Sourdough Bread Starter Recipe (With Banneton)

Sourdough bread has a huge fan following for its distinctive subtle sour flavour! To relish perfect homemade sourdough breads you need to know how to make sourdough bread starter.

Let’s begin with the instructions for making a simple & quick sourdough starter before moving on to the sourdough bread recipe.

Sourdough Bread. Read more about sourdough varieties here

• Water
• Flour (freshly ground Rye/Rice flour works best)

• Step 1: Mix 50mls of water with 50grams of flour in a glass jar.
• Step 2: Gently cover the mixture with fine mesh cheesecloth.
• Step 3: Let the mixture rest overnight for about 12 in the kitchen. If you have a clean and warm outdoor space receiving natural sunlight, you can place the jar there during the daytime.
• Step 4: After 12 hours, transfer the mixture to a larger jar. Feed another 50mls of water & 50grams of flour, cover and let it sit for 12 more hours.
• Step 5: Repeat Step 4 for 5 to 6 more days.

By day 4, you will notice a frothy top and can smell the mixture. The vinegar-like smell is a sign that the fermentation process has begun and you are on the right track. Within a week your homemade sourdough starter will be ready. If you feel it’s not ready yet, give it an additional day. Each day the mixture will rise steadily and later fall back down. A slight liquid accumulation on the top is common so do not worry about it. The liquid will be absorbed by the mixture later on.

Note: If you keep the sourdough starter at room temperature you have to feed it every day. Therefore, for occasional baking, simply store the starter in the fridge.

Suppose you plan to try the artisan sourdough bread recipe on Sunday. To do so, you need to take out the sourdough starter from the fridge on Saturday morning. Let the cold starter sit in the kitchen and come to room temperature before use.

• 400 grams of Flour
• 230 mls Tepid Water
• 5 grams of Salt
• 160 grams of Sourdough starter

• Roughly mix all the ingredients in a large glass bowl.
• Dump the dough mixture in a flat surface and knead well.
• Dust a cane banneton with flour evenly. Lightly fold the dough into a round shape and place it in the cane banneton upside-down. Cover with a clean towel and let it sit for 3-4 hours.
• Dust the baking tray with flour and flip over the nicely risen dough. You’ll see the traditional sourdough spiral design on it.
• Score the dough with a razor/knife to control how your dough rises.
• Pre-heat the oven at 230degrees. Place the dough in the oven. Additionally, place a tray filled with water in the oven to create steam to help the dough rise.
• Bake for 30mins at 360degrees.

Tip:

To bake different shapes of sourdough breads you can use the diverse shapes (oval, heart and round) of cane bannetons.

Now that you know how to make sourdough starter from scratch, you can easily bake the gorgeous authentic sourdough bread and impress your friends and family.

Read more:

• What a Handcrafted Cane Banneton Can Bring to Your Bakery Kitchen

• The Scoop On Sourdough Bread Varieties

• Gluten-Free and Vegan Sourdough for the Modern Baker

• The Rundown on How to Use & Care Your Banneton