So.... you've seen the pictures on Instagram, you're desperate to make your own sourdough but you can't find anyone to give you starter. Don't panic. Making your own is 100% doable, and I promise you it will taste as good as the '100 year old' starter your Facebook friend is using. Just follow these steps, and you'll be baking in no time. 

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Materials:

A plastic or glass container (at least 1qt capacity) - I use a 5"x5" Tupperware box.

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Ingredients:

To start:

8oz of whole wheat flour (ideally, use whole wheat. If you can't find that, unbleached all-purpose will also work, but it may take longer to get going)

8oz warm water

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To feed:

4oz unbleached all-purpose flour

4oz warm water

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Starting your Starter

1. Mix 8oz of whole wheat flour and 8oz of warm water in your container of choice until there is no dry flour. This will be a thick glob of flour, so don't be alarmed (and don't add any more water)

2. Cover the container loosely (either with the lid set on top or with loose plastic wrap) and set In a warm place for 24 hours.

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Feeding your Starter

1. DAY 2: Don't be alarmed if you see no change after the first 24 hours, this is normal. Take out half of the starter and throw it away. 

2. Add 4ox (approx. 1/2 cup) of unbleached all-purpose flour and 4oz (approx. 1/2 cup) of warm water.

3. Stir to combine, again making sure there is no dry flour.

4. Cover loosely, and set in a warm place for 24 hours. 

5. DAY 3: By today you should start seeing (or smelling) some activity from your starter, maybe some bubbles or just a fruity smell. Hopefully you're seeing some evidence that your starter is starting to grow. At this point, we're going to start feeding our starter twice a day (about 12 hours apart). At each feeding, remove about half of the starter and throw it away. Add in 4oz of unbleached all-purpose flour, and 4oz of warm water. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let sit for 12 hours. 

6. DAY 4, 5, & 6: Repeat step 5.

7. DAY 7: By today, you should be seeing your starter really coming to life. The starter should be just about doubling in volume every 12 hours, and it should be bubbly and active. If this sounds like your starter, you are ready to start baking with your starter. If your starter isn't quite there yet, keep feeding your starter every 12 hours, until you reach this point. 

8. Make sure that when you are baking, you never take out all of your starter. You always need to keep about half of the volume of you starter to feed and rebuild. NEVER USE YOUR WHOLE STARTER IN ONE GO. 

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Storing your Starter

Once you're baking, you may be thinking that 'this is a lot of flour to be essentially throwing away.' Don't worry, I'm here with a tip to save your flour (and your sanity). You can store your starter (once active) in the fridge for up to a month. I would advise getting your starter very active for 2 weeks or so before attempting to store it in the fridge. 

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1. Feed your starter as normal.

2. When your starter reaches it's peak (about 2-4 hours after feeding), place the lid fully on your container, and place it in the fridge. 

3. When you're ready to bake again, remove your starter from the fridge 2 days before you want to use it, and feed normally (including a discard to begin) every 12 hours up until you bake. 

4. Feed your starter after using it, and place in the fridge again once it reaches its peak. 

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