Sourdough Starter

 If I had to pick a bread to eat for the rest of my life it would be Sourdough.  So while Sean and I were living in Utah my amazing sister Xochitl told me that she had some Sourdough starter to give me my mind was blown.  I had no idea it was humanly possible to make Sourdough at home!!  Ok I guess I knew it was possible otherwise this delicious bread would not exist but I was still very excited.  You can get your hands on starter two ways; it can be given to you or you can make it.  If you know someone (like me) who has some getting from there would be the best option because the flavor will be better as the starter gets a more "sour" taste as it ages.  If you cannot get a little bit from somewhere then you can make your own its simple to get going.  A little warning it can get messy.  I would not start this if you will be gone for the entire day. 

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups  Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar

First place the water, sugar, and yeast in a mason jar (place the mason jar  in a bowl, in case your starter spills over) Let the yeast rest for 10 minutes.  Then add the flour and stir, it should be the consistency of pancake batter if it isn't then add more flour or water.  Place plastic wrap over the top of the jar and place the jar a bowl as it will rise a lot.  I use a rubber spatula to stir the starter when it starts to creep to the top of the jar.  Let sit for 48 hours or until it has a "sour" smell. 

 

Now as far as storing the starter you can do two things.  You can store it in the fridge by putting a lid on your jar or you can keep it on your counter.  If you choose to keep it on your counter it will become more flavorful but you will need to "feed" it (flour and water) more frequently.  When storing the starter in the fridge you should "feed" it once a week so it will increase in flavor. 

When you are going to use the starter you will want to take it our a couple of hours before needed.  Use the amount the recipe calls for but make sure to leave about a cup in the jar so you do not have to redo your starter.  You will need to "feed" your starter again after you remove the needed amount add in equal amounts of flour and water to your starter and let it sit again for 48 hours. The longer you have a starter the tastier it becomes, so like I said if you know someone with starter ask them if they would be willing to share with you.  If you know me ask me, I would love to share mine!  I will be posting a sourdough pizza recipe soon.  It is seriously mind blowing!