A true sourdough starter is nothing more than the flour and milk or
water which sits at room temperature for several days and catches
live yeast bacteria from the air. Most starter recipes today include
yeast as an original ingredient as it is much easier and less time
consuming. In addition, many sourdough bread recipes also indicate
usage of yeast itself as it does provide a higher rising, lighter
loaf.
A sourdough starter should be kept in a glass or plastic bowl which
has a tight fitting lid. I recommend a bowl instead of a jar as you
can "feed" your starter right in the bowl easily. To make your
starter, mix together milk, flour, and yeast.
I mix the starter with an electric, hand held mixer on the lowest
setting. Cover your starter and place in a warm, draft-free location
for 4 to 7 days, gently stirring it once a day. You may notice that
the mixture bubbles and in some cases it may even overflow the bowl.
This is an indication that you have a healthy starter which should
simply be poured off and discarded.
If your starter ever changes colors, to purple, for example, discard
and start another one.
After allowing your starter to sit for 4 to 7 days it is ready to be
used. Take out whatever portion your recipe calls for and put into
the machine as you would any liquid ingredient. After removing a
portion from the starter, the starter must be "fed". Simply add equal
portions of milk or water and flour as was used.
For example, if you used 1 cup of starter, replace it with 1 cup of
water and 1 cup of bread flour.
Some hints on feeding your starter:
Always use the same kind of flour. If you used bread flour in your
original starter, use bread flour to feed it. Also, alternate between
milk and water for each feeding.
Since your original liquid ingredient was milk, the first liquid
feeding should be with water. If you forget which you used last,
that's okay, but try to alternate at least every other time. After
feeding your starter, let it sit at room temperature for about one
day and then refrigerate.
