Sourdough Starter

Recipe from Peter Reinhart

Adapted by Oliver Strand

Sourdough Starter
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Total Time
4 to 8 days
Rating
4(2,296)
Comments
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This is an adaptation of the instructions for making a starter outlined by Peter Reinhart in his “Artisan Breads Every Day.” It takes a little more or less than a week of mixing flour with liquid – Mr. Reinhart starts with unsweetened pineapple juice (though you could also use orange juice or apple cider), then switches to water – to achieve a vigorous, living starter. Once it is bubbling and fragrant, with a light yeasty-boozy scent, you can use it and feed it daily with a cup of flour and a half-cup of water. Or put the starter in the refrigerator and feed it weekly, always discarding (or using!) a cup of the original when you do. (All measurements are by weight.) —Oliver Strand

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Ingredients

Yield:2 pizza recipes and leftover starter
  • 16ounces flour
  • 3ounces pineapple juice
  • 10ounces filtered or spring water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

424 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 6 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make seed culture: Combine 1 ounce of the flour and 2 ounces pineapple juice in a large glass or small nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. Bubbles should appear after 24 to 36 hours. After 48 hours, add 1 ounce flour and remaining pineapple juice, stirring to incorporate. Re-cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. When it is foamy, in 1 to 4 days, combine 2 ounces flour and 1 ounce filtered or spring water in a medium nonreactive bowl. Add seed culture, stirring to incorporate, and re-cover with plastic wrap. Stir twice a day to aerate.

  2. Step 2

    When mixture has doubled in bulk, in 1 to 2 days, convert it into a starter: Combine 12 ounces flour and 9 ounces filtered or spring water in bowl. Add 4 ounces of seed culture mixture (discard the rest, or use to make a second starter) and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. It should have the consistency of bread dough. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and let rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 4 to 8 hours. Knead lightly, then store in container with tight-fitting lid (container must be large enough to let starter triple in bulk). Store in refrigerator.

Tip
  • Every 5 to 10 days the starter will need to be fed with more flour and water. Follow the directions in step 2 above, substituting starter for seed culture.

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2,296 user ratings
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Comments

Chris

PLEASE... When you cite measurements for both liquids and solids in "ounces" it's ambiguous--are we talking fluid ounces or weights? Please specify grams for each ingredient, as we baker's are being strongly encouraged to measure all ingredients in this more precise way. Thanks!

Mary Laves

See easier to follow recipe in a serires of posts.

Seed Culture:
1. Mix 1 oz. Flour & 2 oz. Unsweetned fruit juice (Stir twice day)
2. 48 hours: Add 1 oz. Flour and 1 oz. Juice. ( Stir twice a day)
3. 1 to 4 days: When foamy combine 2oz flour and 1 oz. Filtered water. Add seed culture, stir to incorpoate. (Stir twice a day)

DonR9

I'm confused. I now have the completed starter recipe in the fridge and it seems to have tripled in volume. What next? To make bread or pizza dough, do I now use that starter as is, or do I add it to more flour, water and what else; and, if so, in what proportions? Sorry to be so dense about this

Don’t Think Twice

I’ve read that some people had a problem with mold. It’s likely because the mix wasn’t sufficiently acidic. The sour in sourdough is lactic acid and it has to be properly balanced with wild yeasts to keep the starter healthy. If there is too little lactic acid, competing microbes like mold can develop. If there is too much acid it will kill the yeast. Pineapple juice has both sugar and acid, so it satisfies the requirements. I’ve generally had good luck with a stemmed bunch of organic grapes that have been slightly mashed to release some juice. I just lower the stemmed bunch into the liquid starter. I don’t wash or wipe them off. When it’s time to stir, you lift them out, give the liquid a quick swish, add whatever you need to add and lower the grapes back into the container. Once you see signs of fermentation, you can toss the grapes. My starter is not doughy. It’s a liquid that is the consistency of heavy cream with bubbles. I really don’t measure. The starter is just not that fussy.

Randal

There seems to be a bit of confusion here about weight versus volume. There is a difference between liquid in fluid ounces versus liquid weight. A fluid ounce of sugar water weighs a tad more than plain water. In this recipe at the top of the ingredient list on the right is a little ruler symbol. Click it and the option to switch to metric appears. In metric the solids are listed in grams and fluids are in milliliters.

Don E.

@Chris For water or anything of similar density (e.g. pineapple juice), an ounce is an ounce is an ounce. That is, say, 10 oz by measuring cup will weigh precisely 10 oz on a scale.

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Credits

Adapted from “Artisan Breads Every Day,” by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, 2009)

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