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An overhead view of a freshly fed sourdough starter. It shows the correct way to keep a sourdough starter

How To Keep A Sourdough Starter

If you've ever wondered how to keep a sourdough starter, look no further! I'll walk you through the step by step instructions for keeping your starter happy!
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Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: How To Keep A Sourdough Starter
Prep Time: 8 hours
Servings: 1 Jar
Author: lynnswayoflife

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 5 ounces Water Filtered, room temperature
  • 5 ounces Starter

Instructions

  • Take out your kitchen scale and tare it out to zero. Place the mason jar on top of the scale and add 5 ounces of starter.
  • Tare out the scale again and add 5 ounces of water.
  • Tare out the scale again and add 5 ounces of flour.
  • Mix the contents of the mason jar well until it forms a thick paste. Place a loosely fitted lid on top of the mason jar and place it in a cool, draft free place.
  • After 6-8 hours, the starter will have doubled in size. To check if the starter is ready to bake with, place water in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the active, bubbly starter to the water. If it floats, you are ready to bake. If it sinks, start from step 1 and feed the starter again.

Notes

  • The starter should double in size and look active and bubbly when it is ready to bake.
  • Use unfiltered water if you live in a town that has hard water, or water with excess chemicals in it.  Running the water through a filter or using bottled water is great.