So, I’ll put a summary post out which condenses these sourdough chronicles into a starter recipe people can follow … but to bring you up to speed, this starter is a mix of flour, water, yoghurt and pineapple juice, which has been fermenting for the last week. Today I’ve given it a last stir and I think it’s ready to use to make bread.

Yup, it worked alright!

I did still use a bit of yeast in the bread to help things along, but I think once the starter develops a bit further, it will be able to do the leavening all by itself. The bread isn’t quite as tangy as I’d like it, but it’s a good start. I’m going to experiment with feeding the starter various things to alter the flavour of the bread – so I’ll let you know how I get on.

This recipe is based on an Alison Holst recipe. I made the dough in my breadmaker today, because it is cold! And I was worried room temperature wouldn’t see the dough through both restings. But purists can make it all by hand.

Light Wholemeal Sourdough

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 1/2 cups high grade flour
2 tsp surebake yeast

Put everything into your bread maker (follow the instructions for which order your machine likes things in). Set it to dough cycle.

… then once the bread maker has worked its magic, turn the dough onto a floured board and work it into whatever shape of loaf you would like. Place it on its baking tray and leave it in a warm place for about 45 minutes. If you want, now’s the time to make some slashes in the top with a sharp knife. Leave it for another 20 minutes, and start the oven preheating to 210 (c).

Bake the loaf for 25-30 minutes. You can tap the bottom of the loaf, and if it sounds hollow, it’s done.

Now that I’ve used some of my sourdough starter, I have to feed it again. The usual rule is to mix up flour and water, double the volume of what you’ve taken out. I used 1 1/2 cups starter, so I would mix together 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups water and mix that into the starter. Leave the jar out on the bench for the rest of that day – then start keeping the starter jar in the fridge.

Once a week, you need to feed the starter. If you don’t feel like making bread, then throw out or give away at least 1 cup of starter, and feed it as usual with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour.

I’d be interested to hear how anyone else gets on with this recipe! Also, does anyone have great ideas for where to rise bread in winter? I might try the hot water cupboard next week. Or I wondered about turning my electric blanket on low and putting the baking tray on my bed. Does that sound crazy?

I’m finding it hard to resist just getting on with making bread today. But 7-Day Starter sounds better than 6-Day Starter. So I’m going to hold off for one more sleep.

Today we have more of the sponge. The starter’s really settled down since Day 3 or 4, and is taking on a good tangy smell. I’ve given it one more stir, re-covered it, and will let it do its thing until tomorrow. When we will see if having a jar of bubbling goo on my bench all week results in a loaf of bread. Tune in tomorrow!

Still good signs. We have reached … the sponge stage.

The bubbles are no longer frothy, but much spongier. Really tangy smell now. I’ve given it a good stir, covered it again loosely and left it out again. I think it will be ready for bread tomorrow or the next day. Yussssssss.

Day 4 has not been as dramatic as Day 3. The starter is still pretty bubbly, but it’s collapsed back a bit from yesterday. The smell is now quite a bit stronger, like really ripe bananas, and it’s starting to smell more sour.

You can also see a clear layer is starting to develop on top. This is a good sign. I reckon I’ll be eating sourdough at the weekend!

Another stir as usual and another day out on the kitchen bench.

Things are getting interesting! I arrived home today to lots more bubbles and a more definite smell. The smell is yeast-y, kind of like bananas, but it’s not yet sour, so I know there is a wee way to go.

What was really interesting is how much the starter changed within a few short hours though. About four hours after I took these photos, the starter had really swollen up and bubbled up on the surface:

You can see how much further up the jar the starter reaches now.

The starter is so active I could see the bubbles moving and popping while I was watching… is it wrong to be this excited about bread culture?

I’ve replaced my loose cover of cling film and left out on the bench again.

Today is day 2 of 7 in my sourdough starter journey.

Not much to report, really. Some bubbles. A bit of pineapple juice settling on the top around the sides of the jar. Some faintly yeast-like smells. Have also discovered the active dried yeast bottle was a bit out of date! So maybe not so active after all.

Anticipate further developments tomorrow, following another 24 hours on the bench.

I don’t profess to understand how sourdough or starter works. But I do know that sourdough’s special-ness comes from its starter. The starter is a culture which serves as a leavening agent in the bread. Waaaay back in the days when you couldn’t buy yeast, people would make a mix of flour and water, and capture wild yeasts from the air. As you used some of the starter to make breads, you would ‘feed’ it with more flour and water. Good starters can become institutions, being handed down through families and friends.

I’ve had a sourdough starter going in the past, but it languished for too long in the fridge and needed to be… disposed of. So out with the mould and in with the new! I’m going to start a new starter and record progress on my blog – hopefully in 7 days I will be able to bake delicious tangy sourdough bread.

This sourdough starter is a hodge-podge of recipes and tips I’ve found online and in books. It cheats a little bit by using a wee pinch of yeast, but it will also become its own culture and hopefully develop its own flavours. I’ll probably also use a little bit of bought yeast in the first few loaves of bread at least, to help things along.  Here goes…

Sourdough Starter: Day 1

Start with a VERY clean, dry jar. I used a 1.5 litre glass jar – you don’t want it any smaller than that as the starter grows a bit over the week!

Mix together:

1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup high grade (white) flour
1 cup unsweetened yoghurt
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (I just drained a can of no-added sugar stuff)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp active dried yeast

And put them all into the jar.

Cover it loosely – I didn’t put the clippy lid on, I just draped a piece of cling film over the top (the starter needs to be able to breathe, but you don’t want dust and nasties getting in). And then you just leave it on the bench to do its thing. See you tomorrow, same time, same channel, for instalment on Day 2.