Sourdough Starter

Recipe from Peter Reinhart

Adapted by Oliver Strand

Sourdough Starter
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Total Time
4 to 8 days
Rating
4(2,279)
Comments
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This is an adaptation of the instructions for making a starter outlined by Peter Reinhart in his “Artisan Breads Every Day.” It takes a little more or less than a week of mixing flour with liquid – Mr. Reinhart starts with unsweetened pineapple juice (though you could also use orange juice or apple cider), then switches to water – to achieve a vigorous, living starter. Once it is bubbling and fragrant, with a light yeasty-boozy scent, you can use it and feed it daily with a cup of flour and a half-cup of water. Or put the starter in the refrigerator and feed it weekly, always discarding (or using!) a cup of the original when you do. (All measurements are by weight.) —Oliver Strand

Featured in: The Slow Route to Homemade Pizza

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Ingredients

Yield:2 pizza recipes and leftover starter
  • 16ounces flour
  • 3ounces pineapple juice
  • 10ounces filtered or spring water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

424 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 6 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make seed culture: Combine 1 ounce of the flour and 2 ounces pineapple juice in a large glass or small nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. Bubbles should appear after 24 to 36 hours. After 48 hours, add 1 ounce flour and remaining pineapple juice, stirring to incorporate. Re-cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. When it is foamy, in 1 to 4 days, combine 2 ounces flour and 1 ounce filtered or spring water in a medium nonreactive bowl. Add seed culture, stirring to incorporate, and re-cover with plastic wrap. Stir twice a day to aerate.

  2. Step 2

    When mixture has doubled in bulk, in 1 to 2 days, convert it into a starter: Combine 12 ounces flour and 9 ounces filtered or spring water in bowl. Add 4 ounces of seed culture mixture (discard the rest, or use to make a second starter) and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. It should have the consistency of bread dough. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and let rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 4 to 8 hours. Knead lightly, then store in container with tight-fitting lid (container must be large enough to let starter triple in bulk). Store in refrigerator.

Tip
  • Every 5 to 10 days the starter will need to be fed with more flour and water. Follow the directions in step 2 above, substituting starter for seed culture.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,279 user ratings
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Comments

Chris

PLEASE... When you cite measurements for both liquids and solids in "ounces" it's ambiguous--are we talking fluid ounces or weights? Please specify grams for each ingredient, as we baker's are being strongly encouraged to measure all ingredients in this more precise way. Thanks!

Mary Laves

See easier to follow recipe in a serires of posts.

Seed Culture:
1. Mix 1 oz. Flour & 2 oz. Unsweetned fruit juice (Stir twice day)
2. 48 hours: Add 1 oz. Flour and 1 oz. Juice. ( Stir twice a day)
3. 1 to 4 days: When foamy combine 2oz flour and 1 oz. Filtered water. Add seed culture, stir to incorpoate. (Stir twice a day)

DonR9

I'm confused. I now have the completed starter recipe in the fridge and it seems to have tripled in volume. What next? To make bread or pizza dough, do I now use that starter as is, or do I add it to more flour, water and what else; and, if so, in what proportions? Sorry to be so dense about this

Yousuf

I cam across this s recipe by accident and found it interesting, as my work schedule allows me to be home no more 5-6 consecutive days and then gone for up to a week, making it difficult to establish a starter by daily attending to it. On one of those one week off breaks, I created a starter using this recipe and had a very decent starter in six days. I have baked few fabulous sour dough breads with it. One of the comments had linked an article by a microbiologist giving scientific basis for this method which was very interesting, educational, and helpful for me, being a practicing physician. I would recommend for others to try it. Follow the recipe as written.

Russ

The recipe says "All measurements are by weight" 1 cup of flour is equivalent to 4.25 ounces by weight. The recipe is definitely for pizza dough with starter left over.

Miriam

What exactly is seed culture?

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Credits

Adapted from “Artisan Breads Every Day,” by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, 2009)

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