Post by JJ Judkins on Sept 29, 2007 23:17:53 GMT -6
Jan's Dough Sourdough Starter
***Please read ALL instructions before beginning***
Thanks to Jan's Dough for these instructions
www.jansdough.com
This entire process will take about 11 days to create a fully activated, ready to use starter. You can bake your first batch of bread on the 12th day.
You will only need to go through the CREATE STARTER process ONE TIME. After you create your starter, you will maintain your starter (keep it "alive") by feeding it regularly. A batch of sourdough starter provides enough starter to bake a batch of bread and to feed for "next time."
Jan's Dough now offers a completely illustrated tutorial for creating starter. Go to Illustrated Instructions for Creating Jan's Dough Sourdough Starter to see the starter being created.
DAY #1
Create Your Sourdough Starter
Assemble: 4-cup size (or larger) glazed crock, glass bowl, or plastic container, a wooden spoon, and plastic or glass measuring cups and spoons. DO NOT USE ANY METAL BOWLS OR UTENSILS!!!
Ingredients
1/2 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1/2 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/8 cup SUGAR
1/8 teaspoon YEAST (not rapid-rise)
CREATE STARTER: In a glazed crock, glass jar, or plastic container, combine about HALF of all ingredients (but use ALL the yeast). Stir slowly with a wooden spoon until most of the flour lumps are gone. Add remaining ingredients, stir slowly until smooth. DO NOT WHIP. Let rest uncovered for 5 minutes.
COVER LOOSELY! Your new starter must be able to breathe and let off gas. If the top to your crock has a rubber gasket, remove the gasket. If the lid to your jar or container screws or snaps on, place the lid on slightly thingy-eyed. A tightly sealed crock, jar, or container will result in an explosion of starter---and believe me...it is an UGLY MESS!
DO NOT REFRIGERATE!!!
Leave your new starter on the kitchen counter, out of the way, overnight. Remember to leave it loosely covered.
DAY #2
Sometime during the day, stir the new starter with a wooden spoon. The starter should be slightly "bubbled" or "pock-marked" on the top. You will notice that the starter may have started to "separate" a little. If so, then you will see a film of liquid (called "hooch") just below the surface of the starter. If you see this liquid, be sure you get all the liquid stirred back into the pasty mixture.
The starter should have a bit of a "sour" odor---if it smells like yeasty, spoiled milk, then everything is coming along just fine! Loosely cover your starter and return it to its cozy little place on your kitchen counter for another night.
If your starter does not look even slightly bubbly on top, then it could be that the milk you used to create the starter was not at room temperature (or warm enough to activate the yeast). If this is the case, dispose of this batch of starter and go back to Day #1. Remember that "room temperature" means the milk has been sitting out for at least 4 hours.
This is the general process that you are going to follow for the next several days. Add ingredients one day, stir the next, add ingredients the following day, etc.
DAY #3
"CREATE FEED" YOUR STARTER
CREATE FEED Ingredients:
1/2 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1/2 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/8 cup SUGAR
On the third day, you will "feed" your starter for the first time. This is an easy process.
First, thoroughly stir the starter just as you did on Day #2. Measure and set aside 1/2 cup of starter in measuring cup, dish, or jar, and then DISCARD the remaining starter. Yes---put it down the garbage disposal or into the trash.
Wash your crock, jar, or container. Return the 1/2 cup starter to your clean container. Add half of the CREATE FEED ingredients to the starter and stir slowly, getting out most of the flour lumps. Add the remaining CREATE FEED ingredients, and stir slowly until the lumps are gone. DO NOT WHIP.
Loosely cover the starter and put it back on the kitchen counter.
DAY #4
Stir the starter to remix the hooch (if any) with the flour and sugar. Cover loosely and return to counter.
DAY #5
Follow the CREATE FEED instructions again (see Day #3). This will make the second time you have "fed" your starter.
DAY #6
Stir the starter, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
DAY #7
Follow the CREATE FEED instructions again (see Day #3). This will make the third time you have "fed" your starter.
DAY #8
Stir the starter, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
NOTE: If you don't have any hooch at all by this time, it is unlikely that you will get any. At this point, you will need to "jumpstart" the starter. Instead of proceeding to Day 9, go back to Day 5 and add 1/8 teaspoon of yeast to the Create Feed ingredients. Then proceed to Day 6, 7, and 8. You should have hooch now.
If you still don't have hooch, please email me and I will help you with other ideas for getting the starter to active.
If the starter has hooch, even if only a little, then proceed to Day 9.
DAY #9
You now have activated starter, and it is ready to feed it using the STANDARD FEED ingredients in order to make a full batch of starter.
STANDARD FEED Ingredients:
1 cup starter, room temperature
1 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/4 cup SUGAR
Follow the same general directions as before, except this time measure 1 cup starter and then return it to a clean container (you will be discarding only a very little bit of the "Create Starter" mixture).
Add HALF the STANDARD FEED ingredients, stir, then add the remaining half, stir, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
Day #10
This is now a FULL BATCH OF STARTER and YOUR STARTER IS FULLY ACTIVATED!
Stir the starter, cover loosely.
REFRIGERATE YOUR STARTER!!!
Remember to leave it loosely covered. It would be best to put your sourdough container in the back of the first shelf in your refrigerator. You should not notice any smell in your refrigerator. If you do, put the entire container, still loosely covered in a plastic bag. Seal the bag, but poke a couple of small holes in it near the top, enough so that your starter will continue to breathe.
Day #11
Do nothing. Leave starter in the refrigerator.
Day #12
Your starter is ready to be used for your first batch of bread. Remove the starter from the refrigerator, allow to come to room temperature. Measure 1 cup of starter to bake bread, and one cup of starter to feed (use the STANDARD FEED ingredients).
You must now begin to keep your starter "alive" by feeding it at least once each week. Use the ingredient list above for "STANDARD FEED Ingredients." A full batch of starter is just a little more than two cups. This gives you 1 cup to bake bread and 1 cup to feed (and replenish the starter), and you will be discarding a minimal amount of starter (1/4 cup or less).
Ideally, the starter is meant for someone who bakes bread on a regular basis, but if you are not going to bake once a week or even once every other week, then you will need to feed the starter in order to keep it active. I recommend that you feed it at least twice a month, at minimum.
If at any time you want to bake MORE than ONE BATCH of bread on a single day, plan ahead and "grow" more starter. You do this by increasing the Standard FEED ingredients proportionally (i.e., if you feed 2 cups of starter, then multiply the Standard FEED ingredients by 2. This will give you almost 4 1/2 CUPS of starter, or enough to have 1 cup to feed and 3 cups to bake THREE batches of bread). During the holidays, when I'm making bread to give as gifts, I often have as many as three full batches of starter in the refrigerator.
***Please read ALL instructions before beginning***
Thanks to Jan's Dough for these instructions
www.jansdough.com
This entire process will take about 11 days to create a fully activated, ready to use starter. You can bake your first batch of bread on the 12th day.
You will only need to go through the CREATE STARTER process ONE TIME. After you create your starter, you will maintain your starter (keep it "alive") by feeding it regularly. A batch of sourdough starter provides enough starter to bake a batch of bread and to feed for "next time."
Jan's Dough now offers a completely illustrated tutorial for creating starter. Go to Illustrated Instructions for Creating Jan's Dough Sourdough Starter to see the starter being created.
DAY #1
Create Your Sourdough Starter
Assemble: 4-cup size (or larger) glazed crock, glass bowl, or plastic container, a wooden spoon, and plastic or glass measuring cups and spoons. DO NOT USE ANY METAL BOWLS OR UTENSILS!!!
Ingredients
1/2 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1/2 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/8 cup SUGAR
1/8 teaspoon YEAST (not rapid-rise)
CREATE STARTER: In a glazed crock, glass jar, or plastic container, combine about HALF of all ingredients (but use ALL the yeast). Stir slowly with a wooden spoon until most of the flour lumps are gone. Add remaining ingredients, stir slowly until smooth. DO NOT WHIP. Let rest uncovered for 5 minutes.
COVER LOOSELY! Your new starter must be able to breathe and let off gas. If the top to your crock has a rubber gasket, remove the gasket. If the lid to your jar or container screws or snaps on, place the lid on slightly thingy-eyed. A tightly sealed crock, jar, or container will result in an explosion of starter---and believe me...it is an UGLY MESS!
DO NOT REFRIGERATE!!!
Leave your new starter on the kitchen counter, out of the way, overnight. Remember to leave it loosely covered.
DAY #2
Sometime during the day, stir the new starter with a wooden spoon. The starter should be slightly "bubbled" or "pock-marked" on the top. You will notice that the starter may have started to "separate" a little. If so, then you will see a film of liquid (called "hooch") just below the surface of the starter. If you see this liquid, be sure you get all the liquid stirred back into the pasty mixture.
The starter should have a bit of a "sour" odor---if it smells like yeasty, spoiled milk, then everything is coming along just fine! Loosely cover your starter and return it to its cozy little place on your kitchen counter for another night.
If your starter does not look even slightly bubbly on top, then it could be that the milk you used to create the starter was not at room temperature (or warm enough to activate the yeast). If this is the case, dispose of this batch of starter and go back to Day #1. Remember that "room temperature" means the milk has been sitting out for at least 4 hours.
This is the general process that you are going to follow for the next several days. Add ingredients one day, stir the next, add ingredients the following day, etc.
DAY #3
"CREATE FEED" YOUR STARTER
CREATE FEED Ingredients:
1/2 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1/2 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/8 cup SUGAR
On the third day, you will "feed" your starter for the first time. This is an easy process.
First, thoroughly stir the starter just as you did on Day #2. Measure and set aside 1/2 cup of starter in measuring cup, dish, or jar, and then DISCARD the remaining starter. Yes---put it down the garbage disposal or into the trash.
Wash your crock, jar, or container. Return the 1/2 cup starter to your clean container. Add half of the CREATE FEED ingredients to the starter and stir slowly, getting out most of the flour lumps. Add the remaining CREATE FEED ingredients, and stir slowly until the lumps are gone. DO NOT WHIP.
Loosely cover the starter and put it back on the kitchen counter.
DAY #4
Stir the starter to remix the hooch (if any) with the flour and sugar. Cover loosely and return to counter.
DAY #5
Follow the CREATE FEED instructions again (see Day #3). This will make the second time you have "fed" your starter.
DAY #6
Stir the starter, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
DAY #7
Follow the CREATE FEED instructions again (see Day #3). This will make the third time you have "fed" your starter.
DAY #8
Stir the starter, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
NOTE: If you don't have any hooch at all by this time, it is unlikely that you will get any. At this point, you will need to "jumpstart" the starter. Instead of proceeding to Day 9, go back to Day 5 and add 1/8 teaspoon of yeast to the Create Feed ingredients. Then proceed to Day 6, 7, and 8. You should have hooch now.
If you still don't have hooch, please email me and I will help you with other ideas for getting the starter to active.
If the starter has hooch, even if only a little, then proceed to Day 9.
DAY #9
You now have activated starter, and it is ready to feed it using the STANDARD FEED ingredients in order to make a full batch of starter.
STANDARD FEED Ingredients:
1 cup starter, room temperature
1 cup WHOLE MILK, room temperature
1 cup UNBLEACHED FLOUR
1/4 cup SUGAR
Follow the same general directions as before, except this time measure 1 cup starter and then return it to a clean container (you will be discarding only a very little bit of the "Create Starter" mixture).
Add HALF the STANDARD FEED ingredients, stir, then add the remaining half, stir, cover loosely, allow to sit out overnight.
Day #10
This is now a FULL BATCH OF STARTER and YOUR STARTER IS FULLY ACTIVATED!
Stir the starter, cover loosely.
REFRIGERATE YOUR STARTER!!!
Remember to leave it loosely covered. It would be best to put your sourdough container in the back of the first shelf in your refrigerator. You should not notice any smell in your refrigerator. If you do, put the entire container, still loosely covered in a plastic bag. Seal the bag, but poke a couple of small holes in it near the top, enough so that your starter will continue to breathe.
Day #11
Do nothing. Leave starter in the refrigerator.
Day #12
Your starter is ready to be used for your first batch of bread. Remove the starter from the refrigerator, allow to come to room temperature. Measure 1 cup of starter to bake bread, and one cup of starter to feed (use the STANDARD FEED ingredients).
You must now begin to keep your starter "alive" by feeding it at least once each week. Use the ingredient list above for "STANDARD FEED Ingredients." A full batch of starter is just a little more than two cups. This gives you 1 cup to bake bread and 1 cup to feed (and replenish the starter), and you will be discarding a minimal amount of starter (1/4 cup or less).
Ideally, the starter is meant for someone who bakes bread on a regular basis, but if you are not going to bake once a week or even once every other week, then you will need to feed the starter in order to keep it active. I recommend that you feed it at least twice a month, at minimum.
If at any time you want to bake MORE than ONE BATCH of bread on a single day, plan ahead and "grow" more starter. You do this by increasing the Standard FEED ingredients proportionally (i.e., if you feed 2 cups of starter, then multiply the Standard FEED ingredients by 2. This will give you almost 4 1/2 CUPS of starter, or enough to have 1 cup to feed and 3 cups to bake THREE batches of bread). During the holidays, when I'm making bread to give as gifts, I often have as many as three full batches of starter in the refrigerator.
