Table of Contents
Tools
Required
- 1 quart jar
- Long spoon or spatula
- Digital scale
Optional
- Proofer
Ingredients
Required
- 4 ounces, starter
- 4 ounces, all-purpose (AP) flour
- 1/2 cup, water
Instructions
Feeding
If you've made starter before and then put it in the fridge to slow down the growth, you can use this same exact feeding. It may take a day or two to get the starter nice and bubbly, depending on your ambient temperature.
The temperature of the water you use really depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
If you want the starter to grow fast, use lukewarm or slightly warm water. You may want the starter to grow quickly because you want to get it to its peak quickly in order to bake with. You can also leave the starter in a warm spot, like an oven with the light on or on top of your refrigerator. Be careful that the starter won’t bubble over, I usually place a small baking sheet under my jar to catch spillage.
If you want the starter to grow slowly, then use cool water. You may want to use cool water if your environment is warm and you don't want the starter to spill out of your jar.
- 4oz of starter
- A little less than 1 cup of AP Flour
- 1/2 cup of water
Leave 4oz of starter in your jar and then add the flour and water. Mix mix mix until everything is incorporated. If, after 45 seconds of mixing, there are still dry clumps add a splash of water.
NEVER close the lid on your jar, you’ll trap all the gases and create a dangerous object. You can just place the lid on top of the jar.
That's it! You can do this every 12 hours for an active starter. placed on the top of the jar, do not close the lid, the starter produces gases that need to escape. If you want to bake with an active starter, feed it and then wait about 4-5 hours before adding it to your recipe.
If you own a proofer, set it to 80F and stick you starter in. Alternatively, you can also place your starter in an oven with the oven light on. The ambient temperature of the oven will keep the starter warm. Neither of these are required unless your house is going to be under 65F.