Mmmm…bread! And my favorite is sourdough. Ever since I was a little girl I have always been in love with sourdough bread and I got my hands on an old-fashioned recipe a while back and make it for a treat every now and then. The tricky part is getting the perfect starter and that's what I'm sharing with you today!
Quick and Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp instant potatoes
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a covered container. Let the mixture sit for on your counter, lightly covered, 6 days stirring the container to make sure it is combined.
- On the morning of the 6th day, feed the starter with 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup warm water. The same night, take out 1 cup of the starter to use in a sourdough recipe. Put remaining starter in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Every six days or so, remove the starter from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Feed the starter 3 tbsp instant potatoes and sugar with 1 cup water. If starter is to be used in a recipe, let the fed starter rest at room temperature 6 hours before use. If starter is not being used in a recipe, keep refrigerated and discard 1 cup of starter after each feeding.
Notes
I find the best way to keep the starter on the counter is loosely covered with cheesecloth so it can breathe. I always seal the container when putting back into the fridge.
I've also shared my favorite bread dough recipe that goes perfectly with this starter! If you come across any delicious recipes that use sourdough starters please share them with me I'd love to try out some new ones.
1 Comment
I’ve used this starter recipe for about three months. I discard when I feed it and don’t have time to bake with the discard. I was skeptical about leaving it on the counter, as my mother always refrigerated hers, but it has worked out well until I went to feed it yesterday. I had noticed that it was working less and getting really soupy with the potato flakes. The smell yesterday was no longer a yeasty/sourdough smell but closer to a vomit smell. Out it went, and I started a new one today. It will also remain on the counter, but evidently this has a definite shelf life, no pun intended, if not refrigerated.