As I have mentioned, I have had a sourdough starter in the works. Well, this morning I baked my first loaf and it didn't suck! We'll get to that, but firstly I'd like to backtrack and go through the process it took to get here... over a week in the making. Not sure if this will make for an interesting read, so just skip ahead and look at the pictures if it doesn't interest you.
To get my starter going, I essentially followed this site, with some adjustments here and there along the way.
It all started eight days ago...
On day one I mixed 25g spelt flour and 25ml of warm water together in a container. It was more like a stiff dough at first, so I added another 25-30ml of warm water until it formed a sloppy paste. Apparently wholemeal flours generally need more liquid. That was it for day one - I then left the container on the kitchen bench with the lid loosely on.
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| Day One |
On day two I noticed a slight separation had occurred with a watery liquid on top of the starter. Not to worry though - I added a paste of 25g spelt flour and 50ml of warm water to the starter and mixed it through. Again, I simply left the container on the kitchen bench with the lid loosely on.
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| Day Two |
I lost track in the middle of where I was up to, but on day three/four, I started to notice some changes taking place in my starter. Bubbles started forming and the smell began to change from simply smelling of the spelt flour, to something different - a little sweet. I gave the starter a 'feed' of 50g spelt flour and 60+ml of warm water.
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| Day Three/Four |
On day five, the site I followed said to have a rest day - basically don't feed the starter, just leave it to do it's thing (ferment). There were lots and lots of lovely bubbles by now.
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| Day Five
By day six there was definitely something going on. Heaps of bubbles and a fruity, slightly tangy smell had developed. I gave the starter a feed of 100g spelt flour and 100ml of warm water.
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| Day Six
According to the site I was following, by day seven my starter should have been ready to use. It smelt how it should, but it wasn't 'spongy'. So, I added 100g spelt flour and a little warm water and left if for another half a day or so. When I checked later, it was most definitely spongy - all that was left to do now was find a recipe and get baking!
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Stay tuned for part two.
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