Starter Simplified

Oh sourdough starter. The most confusing part of the sourdough process, but not for you! I can go into great detail about starter and I will, but here you'll just find the cliff notes.

Starter is what makes your bread rise and gives it it's signature sourdough flavor. It is made of two ingredients - flour and water and it's the reason why sourdough is so healthy for you compared to traditional breads - in short, it's gut healthy because it's fermented. Starter is a live active culture that needs to be "fed" in order to survive - but don't worry it's very resilient.

The night before you are ready to make your dough you need to feed your starter to get it active and bubbly and strong enough to make your bread rise. This takes hours, which is why we feed it at night so that it's ready by morning.

The easiest way to feed your starter is by using a kitchen scale, filtered water and flour. My preferred method is the 1:1:1 ratio. One part starter, one part water and one part flour.

Getting your starter ready:

• The night before you're ready to bake get a clean glass jar, place it on your kitchen scale and zero it out.

• Add 70g of starter to the jar, followed by 70g of filtered water and mix.

• Add 70g of bread flour and mix. It should be a thick pancake batter consistency.

• Leave it on the counter loosely covered overnight.

How to care for your starter:

• After you've fed your starter for baking, take the leftover starter and put it in a clean jar. Here, I eyeball a 1:1:1 ratio. You can also weigh it just like above if you prefer.

• Seal this jar and place it in the fridge for up to two weeks.