Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter is a staple in many Alaskan kitchens for making delicious sourdough breads, pancakes, waffles, pizza crust, and even chocolate cake.
 I started making my own sourdough starter only about a year ago, after I found this simple recipe from Alaska from Scratch.

 I keep my sourdough starter in this old cheese crock from Wisconsin, but any 1-quart glass jar

or ceramic bowl would work.

In an upcoming post, I'll share a simple recipe for making two loaves of delicious sourdough bread using one cup of sourdough starter.

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Instructions:

1. Pour warm water into  1-quart glass jar or ceramic jar or bowl.
2. Add and dissolve the sugar and yeast in that order.
3. Stir (always with a wooden or plastic spoon) in the flour gradually.
4. Cover the jar or bowl with a clean dishcloth and place somewhere warm.  Keep an eye on your starter, because it will grow exponentially the first day and may overflow your container (mine did!), so watch it closely.
5. Let it work anywhere from 2 to 5 days, stirring it about once a day as it will separate.
6. When the bubbling has subsided and a yeasty, sour aroma has developed, stir your starter once more and put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.  The starter should have the consistency of pancake batter.
7. Feeding Your Starter - Refrigerated starter is fairly dormant once chilled, and only has to be fed once every 2 weeks.  Add 1 cup of flour, and 1/2 cup warm water and stir to combine.  Cover and allow to sit in a warm place for 24 hours.  Stir again and refrigerate.
8. Using Your Starter - If in the fridge, take out of fridge and put on kitchen counter the night before.  The next day, follow recipe directions for the amount of starter to use.  Then replace the amount of starter you took out with an equal amount.  Example: If you used one cup of starter, add to your starter one cup flour, and 1/2 cup warm water.  Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon.  Cover and allow to sit in a warm place for 24 hours.  Stir again and use, or refrigerate for later use.

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And finally, if you have any questions or problems with your sourdough starter at all, please leave a comment.  I'd be happy to help!