Sourdough Starter

In a large glass bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and flour. Place a clean towel over bowl and place in warm dry place. I placed mine in the oven with the light on (no, I did not use it for a few days).

Every 24 hours, discard 1/2 of the mixture and then add 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water. Re-cover and return to a warm dry place. If a liquid layer forms on top of mixture, stir it in prior to each feeding. After 4-7 days of feedings, mixture will begin to bubble and develop a sour smell as the starter ferments. This means that your starter is done fermenting! At this time, the starter is ready to use! Place mixture in a glass jar and place in refrigerator.

After each use, replace the amount of mixture that was removed with equal parts flour and water (if you use 1 cup replace with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water– this will increase the size of your starter!). If not used, feed mixture weekly in the same way you did feedings, by discarding 1/2 of mixture and replacing it with equal parts flour and water.

Make sure you record the date of your starter (for your children). It will get better with age!