What do you add to a starter to make sourdough bread???

Question

I have a starter but do not know what to put in or how much to make sourdough bread. It has been a while since I made any and I was wanting to make it but I forgot how.

Answer 1

Sourdough starter (mix)

Yield: 1 starter
1 quart Water [luke warm]
1 pack Dry yeast
2 teaspoon Sugar
4 cup Flour

1) Put the water in a good size crock and add the yeast, and sugar to soften... then add the flour... Cover with a clean cloth... 2) Let the mixture rise until it is light and slightly aged (about 2 days)...Mixture will thin as it stands, so add flour as needed... As yo use the sourdough from the crock replace it with equal ammouts of flour and water...
Sourdoughs were originally produced by wild yeasts. The wild yeasts in the San Francisco area produce a unique flavor in breads. Some sourdoughs are over a hundred years old. The starter (or sometimes called a sponge) is a flour and water mixture that contains the yeast used to rise the bread.

You can buy dried versions and then activate them or you can make your own, catching the wild yeasts indigenous to your area. Ways to get some sourdough starter:

Get a cup of starter from a friend or another baker. You take a cup of the starter and add flour and water to make more of it. The starter can go on for years.

You can make a starter with normal packaged yeast you buy at the store (see recipe below)

Or you can buy a packaged sourdough starter mix at the grocery store or by mail-order.


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Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe:

2 cups white flour*
2 cups water
1 packet of dry baking yeast

* I have also had excellent results using whole wheat flour. Whole wheat starter does not have as much rising action as that made with white flour; you may have to plan longer rising times. I usually add some whole wheat flour along with the white flour (I have even used some rye flour with excellent results).

Mix the flour and yeast together in container, preferably glass or ceramic, that can hold two quarts. Stir in the water and mix well. Cover the container with a dish cloth and let it sit in a warm spot (I place container in my sink). The dish cloth will let wild yeasts pass through into the batter. The mixture should bubble as it ferments (this will foam up quite a bit). If sourdough spills out onto your counter, it is hard to clean off once it has dried! Stir it once a day. Let it sit out from 2 to 5 days. Then stir it, cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator.

As your starter sits in the refrigerator, a liquid will form on the top. It contains 12% to 14% alcohol. Stir that liquid back into the starter before using.

Your starter should be fed every other day if left sitting on the counter. Every other week, if refrigerated. To feed it, remove one cup (use it in a baked item, give it to a neighbor, or throw it away) and replace it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour. Let it sit out for a few hours; then refrigerate.

When you are ready to cook or bake with your starter, remove it from the refrigerator and pour it into a bowl. Let it warm to room temperature. At this time, mix up equal parts of water and flour to equal the amount of starter you are going to need.

If your sourdough gets too sour, throw all of it away except 1 cup. Add 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water to it, and let it ferment for a day or so.

If you will not be using your starter for some time, freeze it. Two days before you need to use it, let it defrost. Then feed it and let it ferment for a day.



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NOTE:

To sourdough purists, sourdough bread is made using no commercial yeast. Others think of sourdough as only a flavoring method and rely on commercial yeast for the final rise. They do this for speed or convenience. I use both techniques.


I find working with a sourdough starter can be very time consuming. Especially if you follow what most sourdough books say and feed them everyday. That's too much work for me as I already have a cat. You even need a sourdough sitter when leaving town.

Because I don't use my starter everyday, I store it, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use. When I decide I want to use my starter, I then remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (usually I let it sit overnight on the counter). I then feed it with 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water. I let this site 8 hours or preferably overnight. It is now ready to use in your sourdough recipes!

Answer 2

Here is your basic white bread recipe using your sourdough starter.

1 cup sourdough starter
1 quart lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
5 tablespoons melted shortening
12 cups flour

Remove 1 cup starter and keep in fridge for the next time you wish to make 4 loaves.

Add remaining ingredients in the order listed.

Use only enough flour to make the dough easy to handle.

Knead on floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Let rise in a greased bowl, keep in a warm place, cover it, until about doubled. Knead again and divide into 4 equal parts.

Shape each loaf into a 9" round & place in 9" greased cake pans.

Let rise again.

Bake in 375f oven for apprx 45 minutes or until done (loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it and it should be golden brown).

ETA: There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of ways to use sourdough starter. This recipe makes four loaves, which seems like a lot until you give some away, eat some out of the oven, etc. However, if you get tired of this one recipe, just go to my source below and check out all the other recipes. There are recipes for sourdough cinnamon swirl, sourdough banana bread, sourdough sunflower, sourdough honey wheat....the link goes right to the first page of the sourdough recipes I found. Have fun with your sourdough and be sure and send me a loaf! ;-p

~Morg~

Answer 3

Here's an entire recipe for you:

Yields: 4 cups

2 cups warm water
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 envelope yeast (check the date!)
1 1/2 cups grated, raw potatoes

Mix water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a yeast foam appears. If no foam, start over with fresh yeast.

Once yeast foams it is called a yeast sponge, mix in other ingredients. Be sure it's in a good sized bowl, don't use metal or plastic, both can give starter an off taste. Let stand uncovered for 24 hours. Stir down well and Cover with a sheet of plastic warp and let stand in a warm space and let stand for another 3 to 4 days, stir a couple of times each days.

Starter should now look a little foamy and have a smell. Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

You can start to use the started when a layer of clear liquid appears on top.

The night before you want to bake, take started out of refrigerator and pour into a glass or ceramic bowl. stir in 11/2 to 2 cups flour and 11/2 or 2 cups cold water. Stir until well blended, cover with plastic wrap and let stand over night.

Pour off 2 cups of starter into bowl and the other 2 cups back into the jar to go back in the refrigerator for next time.

Leave the starter at room temperature to be used now!