

[04:00] Then feed it again the same way,

[04:02] 100 grams of all-purpose flour

[04:04] and 100 grams of room temperature water.

[04:07] Thoroughly stir that together

[04:08] until all of the flour is incorporated.

[04:11] Then clean the lid again if needed.

[04:13] Cover with a loose-fitting lid

[04:15] and let that rest for another 24 hours.

[04:17] By day six, we're seeing

[04:20] lots of bubbling on top

[04:23] Keep 100 grams of your starter in the jar

[04:25] and get rid of the rest.

[04:27] Once you have a mature starter,

[04:28] you can definitely use that discard

[04:30] for so many great, delicious projects.

[04:33] But while you're growing your starter,

[04:35] you just wanna get rid of it.

[04:36] Feed your starter exactly the same way,

[04:38] 100 grams of flour and 100

[04:42] Thoroughly stir that together.

[04:44] Then scrape down the sides of your jar.

[04:46] Wipe off the rim.

[04:47] Cover with the lid and let it rest.

[04:49] When it's ready to use,

[04:50] your starter should

[04:52] between four to six

[04:55] You'll see it's more

[04:57] and it's super airy and bubbly.

[04:59] Okay, it is day seven.

[05:00] This is exactly what the

[05:03] Sometimes it'll start

[05:06] and I've even had one do this by day five

[05:08] where it more than doubles in volume.

[05:11] Boom.

[05:11] You wanna use it

[05:12] when it's more than

[05:14] before it starts to go back down.

[05:16] This is like peak performance.

[05:18] This is ready to make

[05:22] Let me show you this texture.

[05:23] Take a look at that bubble-ish.

[05:25] It really doesn't get

[05:27] This is amazing.

[05:28] I feel like I'm gonna ruin it.

[05:30] That's okay. I have to show you.

[05:32] And it smells good.

[05:33] So that's one way to know

[05:35] that the sourdough starter is

[05:39] and it smells so good.

[05:41] It's like sour and just, mm.

[05:43] It makes you want sourdough

[05:46] Just sit here and smell it.

[05:48] And then it is so bubbly.

[05:50] Look at this, the texture here.

[05:53] Look at these bubbles go.

[05:56] I mean, wowie, wowie.

[05:59] The way that you know that

[06:02] and that it's ready to use in recipes is

[06:05] if you take a dollop of it

[06:06] and you just kerplunk it into some water.

[06:09] Oh, it's a big dollop. (laughs)

[06:12] It doesn't wanna let go.

[06:13] It'll float.

[06:14] Look, it's floating like a little turd.

[06:16] We've got a floater. (laughs)

[06:19] Oh okay.

[06:20] And there you have it,

[06:21] how to make a homemade sourdough starter

[06:23] with just two ingredients.

[06:25] Easy peasy. It just takes some patience.

[06:27] And make sure to follow all of our tips

[06:29] for how to make sourdough starter.

[06:31] Remember to use room temperature water.

[06:33] Don't be tempted to use too warm-up water

[06:36] because you don't wanna

[06:38] You wanna give the yeast and bacteria time

[06:41] to grow and develop at room temperature.

[06:44] If you speed through it, you

[06:47] I've had that happen.

[06:48] So follow the process.

[06:51] And before long,

[06:51] you guys are gonna be making

[06:54] and sourdough recipes.

[06:55] I cannot wait to share more with you.

[06:57] We definitely have a great

[07:01] I've made hundreds of loaves,

[07:04] I cannot wait to share it.

[07:05] Let me know where you

[07:09] Also, if you have any recipe requests,

[07:10] maybe sourdough recipe requests,

[07:12] I would love to hear from you.

[07:14] Once you've got your sourdough

[07:17] you can also store it in the fridge,

[07:18] which is what I do,

[07:19] and then I just take it out of the fridge

[07:21] and bring it to room

[07:23] and it's ready to feed

[07:25] It's so convenient

[07:26] 'cause I cook sourdough bread once a week.

[07:28] I make a couple loaves.

[07:29] It lasts us all week. And I love it.

[07:32] Also, if you're going on

[07:35] It's really so easy to maintain.

[07:37] You don't have to do it every day

[07:38] once your sourdough starter is made.

[07:40] So that's the good news.

[07:41] I will share all of my tips and

[07:44] on natashaskitchen.com.

[07:46] And let's see what else.

[07:48] The cookbook. (laughs)

[07:50] Every time, if you haven't already,

[07:51] our cookbook is available for sale.

[07:53] I will link to this in the notes.

[07:57] (laughs)

[07:58] I don't know what happened there.

[08:00] Bye.