Sourdough Starter: Fun Chemistry in the Kitchen

Why Make Sourdough Starter? 

If you enjoy baking on a regular basis and enjoy the tangy lift that sourdough brings to various breads and pancakes, then you will want to keep sourdough starter on hand. Making and using sourdough starter is easy and fun; besides, it's not with many other concoctions that the following exchange is possible:

You: You've gotta get a whiff of this.
Other person: What is it?
You: Just smell it.
Other person: Whoa! That's sour!

Making Sourdough Starter

You need a few basic ingredients, plus a little time, in order to make sourdough starter. Here's the recipe:

2 cups milk
1 2-oz package active dry yeast
2 TBSP plain yogurt
2 cups flour

Blend the milk and yeast; heat this mixture until the milk reaches about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool a few minutes and then stir in the yogurt. Transfer this mixture to a glass container (I prefer using a large canning jar). Gradually beat in the flour. Cover the glass container with a dish cloth and then let sit in a warm place for the next 2 to 5 days; I like to place the container on a warm heating pad to ensure even temperature.

Check the mixture every day. If it bubbles and has a sour smell, that's great: the starter is fermenting beautifully. If the mixture turns pink, the fermentation process has broken down. You'll need to compost the mixture and start over.

After the mixture has fermented and is nice and bubbly, store the starter in the refrigerator. You'll probably want to use the starter at least once a week in order to keep it active.

Before using the starter, let it come to room temperature. Also, after using the starter, replace with equal amounts of warm milk and flour. So, if you use 1/2 cup of starter, you'll need to blend in 1/2 cup of warm milk and 1/2 cup of flour.

Masa_madre.jpg ‎(777 × 477 pixels, file size: 73 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Sourdough Starter                  This work is in the public domain