Willa the Sourdough Starter

And so, it begins! Are you into sourdough? Today I started my first sourdough starter. I am excited about this journey and maybe a bit apprehensive of the commitment. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I finally decided it’s now or never…so here goes. Introducing you to… Willa the sourdough starter.

Willa the Sourdough Starter

Naming Your Starter

Did you name your starter? Through reading and inquiries, folks have been naming their starters. Haha. So, this is Willa day one.

Willa the Sourdough Starter from Scratch

Willa was made with two simple ingredients, flour and water. A sourdough starter should get live, that is from active culture made of the fermentation of flour and water that is full of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. This is used as a way to ferment recipes and naturally rise bread.

A Touch On the History of a Willa

Apparently instead of using instant yeast, people in traditional cultures leavened their bread with a fermented starter that captured all the yeasts in the environment. AKA Sourdough starter.

How long does it take to make a starter?

“It takes about a week to create an active sourdough starter, but sometimes it can take about two weeks to make a starter ready to bake bread.”

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it?

My understanding is that when you first start, yes. Since your starter will double in size, using the discard you can make bread and other recipes. “If you don’t discard you will have so much starter that it will be hard to keep healthy. This is because the more starter you have the more flour and water you will need to add for the yeasts and bacteria to feed on.”

When Will Willa Be Ready to Use?

“You will know your sourdough starter is read to use when you feed it and after 4-12 hours it doubles in size and is super bubbly. A good way to be able to determine this, is to place a rubber band where the top of the starter is after you feed it. Then after a few hours have passed you can see just how high it has grown.” ~Farmhouse on Boone

For further information see here: Farmhouse on Boone

Sourdough Starter Recipe:

I gained much of my understanding of the sourdough here.

Ingredients

• Flour (Whole grain wheat, unbleached all-purpose flour.)
• Filtered water

Accessories

• Glass container (Metal can react with good bacteria and yeasts.)
• Wooden spoon

How To Make Sourdough Starter

Day 1: On day one, mix one cup of flour and one cup filtered water. Stir vigorously, making sure to scrape down the sides and incorporate all remaining ingredients into the starter. Cover with a tea towel or a glass lid. (I chose a container with a glass lid.)

Day 2: On day two, discard half of the mixture and repeat step one – Add one cup flour, one cup water, stir vigorously, and cover.

This is what Willa looks like on Day 2. It hasn’t quite been 24 hours since she was started so I will wait for the exact time. Willa has more bubbles but has not doubled in size yet. I currently have moved it to a warmer spot.

Maintenance of Willa the Sourdough Starter

Why do you have to remove half the mixture? By day four, you would have sourdough starter overflowing from your bowl. Also, removing half ensures that the right amount of flour and water is feeding the growing colony of beneficial yeast. If you weren’t discarding half, the cup of flour wouldn’t be enough to feed them on days three and four. Basically, you would end up with a lot of extra starter by the end of the process, and none of it would be mature.

Day 3 -5: Repeat the day two instructions for days three, four, and five.

Day 6 – 7: “On days six and seven, do the same but feed it every 12 hours, instead of every 24. By day seven, there should be enough beneficial bacteria and yeast present to bake sourdough bread and other fermented sourdough goodies. You will know it’s working if it bubbles, and doubles in size.”

Well, I hope I can last this long. Haha!

I made Pumpkin Muffins last fall.

Thoughts

As a former teacher I feel like I’m conducting a science experiment. Currently trying to keep the variables to a minimum. Have not created a hypothesis. I’m not sure what to expect with my cooking skills. While growing up, my brother had a sourdough starter. It lived on the counter, and we loved his sourdough pancakes served with my mom’s or my sister-in-law’s warm chokecherry syrup. Awe, the memories.

I will give you more information regarding the Willa has time goes on. Hope this post inspires you to create a sourdough starter. If you have done so already and are successful, please reach out to me for pointers or suggestions. I have provided you with my information and little knowledge. Happy March 1st!

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