I have decided to take on the challenge of making a sourdough starter, the idea of growing, nurturing and feeding this living organism intrigued me after a friend told me all about their sourdough. Originally I was going to take a piece of their starter but thought it would be rather nice to make my own family starter from scratch and if I don’t get bored with feeding it every three days, in years to come could have a Staveley Starter that all the family have a piece of and use in their own homes.

It is not uncommon for a baker’s starter dough to have years of history, from many hundreds of previous batches. As a result, each baker’s sourdough has a distinct taste. The combination of starter processes, refreshment ratios and rest times, culture and air temperature, humidity, and elevation also makes each batch of sourdough different.
 
It is a very lengthly process, Rosie found it highly hilarious that every evening for four nights Hubby and I were out in the kitchen halving and feeding our culture, but even though my first attempt at making the bread seemed a little tricky it was well worth the extra work just because of the taste. The bread had the most amazing chewy and dark crust, with a substantial inner sponge, a complex flavor, that changed in the mouth as you chewed it.
 
Today as I type up this post I have halved and fed my culture and have used the half that I have removed for my second attempt at sourdough, it is far easier this time as I know the process and I am being a little rougher with it than before, which has already resulted in a better dough, so I am hoping for a delicious loaf. The other thing I like about the recipe below is that you can make enough to bake one loaf and store the other in the fridge to bake the next day, saving loads of time and allowing for your culture to be ready for your next batch of bread making.
 
You can’t beat fresh home made bread every evening with your meal, this recipe allows me to do the tricky bits when I am at home on my days off and then have a loaf waiting to be baked in the fridge on the days I am at work, just perfect.
 
Buon appetito
 
Sourdough Starter Culture
This will take a few days, but is not at all difficult. It’s quite amazing that with the repeated additions of only wheat and water, you will develop an active and living sourdough starter!
 
Day 1
 
Mix together 1 cup of whole wheat or rye flour with ¾ cup of water. Make sure that all the dough is wet into a ball. It will be stiff, but don’t worry about it. Keep in a clean container covered with plastic wrap at room temperature.
 
Day 2
 
Mix together 1 cup bread flour with ½ cup of water. Add this mixture to the mixture from yesterday, and mix it all together. Yesterday’s dough will likely be a little bit softer than it was, but there will not likely have occurred any rise. Cover with plastic wrap as before, and leave at room temperature.
 
Day 3
 
Mix together 1 cup of bread flour with ½ cup of water. Take the dough from the day before, and discard half of it. Mix the new and old dough’s together. It will be getting wetter, and there will probably be some rise by now. Cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature.
 
Day 4
 
Repeat the procedure exactly as from Day 3. A few hours after you have mixed the dough’s together, your starter should have doubled in size. It is now ready for use.
 
Take 1 cup of your active sourdough starter, and, mix with 3 ½ cups of bread flour and 2 cups of water. Mix together well and cover with plastic wrap. After about 6 hours, the dough should have doubled in size, and become quite bubbly. It is now ready to use in a sourdough bread recipe!
 

Sourdough Bread

 
Ingredients
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) strong white (bread) flour, preferably unbleached organic flour
1 tsp salt
240 ml (8 fl oz) tepid water, preferably spring water, or as needed
 
For the dough, mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Weigh out 200 g (7 oz) of the sourdough starter and mix it with the tepid water, then pour it into the well in the flour. Gradually work the flour into the liquid mixture to make a soft dough. You may need to add a little more water if the dough feels dry or crumbly, or more flour if it sticks to your hands or the bowl.
 
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until very pliable. Return it to the cleaned bowl, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 3–8 hours or until doubled in size. Rising time depends on the room temperature and on the strength of your starter. (A new starter will give a slower rise and less volume than one that is well established.)
 
Turn out the risen dough onto a floured work surface and knock it back with your knuckles to its original size. Shape the dough into a ball and set it in a basket or colander lined with a heavily floured linen tea-towel. Cover with a damp tea-towel and leave to rise for 2–6 hours or until doubled in size.
 
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF, gas mark 7). Invert the loaf onto a large greased baking sheet and quickly slash the top with a sharp knife. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
 
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and leave to cool. It can be kept for up to 5 days, and is wonderful toasted.