My goal is to make bread, using a long ferment method, in the hopes of being able to eat a bread that my stomach can digest easily.

I am hopeful.

Now, I’m not a perfectionist and I’m not into measuring things exactly (to be honest, I’m really not into measuring at all) and that’s ok - when it works.

My mom has often shared that my great-aunt Ettie used to make the most delicious cakes by tossing in a handful of this, a pinch of that, a scoop of the other thing, and a dash of the other-other thing. No measuring. She just “knew” by the look of things.

Of course, that knowing came from experience and failures but, in the end, she made those delicious cakes. 

I’m crossing my fingers that my “knowing” will come through with this starter and I will end up with something that will create the most beautiful breads. We will see. First step: a healthy starter.

From all of my research, the key to a healthy sourdough starter is keeping it fed when it is growing.

What does that mean?
Well, it seems that the starter microbes will eat their weight in flour. So, if you have “this” amount of starter, you need to feed it this amount of flour and this amount of water to keep it at a “pancake batter” consistency.
Note: but that is just one method! There are wetter and dryer options

Now, if you keep the starter in a cooler temperature, it gets sleepy and doesn’t eat much. If you keep it in a warmer temperature (I think the optimum is around 80F) then it is active and hungry! (Tip: use your fridge strategically) 

For this starter, I began with equal parts of flour and water, stirred it, and let it sit on the counter.
I used just plain white flour because that’s what I had. Apparently a whole wheat or rye flour is better to start with and, then, maybe feed it with the white flour.

Day 2: fed it with the “equal amount” strategy
Day 3: I had a lot of starter, so I took out most of it and then fed it.
This process is continued for about a week, until you have a beautiful, bubbly, active sourdough starter.

Today, is Day 3 and I have some discard, as they call it, and I’m going to try and make something with it. Is it healthy enough yet to  be something other than flour goo? I won’t know until I try. That’s the experience part of homesteading.

This week, I’ve been busy with appointments for my mom but tomorrow is a day off. I wonder if the starter will be ready to use? Probably not … but maybe if I put it in a warmer location? It’s pretty cool here in Ontario, so my kitchen is cold. Maybe in the oven with the light on?

It’s worth a try, right? What do you think?

I’ll keep you posted in my blogs,
- Debbie

_ _ _

These products are what I use and all opinions expressed here are my own. This list may contain affiliate links from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you choose to use my link … and if you do, know that I appreciate you!