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day 3 bubbly einkorn flour sourdough starter
Kyrie | Healthfully Rooted Home

Natural Yeast Sourdough Starter

How to make a natural yeast sourdough starter form scratch in 7 days.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Fermenting time 7 days
Total Time 7 days 20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 162
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 7 cups Einkorn flour you can use any flour you like
  • 7 cups Filtered water make sure it's filtered

Equipment

  • Medium to large glass bowl
  • Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
  • Tea towel
  • 1 cup measuring cup

Method
 

  1. gather your spatula, bowl, tea towel, measuring cup, flour and water
  2. combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 24 hours.
  3. discard half of your starter prior to mixing your flour and water. Then, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 24 hours.
  4. discard half. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 24 hours.
  5. discard half. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 24 hours.
  6. discard half. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 24 hours.
  7. discard half. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter with tea towel over top for 12 hours (not 24). Then feed again after that 12 hours.
  8. discard half. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and leave on counter for 12 hours (not 24). Then feed again after that 12 hours.

Notes

Note on your discard: you can toss this, or save it (just put it in a glass container in the fridge) and use it for sourdough discard recipes. These are recipes that don't need a lot of rise, thus, not a lot of yeast needs to be present in your starter.
Note: if you don't see bubbles yet, go ahead and just leave for another 24 hours. Don't worry, all is not lost - your starter might just need a little more time to develop that good bacteria and yeast.

Do i have to use filtered water for making natural yeast

Yes. There should be no chlorine or other chemicals and contaminants in your water. Highly filtered water is important for the integrity of the ferment. I use my Berkey filtered water to feed my starter.
If you don't have access to filtered water, no worries. You can leave a glass of tap water out on the counter for about 12-24 hours and the chlorine will evaporate out of it. However, this adds another step to your starter process, so I'd just find some filtered water!

do I have to use glass for making natural yeast

Use any non-reactive container for making a natural yeast sourdough starter. Glass or ceramic work great, just not metal. If you use a metal bowl the metal will compromise the fermentation process. The same goes for what you use to stir your starter - make sure you don't use a whisk.

how to maintain a natural yeast sourdough starter

How often you maintain your sourdough starter depends on how often you use it. If you use it every day or every couple of days, you'll just leave it on the counter and feed it daily. If you use your starter only about once or twice a week, you can leave it in the fridge between uses and feed 1-2 times a week.
You'll also want to change the container you keep your starter in every few weeks (or when it gets crusty). To prevent having to do this too often, make sure you scrape down the sides with your rubber spatula after each use/feeding.

how to feed an established natural yeast sourdough starter

Feed your starter equal parts starter, flour, and water. Meaning, if you have one cup of starter, feed it one cup of flour and one cup of water. I use einkorn flour but you can use whatever you prefer.
The night before (or even sometimes just several hours before) you want to make something with your sourdough starter is when you'll want to feed it. Stir it up using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Put a tea towel over it and let it sit on the counter. You won't need to discard anything because your discard is whatever sourdough treat you're making!