What is a sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter is a living, fermented culture of flour and water that serves as a natural leavening (or rising) agent for baking. A starter consists of a symbiotic community of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria (mostly lactic acid bacteria) that are collected from the environment and the flour itself – in contrast to commercial yeast, which has a single concentrated strain.

When you make your starter, you are creating a living, bubbling jar of wild yeast. You will need to take good care of the starter and, rumour has it, it’s good practice to give your starter a name; after all, it is a living organism. (My starter is called Mother Doughresa). Your starter will need food, warmth and a little attention – but don’t worry, it won’t bite.

The starter should have a sour, tangy smell. If it smells truly awful (like garbage), start over.

Let’s dive right in!

 What you’ll need

• Flour (bread, rye or whole wheat)
• Lukewarm water
• Jar or container (not airtight!)
• Silicone spatula
• Patience (about 7 days’ worth) 

Day-by-day sourdough starter instructions

Notes

• Keep your jar in a warm, toasty area in the kitchen but out of direct sunlight.
• To kickstart your starter, use rye flour. It expedites the fermentation process. In comparison to white flour, rye flour is teeming with extra nutrients that help kickstart the entire process. If you don’t have rye flour, a good-quality organic whole wheat will also work.
• Do not use the discard in recipes until your starter is mature enough (from around Day 7).

Day 1: Where the Magic Starts

Mix:

100g rye flour
125g lukewarm water
Stir until thick, like pancake batter.
Loosely cover the jar (lid resting on top or cloth + rubber band).
Leave it on the counter.

Starter status: Shy. Very quiet.

Day 2: “Is Something Happening?”

You might see bubbles. Or nothing. Both are normal.

Weigh out 75g of the starter and discard the rest.

Feed it:

50g rye flour
50g white bread flour
120g lukewarm water
Mix, cover and leave on the counter.

Starter status: Confused, but trying.

Days 3 – 6: The Funky Phase

It may start to smell sour. This is normal. Promise.

And bubbles – yay!

Repeat Day 2:

Weigh out 75g of the starter and discard the rest.

Feed it:

50g rye flour
50g white bread flour
120g lukewarm water
Mix, cover and leave on the counter.

Starter status: Feeling confident.

Day 7 + Onwards: Ready to Bake

If it rises reliably and passes the float test (a spoonful floats in water), it’s ready!

Congratulations. You now own a sourdough starter.

From here on you can feed the starter with just bread flour, if you prefer.

Starter status: Baking queen.

Keeping the starter alive

To keep the starter alive, you will need to feed it:

– every few days if you are planning to bake often.

– weekly or every second week if you don’t bake often.

Store the starter in the fridge.

A starter can last for weeks and even months. Some famous bakeries around the world have starters they’ve nurtured for years, decades and even centuries.

How to know when it’s ready to be used

• Your sourdough starter smells sweet and yeasty.
• It has at least doubled in size (usually with a dome top that is just beginning to flatten).
• It’s bubbly.
• It passes the ‘float test’ – a tiny dollop floats in water, indicating peak activity for baking.

If all of the above is present, it’s good to go. In order to maximise the leavening power for your bread, you should use it at its peak, just as it begins to flatten.

Sourdough discard

This is the starter that is thrown out/discarded when feeding the starter. Do not waste it!

You can make sourdough pancakes or waffles, crackers, flatbreads or naan, banana bread or muffins and even biscuits using the discard from Day 7 onwards.

Happy baking!

This delicious pizza recipe is the perfect excuse to use your sourdough starter. 

Artichoke and burrata sourdough Sicilian pizza

A thick, chewy, fluffy crust that resembles bread and is usually rectangular in shape.

Makes 1 (30 x 21cm) pizza

Ingredients

For the dough:

1⅖ cup (330g) water
½ cup (100g) active sourdough starter
2½ tsp (12.5ml) olive oil
4¼ cups (525g) OO flour
2 heaped tsp (13g) salt

3 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup pizza sauce
1 cup (150g packed) grated mozzarella
¼ cup marinated artichokes, drained and torn
1 ball (125g) burrata cheese, torn
Salt and milled pepper
Olive oil or chilli oil, for drizzling

Method 

1. Before you start, make sure your sourdough starter is bubbling and active, it can be fed a few hours before the dough is mixed.
2. Dissolve the active sourdough starter in water in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and stir.
3. Mix in the flour and salt until a rough dough is formed.
4. Cover the dough with cling wrap directly on the surface and rest in a warm area for 30 minutes.
5. Stretch and fold the dough eight to ten times by reaching into the bowl and drawing it up and into the middle. At 30-minute intervals, repeat this procedure twice more.
6. For a more developed flavour, the dough can be refrigerated for 24 – 72 hours, or left at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and set it on the counter to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
8. Generously grease a 30 x 21cm deep baking dish with olive oil.
9. Gently move the dough to the prepared baking dish. To fill the pan, gently squeeze and stretch the dough with your hands. If the dough resists to fill the pan, cover and let it rest for an additional 15-20 minutes covered before continuing to stretch out the dough.
10. After the dough fills the pan, use your fingers and dimple the dough as you would for focaccia. Let it rise at room temperature for at least two hours, or until it has risen properly and is puffy.
11. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature setting.
12. Bake the base for about 20 minutes.
13. Remove pizza and lower the oven temperature to 180°C.
14. Spread the pizza sauce over the base followed by the mozzarella, artichokes and burrata. Season.
15. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese melted and bubbly.
16. Remove pizza from oven and cool slightly. Cut into rectangular pieces, drizzle with some olive oil or chilli oil and serve warm.

Words: Lichelle May
Photography Shutterstock, Zhann Solomons

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This spicy miso & brinjal dip is the perfect vegan starter/snack that everyone will enjoy! If you can’t find miso check our BONUS RECIPE below.

INGREDIENTS
2 brinjals
100 ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved
2 tbsp miso paste
100 ml tahini

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190°c.
2. mould 2 foil parcels and add a brinjal to each one. Divide the olive oil between the two and pop half a garlic clove in each one. Season.
3. Close the parcels and bake for 90 minutes, until soft to the touch. allow to cool for 30 minutes. then cut off the stems.
4. Add the brinjals and the cooking juices from the foil parcels, the miso paste and the tahini to a food processor. Blend until smooth. if it’s too thick, add 2 tablespoons water.
5. Season to taste and serve with dippers of your choice

BONUS RECIPE: Miso paste is a common ingredient used in classic Japanese cooking. it is a fermented sauce made from soy beans. if you can’t find it at your supermarket, just make our cheat’s version: mix together 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp tomato paste and 2 tbsp honey. Season to taste.

Recipes & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Jotham Van Tonder

This mushroom quiche with a rye crust is taking a cheap, tasty, super-easy-to-cook ingredient, mushrooms and turning it into an impressive dish.

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These chicken, corn and chive mini quiches are an easy way to up your veggie intake as well as a great snack to put in your or your little ones’ lunch box.

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 sheets shortcrust pastry
125 g roast chicken, shredded
125 g tin corn, drained
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
¼ cup white Cheddar, grated

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 12-hole mini muffin tin. 
2. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug and season.
3. Gently unroll pastry and cut out 12 discs using a 7 cm round cookie cutter. Press the discs into pan holes. Divide the chicken, corn and chives between pastry cases. Top with the egg mixture and sprinkle over the cheese.
4. Bake for 25 min or until quiches are set, and the pastry is browned lightly.

If you’re feeling like something light for dinner tonight, then these spicy pork lettuce wraps will be perfect.

The post Chicken, corn and chive mini quiches appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you’re feeling like something light for dinner tonight, then this Thai-spiced appetiser with spicy pork, roasted nuts and red chillies will be perfect.

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME 15 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
400g pork mince
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
Zest and juice of 2 limes, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp soy sauce
⅔ cup roasted peanuts, plus extra to garnish
2 red chillies, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 baby gem lettuces

METHOD
1. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil until sizzling. Add the pork mince and fry until browned all the way through.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the lime zest and juice and soy sauce, and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened. Add the peanuts and 1 chilli and season.
3. Separate the lettuce leaves and fill with spicy mince. Garnish with extra chilli and peanuts, and serve with lime wedges.

If you’re in the mood for a super tasty, but light meal, try out our Asian-style sticky chicken recipe with a side of slaw for a pop of freshness!

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Delicious fish? Tick! Healthy fats and oils? Tick! Easy and convenient? Tick! Use a humble tin of fish to create our moreish curried pilchard rotis.

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tbsp garam masala
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 × 400g tin pilchards in chilli sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
Salt and black pepper
8 rotis
Microgreen salad leaves, to serve

METHOD
1. Heat a glug of oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the pilchards and fry for 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice. Season.
3. Heat a dry pan over high heat and warm the rotis (about 5 minutes per roti).
4. To serve, scatter a handful of microgreens on each roti, and add a few pilchards. Serve with lemon wedges.

With extra protein and omega-fatty acids, this tuna salad with baby marrow and beans is ideal for a nutritious and budget-friendly lunch!

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Craving a bowl of hearty soup? Despite the change in weather, you can still enjoy this comfort food! Try this chilled baby marrow soup for something unique, fresh and delicious.

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
3 baby marrows, ends removed, chopped, plus 1 peeled into ribbons, to garnish
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
200 ml amasi
1 tsp chopped coriander
½ tsp chopped origanum
1 tsp chopped parsley
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 slices white bread, torn into chunks

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with foil.
2. Place the chopped baby marrows, onion and garlic on the tray, drizzle with one tablespoon of oil and season. Roast for 15 minutes. Place in a blender.
3. Add the stock, amasi, herbs, and lemon zest and juice to the blender, and pulse until smooth. Place in the fridge and leave to chill.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and fry the bread until golden on all sides. Drain on paper towel and season.
5. Serve the soup chilled, garnished with croutons, baby marrow ribbons and black pepper.

Fill your plate with a hearty helping of colourful veg and loads of flavour with this tangled vegetable noodles and peanut salad.

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