My friend Jennie the Potter hooked me up with my first sourdough starter and i’ve been waiting patiently for it to stabilize so i can feed it to double it in size in prep for baking.

you can make a starter from scratch or acquire one from any number of places.

once you’ve got a starter going, it’s much more straightforward to keep one healthy than i thought. here’s the basics :
every week, feed it one cup of flour and 1/2 to 2/3 cup lukewarm water. mix it up well and put back in fridge if it’s not going to be used right away.

from what i’m told, it’s tough to kill a starter, even if you leave it neglected in the fridge for months. you can usually bring them back to health easily.

so, if i can do this, you sure can! making homemade bread is just a satisfying way to spend some time – it pays off huge in flavor and is better for us than store bought bread.

once you’ve got a good starter going and you’re ready to bake some fresh loaves, you can use the following as a guide :

1 cup starter
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
mix
fridge overnight
next morning take out
let sit for 2 hours or until it is bubbling
add a tbsp of salt and a tbsp of sugar
work in 2 cups flour
knead until satiny
oil it up and let set until it doubles
cut in half
using cornmeal on parchment, shape the loaves [should make two]
oil them
cover with plastic wrap
let sit til doubled
slash loaves
bake in preheated oven at 450 for 20 minutes
bake for 10 minutes and turn
brush tops with butter
loaves are done when tapping bottom sounds hollow
for rye we can sub 1/2 cup rye flour, too if preferred

that’s all there is to it – thanks, Jennie!

=
c