By Summer Elizabeth Ball
This post was updated on 11/13/2023.
If you haven’t already read my article, A New Tradition: Daily Bread in the SheBelieves Magazine Volume 1 Issue 2. As promised, this post begins my and my mama’s journey of growing, keeping, and using a sourdough starter.
To be completely honest, we tried following the steps of growing a sourdough starter in late September. I intended to publish the first post on our blog over a month ago. So, in this blog post series, I will explain what we are doing this time around.
Since it was our first time giving it a try and since neither of us is a baker, we made a lot of mistakes and ended up throwing away what we had started after a few days. We have only now gotten around to trying again. So, in this blog post series, I will explain what we are doing this time around.
Let’s focus on day one today, and then you can be on the lookout for tomorrow’s day two blog post. As per my article, we are basically following the steps outlined in Jami’s blog post How to Grow, Keep, & Use a Sourdough Starter on An Oregon Cottage, Simple Homemade Life.
Today, we used a 64-ounce Ball Jar, Wide Mouth, that we bought two of on Amazon. The reason you should buy and use two is that you will be moving your starter from one container to the other every day, so we go back and forth between the two jars. It is also essential to only use glass containers, either bowls or jars is best.
We used a glass measuring cup to measure out 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of dark rye flour, combining them in the measuring cup and pouring them together into the jar. Pour the two cups of flour slowly, and if necessary, to avoid any flour mishaps, use a wooden spoon to direct the flour into the jar’s mouth. As you can see in the images above, we lost a little bit, but then we grabbed a wooden spoon, and it kept the flour from straying. We used King Arthur, 100% Whole Grain Whole Wheat Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill Organic Dark Rye Flour. But you can use any brand.
Next, we filled our glass measuring cup with 1 cup of arrowhead water at room temperature. Don’t use cold water. We used our wooden spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Thoroughly mix until there is no dry flour or clumps left behind. Your mixture should look something like what is pictured below.
Now, you need to cover the opening of your jar with muslin or a cheesecloth; we used cheesecloth we found on Amazon. Now, you need to find a warm place to store your sourdough starter. We placed the jar in a large bowl on top of our refrigerator.
Psalm 128:1-4 says,
Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
Come back to our blog tomorrow, for day 2 of the Daily Bread series.
All Scripture quotes from King James Version.
Photos taken by Summer Elizabeth Ball.
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