Sourdough Starter

There are lots of recipes for starter on the internet, this is the one that I use.  It's simple and I've never had it fail.  Be sure that your yeast is fresh.  I usually set my crock inside a large bowl, just in case the starter is really active and overflows!  That will happen in the first few hours if it's going to happen at all.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one package)
2 Tbsp honey (or sugar)
2 1/2 cups flour

Start with a clean glass or ceramic bowl, NO metal!  Pour in the water, yeast, and honey. Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until the yeast is dissolved.  I'll say again, NO METAL.

Add the flour half a cup at a time, stirring well.

Pour starter into a one gallon container, plastic or glass.  If you're lucky enough to have a sourdough crock now is the time to use it!  I am fortunate enough to have a crock that came down through my family, it even has it's original lid!

Cover with a clean tea cloth and hold it in place with a rubber band.  Set aside in a warm place for 5 days, stirring every day.  ( I just leave mine on the kitchen counter so I don't forget to stir it.)  It is ready to use now! 

You can now store it in the refrigerator.  Take it out the night before you are going to use it, give it a good stir and let it come to room temp on the kitchen counter.  After use, be sure you feed it with equal amounts of flour and warm water.  Every 2 or 3 weeks I reward my start with a teaspoon of sugar. 

I use my sourdough start at least a couple times a week so I won't put it in the refrigerator until the weather starts to get hot.