I’ve decided – since we’re all home A LOT more than most used to be – that I would start a weekly recipe post! What should I call it, dear readers? 🤔
Recipe Roundup? Friday Foodies? Tuesday Tastes? Can you tell I love an alliteration? 😆
Anyway, since I love cooking and fermenting foods, I thought I would start sharing regular recipes for you all! Definitely comment below if there are certain types of recipes you’d prefer, too! I’d love to know!
One popular baking recipe everyone seems to be talking about lately (a la’ pandemic) is bread baking, and in particular sourdough bread baking. I have been making my own bread for numerous years now, and in the beginning I was just like everyone else: intimidated!
But creating your very own sourdough starter from scratch, maintaining it, and baking handmade bread is absolutely easier than you think!
This post is going to teach you how, but also teach you ways to utilize what is referred to as “discarded starter” between feedings! Zero waste! Before you know it, you’ll be impressing friends and neighbors with your handmade boules of bread and feeling pretty darn proud of yourself….
I PROMISE! 🍞
Let me start out by informing you of the # 1 thing NOT to do: overthink this bread making process.
If I could go back and change anything from my own process of learning to make bread, it would definitely be that! I completely overthought just about everything, obsessed over it all turning out perfectly, and wasted a ton of energy being frustrated or doubting my instincts! It’s really not that hard, you guys!!!
My plan to inspire you? Sharing some awesome and easy zero-waste/no-wait sourdough starter recipes! These super easy recipes will show you just how worthwhile it can be to feed and maintain your starter, and I’ll go over the reasons you should want to create your very own starter from scratch!
So, let’s get into it!
What exactly is a sourdough starter? Why on earth SHOULD I start my own sourdough starter? How do I feed it/maintain it? How do I not waste any of the flour I purchased in order to feed it?
All shall be answered, dear readers!
First off, a sourdough starter is simply a combination of flour and water that you let sit for several days on your counter in order to bake bread (and other goodies, too!)…. 🥖 you will “feed” it more flour and water a couple times each day in order for it to come to life (really – it’s alive!) and then maintain it by doing the same either daily (if you bake A LOT) or keep it in your fridge and “feed” it first thing the day you want to bake (or, 24 hours before you plan on baking)…..
There is a gazillion trillion recipes and recommendations out there for how to start your own sourdough starter from scratch, but I’d advise you to NOT overthink it like I did. It really can be that ⇑ simple.
There are wild yeasts in the flour (and in our individual environment, too!) that are captured and turn this flour-water combo into something we can actually bake with.
Pretty cool, right?
But WHY start a Sourdough Starter?
Good question! You may wonder why I go through all the trouble to start, feed, and maintain “Seymour” (ahem, yes – I named my starter! Most do, in fact!) so, here it goes…..
🌾 It’s Healthier! The phytic acid found in shelf-stable breads and other store-bought bread products, grains, beans, and nuts is actually an ANTI-NUTRIENT. What does this mean?
Well, it means that this anti-nutrient interferes with the body’s ability to actually absorb all those nutrients you THINK you’re getting when you buy bread/grains/beans/nuts, etc. No good! This phytic acid is added to store-bought foodstuffs in order for said items to remain shelf-stable for a long period of time. YUCK! Many believe (as I do) that our bodies weren’t meant to ingest these anti-nutrients, and therefore most store-bought/shelf-stable food items aren’t easily tolerated by our guts! Proper preparation of the foods we put in our bodies helps to eliminate most, if not all, of this phytic acid….
🥯 It’s Super Satisfying! For anyone who enjoys the art of cooking, making and maintaining your own bread starter is immensely satisfying. You are truly making something from scratch! And, for those of you with chronic health problems like myself, I cannot recommend making your own bread enough!
You will be supplying your body with much-needed nutrients, allowing your body to actually digest your food more easily, and therefore allowing the complex systems in your body to function more efficiently! Just KNOWING you are providing your body with a healthier and better option makes all the difference!
And, THE TASTE, Y’ALL…….
Once you experience bread (and other baked goods!) made from your own starter – well, you simply will NOT be able to go back! The taste is exquisite, my dear readers!!! The depth of flavor in homemade baked goods is impossible to beat – reason enough to start your own bread starter!
So, HOW do I create my own sourdough starter:
- Combine a 1:1 ratio (ex: 1 cup flour, 1 cup water) of flour and FILTERED water in a glass container
- Combine until it is a wet, tacky dough (I use a wooden spoon or THIS)
- Feed this 1:1 ratio of flour and FILTERED water two times per day (morning and night best) for 3-5 days (could take longer!)
- You would normally discard half the starter at EACH feeding, and then add another 1:1 ratio of flour and water – but with the recipes below ⇓ you won’t need to! Zero waste, friends! Of course, if you do not want to make the no-wait sourdough starter recipes below – then go ahead and discard half the existing starter and feed the 1:1 ratio of flour and water at EACH feeding….
- Cover with a tea towel, regular lid, or glasslock lid each time and store on your counter-top
- Do this for anywhere between 72-120 hours (3-5 days)
🥨 SIDE NOTE: do not use a metal bowl – the metal can react with the beneficial bacteria and yeasts! Also, use a wooden spoon or a Danish Dough Whisk, not metal! I have personally found that a glasslock lid works best to encourage bubbles – but remember that could just be because of the particular environment in my kitchen!
Many people ask: WHY do I have to discard half the starter??? What a waste!!! Here’s why:
IF you didn’t discard half (or just use the discard in recipes as I’ve suggested below!), you’d have so much starter you wouldn’t know what to do with it all! Unless you’re a family of 12 or you have an endless number of friends interested in making their own! 😋
Also, by either discarding half OR using the discarded half in recipes, you are ensuring that the 1:1 ratio of flour and water is being maintained, and this ensures that the correct amount is feeding the beneficial colony of bacteria and yeast! Remember, it can take anywhere between 3-5 days to create a viable starter, so discarding that half in the first week or so really isn’t that wasteful!
But of course, I’d recommend you just make the recipes below rather than discard! ⇓⇓⇓
And remember: once your starter is active and viable, you won’t need to discard anymore! You will just maintain your starter with weekly feedings (or, daily if actually making baked goods every single day!) and simply feeding your starter anywhere from 5-24 hours before you plan on baking! Then, either keep on counter or put back in your refrigerator! If putting back in your fridge, you won’t need to feed it beforehand, simply because you already fed it before you baked! Then, just pull out your starter anywhere from 5-24 hours before you plan on baking, feed it, set on counter, use to bake, then return to refrigerator! #rinseandrepeat
I like to set reminders on Alexa so I don’t forget about my new little pet starter! Out of sight, out of mind – so don’t forget!
After doing these twice daily feedings for 3-5 days or so, you should start seeing little bubbles activating in the dough. If you don’t, do not give up! Just keep up with the twice daily feedings and eventually you WILL see bubbles!
The biggest hurdle in creating a healthy/active starter is ensuring that you do indeed have lots of wee bubbles. Since this can completely depend upon the exact temperature and environment in your particular kitchen, remember to focus LESS on worrying it isn’t right and MORE on just.looking.for.lots.of.wee.bubbles.
I repeat: only worry about looking for Lots.Of.Wee.Bubbles.
These bubbles are telling you that the wild yeasts are starting to activate and multiply – a good thing! This means your little friend is getting ready to be used to bake bread!
You want it to look bubbly, billowy, and alive! By feeding it regularly (twice daily!) over the course of a few days, you are making your starter happy as it loves to feed on the flour and water you provide for it.
Once this gooey goodness starts to look kind of froth-like and enlarges is size, then you know that it is ready to create magic!
An aside: right about now you might be thinking: “But what KIND of flour do I use?”
And that’s a great question! You can use ANY type of flour you desire! I will say this: ancient grains are going to be much more difficult for the beginner.
I, interestingly, started my sourdough starter journey from Organic Einkorn flour, but for the beginner IF you can tolerate regular All-Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat Flour, I’d go that route. I was (and still am) very interested in a whole foods, traditional/ancestral type of diet, so that is why I went the Einkorn route. And yeah, I guess I like to suffer….. 🤪
I will write a future post all about how to create an ancient grains sourdough starter from scratch if you all are interested! Just let me know in the comments! ⇓
The super cool thing is, you can change your starter to any other kind of flour simply by starting to feed it regularly with whatever new flour you desire! It will ‘switch over’ on its own over time! So, I’d start with Organic APF (all-purpose flour), then switch over to Rye, Whole Wheat, Spelt, Einkorn – whatever you want! But you will have the most success initially with an All-Purpose Flour or a Bread Flour!
So, now you’re ready to bake bread!
Aren’t you excited? I am excited FOR you! Below is my easiest, go-to bread baking recipe using your own starter. Then, below that recipe I will include a few recipes I love that allow you to NOT discard that starter and use what would traditionally be “discarded” and make something yummy out of it!
⚖️ Another Aside: I recommend getting a scale. It is totally worth it, and hey – they’re cheap! It is absolutely and without a doubt the most efficient (and, therefore successful!) way to bake bread! That is why you will notice my recipes below in grams!
Tara's Go-To Boule Recipe (No Knead!)
Equipment
- Glass mixing bowl
- Danish Dough Whisk or Wooden Spoon
- Tea Towel or Lid
- Digital Scale
- Dutch Oven
- Banneton Basket (this is optional but will create a pretty design on your bread)
- Lame (optional)
Ingredients
- 100 grams Sourdough Starter Recently fed and bubbly
- 375 grams Warm Water
- 300 grams Bread Flour
- 200 grams Whole Wheat Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Finely Ground Salt Celtic or Real Salt
Instructions
5-24 Hours Before You Bake:
- Feed your starter according to your normal ratio of flour to filtered water
When You Are Ready To Bake:
- Add 100 grams of fed sourdough starter to a glass bowl
- Add warm water to sourdough starter and whisk together until starter is completely dissolved
- Measure both the bread flour and whole wheat or AP flour into the starter and warm water combination, then sprinkle the salt in
- Combine all ingredients together with a Danish Dough Whisk or a wooden spoon. Incorporate together until there is no dry flour left in the mixture.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a tight lid, and let it rest for 15 minutes
Stretch & Fold Method:
- Uncover the mixing bowl, and then wet your dominant hand with water. Grab the dough from the underside and pull it up and over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and then grab the dough from the underside and pull it up and over itself a second time. Rotate the bowl once more, repeating the stretch and fold technique each time. You are essentially pulling the underside of the dough ball onto the top, turning the bowl, and repeating all the way around.
- Repeat the stretch-and-fold process twice more at 15-minute intervals. Cover the bowl again, and let it rise overnight – 8 to 10 hours. This step is why your planning ahead and knowing when you want to bake bread is critical!
Stretch & Fold & Let Rise - Again! This Is Done The Next Morning:
- Thoroughly flour your banneton (I like to use corn meal), and then dust your working surface lightly with flour. Wet your hands, and then gently scoop the dough out of the mixing bowl and onto your working surface. Spread it out, so that it makes a rough circle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick and then gently fold the edges of the dough in toward the middle, shaping it into a round ball.
Heat Your Oven:
- Set the Dutch oven in the oven, and then heat the oven to 500 F. Transfer the dough to the fridge, and let it chill while the oven heats up (see below)
- While your oven is heating, you can chill the dough in the refrigerator. Doing so will make scoring your dough a lot easier (this is where a Lame comes in handy if you plan on regularly making dough - but a very thin, sharp knife will do the trick)
Bake & Wait:
- When the oven reaches temperature, place parchment paper on your counter-top, and get the dough out of the refrigerator. Gently invert the banneton over the parchment paper until the dough releases. The dough might take several seconds to release. Score the loaf with a lame or a sharp knife
- Carefully (it's VERY hot!) remove the Dutch Oven from the oven, and remove the lid with mits. Grasping the edges of the parchment paper, gently lower the dough into the Dutch Oven (yes, the parchment paper goes in the oven with the dough!) - Cover with lid, and place in oven
- Bake at 500 degrees for 30 minutes
- After the 30 minutes at 500 degrees, turn the heat down to 450 degrees, and then remove the lid of the dutch oven. Continue baking another 15 minutes
- Transfer your beautiful boule to a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before slicing and serving - this will be hard, but definitely worth it to let it cool!
Notes
- If you don't have a Banneton basket - have no fear! You will just skip all the banneton steps and simply plop your dough into your Dutch Oven! I think investing (they are inexpensive!) in a banneton is well worth it, though - even if you only bake bread once in a while. Here's why: you will be SO much more inspired to keep baking bread when it looks super pretty! Just my advice!
- Once you master this super easy recipe, I'd advise you to try out different flavors to add to your bread! I love to add Fennel Essential Oil (only a few drops!) before baking - the flavor is AMAZING! You could also add dried and minced Rosemary, Olives for a Mediterranean twist, or minced garlic and onion! The options are endless! The only thing to note is that if adding actual minced foodstuffs, you would add it to the flour and water mixture. I use my Essential Oils all the time, which you'd add once your dough is ready to be placed in the oven for the first time.
- If using different flour types, you will need to adjust your measurements. I'd advise sticking to this recipe in the beginning to build up your confidence, and then moving on to ancient grains such as Einkorn or Spelt.
The recipes below will allow you to not waste any of your sourdough starter! They require zero fermentation time and/or proofing! It’s great knowing that all that effort you put in feeding your starter twice a day, every day, means you can now use some of what would be ‘discarded’ starter and turn it into something yummy – immediately! 👏
Some of the recipes below were inspired by my friend Lisa, over at the blog Farmhouse on Boone – but some I’ve adapted from just messing around with the starter in my own kitchen!
Obviously, the very BEST way to make from scratch sourdough recipes is by ensuring your dough has long-fermented, and that you are negating as much phytic acid as possible! You DO want your home-baked breads and treats to be as nutrient-dense as possible! But, at least you can play around with the recipes below rather than discarding that starter! Enjoy, readers! Let me know if you made any of these recipes by using the hashtag #asubstantiallife – or make comments below about your experiences! I’d love to hear!
Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust
Equipment
- Pizza Stone or Cast Iron Pan
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 1 cup (ish) Sourdough Starter Recently fed
- 1 tbsp EVOO
- 1/2 tsp Italian Herb Seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat a pizza stone or cast iron skillet inside a 425 degrees F oven
- Once the oven is preheated and/or the pan(s) are super hot, remove from the oven carefully with mits
- Drizzle pizza stone and/or cast iron skillet with EVOO
- Ladle the sourdough starter onto the hot pan (yes, a ladle works best) - there really aren't exact measurements, y'all: just ladle a fair amount of fed sourdough starter onto the pizza stone/cast iron skillet and - moving in a circular motion with your ladle - create a pizza crust circle to desired size
- Drizzle a bit more EVOO on there....
- Sprinkle the crust (which will start cooking right away, that's okay!) with Salt and Italian Seasonings and/or herbs
- Place back in the 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes
Notes
For the sourdough starter pizza crust ⇑, you really can ONLY use either a pizza stone or cast iron pan – just don’t try it with anything else! It will just stick! Below are a few more recipe options for y’all using your recently fed sourdough starter! Remember: this stuff is – although not yet a viable starter to make bread – still immensely good for you and your gut! It’s fermented batter, friends! Healthy AND delicious!!!
Pro Home Cooks Scallion Pancake
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan (any pan will work, but cast iron provides the best even heat source
- Flat Metal or Wood Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup (ish) Sourdough Starter Recently Fed
- 1/2 cup (ish) Chopped Scallions
- 1 Tbsp (ish) Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet (any pan will work) over Medium heat, coat with EVOO
- Using a paper towel, rub the EVOO all over the skillet
- Then add a little bit more EVOO
- Pour out desired amount of sourdough starter into a circular pancake shape
- Add chopped scallions to top side, then add sesame seeds - drizzle a bit more EVOO on top
- Cook on underside for anywhere between 2-5 minutes, depending on your stove top
- Once underside is crispy, flip over with flat spatula and cook other side
- Cook other side anywhere between 2-5 minutes, just closely monitoring color/crispiness
- You want to cook it enough for the scallions to caramelize and the sesame seeds to toast - yum!
- Chop into desired number of pieces, just as you'd slice a pizza
Notes
- Into a bowl combine: soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil
- Mix together
- Whallah! Dip Scallion Pancake in and ENJOY!!!!
If interested in checking out the EXCELLENT YouTube channel where I acquired the above Scallion Pancake recipe, check out Pro Home Cooks!
Here’s a few more options I have personally played around with using my recently fed sourdough starter……
Sourdough Starter Waffles
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Waffle Maker (cast iron best, but electric okay)
- Silicon Spatula
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups Sourdough Starter Recently Fed
- 2 Eggs
- 1-3 tbsp EVOO, Coconut Oil, or Butter
- 1-2 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Baking Soda Clump-Free
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle maker
- Add baking soda and combine really well
- Grease waffle maker well
- Add wet ingredients to waffle maker, making sure to NOT overfill it!
- Cook anywhere between 3-5 minutes on each side - try to flip waffle maker only once in order to ensure crispy and fully cooked waffles!
- Open waffle maker to check done-ness; if not fully cooked close waffle maker quickly and cook each side for another 1-2 minutes
- Remove and enjoy!
Notes
Lastly, here’s a fantastic recipe for when you have a lot of produce or protein to use up! It’s also super delicious! I can easily make a meat version for myself, or a Vegan version for my hubby, or a Vegetarian version for my son! Whew!
Sourdough Starter Skillet
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Flat Metal or Wood Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe can, literally, be ANYTHING! Chop up onions, peppers, mushrooms, corn, zucchini, broccoli, carrots - I mean, ANYTHING!!! I like to add grassfed ground beef to my version, shredded cheese to my son's version, and nutritional yeast to my hubby's version! I add farm fresh eggs to all versions as hubby WILL eat free-range eggs when he knows the hen are living a happy/humane life! The options are endless, and you can make this skillet meal any way you like! I'm planning on creating a chicken, peas, potatoes, and corn version soon! Use lentils as a meat substitute, or any legume-family foodstuff would work!
- 1.5-2 cups Sourdough Starter Recently Fed
- 3 Eggs
- 3 tbsp Butter or Ghee
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1-2 tsp Dried Herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place cast iron skillet inside oven to preheat
- While the oven and skillet are preheating, make your "topping:" combine in a large bowl the following: sourdough starter, eggs, butter or ghee, baking powder, salt, and herbs - mix well
- Chop all ingredients you decide to use as your "filling" into similar sized pieces - you want appx 1/2-1 inch sized pieces
- Remove cast iron skillet from oven, add some EVOO, Coconut Oil, or Butter to coat skillet and add all pre-chopped "filling"
- Cook all ingredients ("filling") over medium heat , turning often, in your cast iron skillet for 10 minutes or until fully cooked
- Spread "topping" wet ingredients over "filling" - spread evenly
- Sprinkle with cheese (optional)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bread "topping" is fully cooked and a golden color
Notes
Well, dear readers: I hope this has inspired you to not only attempt making your very own “Seymour” (ahem, sourdough starter!) – but also given you inspiration to NOT discard your starter as you are building a viable starter to bake homemade bread! 🥖
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