Starter
Dough
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Start with a Starter
The starter (or sometimes called a sponge) is a flour and water mixture that contains the yeast used to rise the bread. You need a starter to make sourdough bread.
To create starter, you must first obtain some sourdough yeast. The only way to bake real San Francisco sourdough bread is to use a yeast culture from San Francisco. You can purchase dried San Francisco yeast starters at some gourmet cook shops or larger health food stores. If you are associated with a cooking school or club, you might be able to get a bit of someone else's starter to start your own. There are also companies on the internet that sell starters by mail. In any case, you cannot bake authentic San Francisco sourdough bread with just any sourdough starter, and certainly not with one made from commercial yeast like Red Star or Fleischmann's.
The starter will take at least 24 hours before it is ready to be used, so plan ahead. I usually prepare my starter on Friday after work for bread that will be ready for Saturday's dinner. If you need more details on the ins and outs of sourdough starters, see my web page The Care and Feeding of Sourdough Starters before proceeding. If you're already baking sourdough but are have some problems, see my sourdough FAQ for answers to common problems.
About 24 hours before bake time, combine the following ingredients in a glass jar or stoneware bowl. You can also prepare your starter right in its storage jar as I do.
- 1/4 cup of sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup of bread flour
- 1/2 cup of water Sourdough Starter
Optionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of rye flour which will promote a stronger sour flavor. Stir the mixture for a few minutes using a wooden spoon (never use metal bowls or utensils with yeast). The idea is to get lots of air into the mixture, which will help the yeast develop. The starter should wind up having the consistency of thick gravy or runny pancake batter. Do not be overly concerned if there are a few lumps in the mixture.
You need to place the starter in a dark, warm place to promote the fermentation process. A good place is the oven. If you have a gas oven, the pilot light will create enough heat to warm the mixture. For an electric oven, turning on the light will supply warmth. Do not actually turn on the oven, because even the lowest setting will be too hot for the starter. If it is summertime and air temperatures are near 80 degrees F (27C) or above, you can simply keep the starter on the kitchen counter covered with a small hand towel.
Starter at its peak
The starter needs to ferment for about 8 hours. If you are familiar with sourdough baking, you know that sourdough starters have a "peak" in their bubbly activity, then tend to go flat or dormant after that. For best results, you want to ferment your starter right up to its peak. Depending upon how strong or weak your initial starter was, the peak might take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. With a new starter, check it every few hours or so to get an idea of when your starter reaches its peak. Don't worry if you are too early or too late in the peak. The only drawback is that the loaf will be less sour or may not rise to its full potential. Later in this article, I'll show you how to overcome both of these problems during the baking cycle.
After 8 hours or when the starter has peaked, add the following ingredients to the starter:
- 1 cup of bread flour
- 1 cup of water
Mix this additional flour and water into the starter just as you did before, trying to whip some air into the mixture. Return the starter to the oven and let it sit for another 8 hours or so.