This is a great recipe for sourdough starter. Having this on hand really makes good use of your food storage and is wonderful for digestion, not to mention your pocketbook! And its yummy!!!
Sourdough Starter
08:55, 2006-Apr-26 .. 3 comments .. Link

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About 5 days ago I started a batch of sourdough starter. I am using Sally Fallon’s recipe from her book Nourishing Traditions. She uses equal parts freshly ground rye berries and water.

I started with 2 cups of each (per her instructions) I ground the rye berries up in my mill...



and mixed with water in a bowl......



Then poured into a gallon size glass jar. I put a double layer of cheese cloth over the top and secured it with a rubber band.



After 24 hours I poured the whole mix into a clean bowl and fed my starter with 1 cup freshly ground rye berries and 1 cup water and poured it all into a new clean gallon size jar.


I have been repeating these steps each day. At the end of 7 days, which will be this Wednesday, I will be ready to use it in various recipes. I plan on trying out her bread recipe and maybe do a bit of experimenting on my own.

After one week, you can put it in the refrigerator in an air tight jar and feed it less often, unless you are using regularly then you can feed it daily. Sourdough that is fed and cared for can last for years. I am not sure how long mine will last as I have done this once before and kept it going for awhile before I forgot all about it! I will keep you posted on my progress!

Our food co-op president just sent out an e-mail about making sourdough bread...an interesting tip I hadn't heard before is to put the loaf in boiling water for a minute before baking, as you would bagels or soft pretzels. Apparently this helps give that chewy outer crust characteristic of the good sourdoughs. I haven't made any yet but will be attempting it soon.
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