Activating Your Easy Starter & Making Sourdough Bread!, by Survival HT on YouTube. 15 min 28 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 28 s
- Time to do it
- 4 days, about 1 hour hands-on
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Take the stored starter out of the fridge or its dry jar. Weigh 25 g into a clean glass jar. If it is dried flakes, crush them first.
Add 50 g of lukewarm water and 50 g of flour. Stir with a fork until no dry flour is left, then scrape the sides down.
Cover the jar loosely with a lid or cloth. Leave it at room temperature, around 70 to 75°F, for 12 to 24 hours.
Once you see bubbles, feed it again. Keep half the starter and add equal weights of flour and water. Repeat twice a day.
After 3 to 5 days the starter should double within 4 to 8 hours of a feed. Drop a spoonful in water; if it floats, it is ready.
Mix the dough: 500 g bread flour, 350 g water, 100 g active starter and 10 g salt. Rest it 30 minutes, then work it together.
Stretch and fold the dough every 30 minutes for about 2 hours. Then let it rise until it is roughly half again as big.
Shape it into a round, place it seam side up in a floured basket, and proof 1 to 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Heat the oven to 405°F with a Dutch oven inside. Score the top with a sharp blade, keeping your fingers well clear of the blade.
Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes more, about 40 minutes total, until deep brown. Cool an hour before slicing.
Tips and common mistakes
Use filtered or bottled water if your tap water is heavily chlorinated, as it slows the yeast down.
Keep the jar somewhere warm such as the top of the fridge, since a cold kitchen can add days to reactivation.
Do not slice the loaf while it is hot or the inside will turn gummy.
A lame or sharp serrated knife scores cleanly, and the Dutch oven stays very hot, so use thick oven gloves.
Questions
How do I know the starter is active enough to bake with?
It should double in size within 4 to 8 hours of a feed, look bubbly and smell yeasty or like plain yogurt. A spoonful that floats in water is a good sign it is ready.
Can I use starter straight from the fridge?
Let it come to room temperature and give it a feed first. Wait until it has risen and peaked, usually a few hours, before mixing your dough.
Why did my loaf come out flat?
The usual causes are a starter that was not active enough or dough that proofed too long. Feed the starter until it doubles reliably and watch the dough rather than the clock.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
