How to make a sourdough starter in 2 days

If you’re in a hurry or just don’t feel like waiting a week before you have an active sourdough starter, then read on to find out how to make your own sourdough starter in just 2 days!

What is a sourdough starter?

Sourdough starters have been around for many, many years. Before there were little packets of yeast, this is what people would use to make their bread rise. A sourdough starter can be made in lots of ways, but the reason it works to make bread rise is that it collects the yeast in the air which feed on the ingredients inside and it produces gas bubbles that cause your dough to rise.

What makes sourdough healthy?

When I am grocery shopping, I always look at the ingredients on the back of the package. Almost everything in the store, even the organic items, have some type of preservatives or many other ingredients our bodies just aren’t sure what to do with. A sourdough starter allows you to make homemade breads and more with just a few REAL ingredients.

Sourdough is also considered a ferment. This process creates beneficial bacteria for your gut. These bacteria also feed on the gluten in flour and can be easier to digest for gluten sensitive individuals.

Do I have to maintain my sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter has to be maintained by being fed. Some feeding recipes only include flour and water but this increases the frequency of how often you need to feed it. Think of your sourdough starter as a pet. The more meals you feed it, the better it is going to work for you and the longer the bacteria, that cause your dough to rise, will live and be active.

How do I feed my sourdough starter?

Ok, so there are many ways that people feed their sourdough starter. Some use only flour and water, some add some sugar and others add potato starch. I’ve tried several different ways of feeding and I’ve learned that with my lifestyle and the frequency that I use my sourdough starter, feeding it a combination of the three works best for me.

If you are not one to remember to feed your starter daily then this may be the best option for you as well. I have found that if I don’t use my starter for a few days, I don’t have to worry about making sure it has been fed daily if I have fed it a combination of flour, sugar, potatoes and water. It will last up to a week before I need to feed it again.

My feeding recipe is:

• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour
• 1 cup purified water

To get your mashed potatoes, shred a raw potato, boil it until it is soft then mash with a fork. You do not want to put anything else into these. You can store these in a container in the fridge if you do not use them all and use them for future feedings.

This feeding recipe also gives your bread a sweeter taste and it is delicious! The bacteria will go crazy over this and you’ll see lots of bubbles within 24 hours if your starter is active.

How do I know if my sourdough starter is ready?

There are a few tests and signs to know if your sourdough starter is ready to use. You can pretty much use it for anything that doesn’t require rising, right from the start. But if you are wanting a nice loaf of bread or maybe even some yummy cinnamon rolls, you want to make sure you have a very active sourdough starter.

Smell your starter

One way to know if your sourdough starter is ready is by smelling it. A good sourdough starter will have a little bit of a sour smell. This smell is not pungent and it will NOT have any mold associated with it.

Does your starter have bubbles?

Another way to know if your sourdough starter is ready is if it has bubbles in it. A very active starter will have lots of bubbles throughout it. After making this sourdough starter you should see bubbles in 2 days. Here’s a picture of my active sourdough starter.

There are several tests you can do to test your starter before you use it, but my favorite is just to see if it doubles. I rarely take the time to test my starter if it has bubbles going through it but this is a pretty simple test if you have a day or so to test it. Just take out 1/4 cup of your starter and put it into another jar. Add 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix together with a wooden spoon. Allow it to sit for 6+ hours and see if it doubles it’s amount. If after 24 hours your starter hasn’t doubled then you need to refeed your original starter and then test again until your mixture is rising.

How to get started making a sourdough starter in just two days

This may seem like we are cheating but unless you want to wait a week and feed and discard your sourdough starter every 12 and 24 hours then you will thank me for this recipe. I am not the most patient person so I didn’t mind “cheating” to make this starter happen sooner when my other starter ended up with mold during a move.

You will need 5 ingredients to get started on this.

• 1 packet of yeast from your local grocery store
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour
• 1 cup warm purified water

First, pour your yeast packet into the warm water and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes is up, you will want to add all of the other ingredients into a glass jar or bowl. Do not use a metal or plastic jar because these will effect your beneficial bacteria in your starter.

Once your have added these in a jar, mix them with a wooden spoon and cover your jar with a thin piece of fabric or cheese cloth and a rubber band. Allow it to sit for 24 hours.

The next day, after 24 hours is up, just stir your mixture.

On day two, 48 hours after starting, remove half of your mixture (discard) and feed your starter using the feeding recipe. You can use your discard for some yummy sourdough pancakes or even some sourdough tortillas if you don’t want your discard to go to waste.

Your starter should start to have bubbles mixed throughout it and you can begin using it to make bread and lots of other yummy sourdough recipes.

Tips for making and keeping a healthy sourdough starter

• Keep your starter on your kitchen countertop if you are using your starter at least once a week
• If you will not be using your starter for more than a week, store it in the fridge and take it out 24 hours and feed it prior to using it again.
• Feed your starter every time you use some for a recipe or feed it at least 1x a week, discarding half of it before feeding.
• You need at least 2 Tablespoons of starter in your jar to feed it and maintain it.
• Your starter can last for many, many years if you take care of it.
• You can share your starter with family and friends just by giving them 1/4 cup of your starter in a covered jar and show them this recipe for feeding it!

Recipe

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More healthy, homemade recipes:

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If you’d like to make your sourdough starter from scratch, you can follow Farmhouse on Boone’s recipe here.

Check out a day in the life doing morning chores in this video.