I love San Francisco!  Have you been to San Francisco?  I can only leave if I’m able to take several loaves of San Francisco Sour Dough with me.  I’ve gotten old enough or smart enough or I’ve just plain given up trying but whatever I now know I’ll never be able to replicate the San Francisco sour dough flavor.  Maybe it’s the savory in me, but I’m happy with just most any sour dough.

And so I have tried over and over again to get a good starter going.  There is a package kit you can get.   While it worked for me, when you lose it, you have to buy another kit to start over again.  That doesn’t sit well with me.  I mean these are suppose to be wild yeast in the air.

Anytime I’ve tried getting a starter going with the yeasties free in the air, I’ve pretty much failed to get much action from the starter.  Certainly, I always had to add extra yeast to it and mostly a lot.  But, I’ve never given up the search.

This one works for me.  Taking just 6 days, it’s fast  for getting a starter going.   I’ve seen recipes that take 21 days (it never had one bubble for me).  I use a 2 quart jar with a clap lid.  If your house is very cool, you may want to put the jar in an empty bowl and cover with a towel.   This will cut off drafts and stabilize a warmer temperature around and in the jar.

I always try to use organic flour with this and the bread made with it as organic should have more wild yeast in it naturally.

Leaven

Adapted from the art of handmade bread

by Dan Lepard

Day One

3 tablespoons (50 ml) water at room temp

2 round teaspoons rye flour

2 round teaspoons bread flour

2 round teaspoons currents or raisins

2 round teaspoons low-fat greek yogurt

Mix all together and cover in a jar.  Leave out on the counter at room temperature.

Day Two

There may have been some sinking of the solids but there will be very little observable change.

Into the above, stir

3 tablespoons (50 ml) water at room temp

2 rounded teaspoons rye flour

2 rounded teaspoons bread flour

Cover and leave room temperature.

Day Three

Some of the raisins (or currents) may have coffee-colored rings around them by now and you may see very small fermentation bubbles (or not).

Into the above, add

6 tablespoons (100 ml) room temp water

and mix well.  

Now add

4 rounded teaspoons bread flour

4 rounded teaspoons rye flour

Stir this all together well which will produce some frothing.  Cover and leave at room temperature.

Day Four

Now you should see some fermentation froth but there will be only the slightest hint of acidity in aroma.

Now remove 3/4 of the jar contents and discard it. 

To the remaining quarter contents add

6 tablespoons (100 ml) room temp water

and stir well.

Pour that mixture through a strainer to remove raisins or currents (discard those)

and pour the strained liquid back into your jar.

Add

1 cup (125 g) bread flour

and stir.  Leave covered at room temp.

Day Five

There should now be some evident bubbling on the surface and a milk acidic but sweet aroma.  The aroma is fleeting so get your nose there when you first open the jar or you may miss it.

Again remove and discard 3/4 of the contents in the jar.

Add

6 tablespoons (100 ml) room temp water

and stir well.

Stir into the mix

1 cup (125 g) bread flour

forming a thick paste.

Cover and leave at room temp.

Day Six

Your starter is now ready to bake bread.  But you shouldn’t give it a name until it’s survived 2 weeks.

If you bake bread everyday (not me), you can leave this at room temp all the time.

Baking Day

See Day Five and Repeat

The discarded starter goes into your bread recipe.

Your aim is to replace what you use to bake bread.

Store Starter in the fridge

Refresh it (see Day Five) every few days.

To bake: remove from fridge, refresh and leave at room temp until the next day to bake.

Left for extended time (a month or two)

The starter will have separated and have a coffee colored liquid on top of the solids layer. 

Scoop 2 teaspoons of the solid putty like leaven from the bottom and mix with

6 tablespoons (100 ml) room temp water

1 cup (125g) flour

Leave at room temp covered and repeat the next day.  Ready to bake on third day.

You see two jars in some photos.  I guess I didn’t trust this would work and that was sort of an insurance policy.  I have bake with this about three times and used 1/8 teaspoon added yeast.  Soon I’ll try a recipe with no added yeast.

If you’re looking for a starter, this one really worked for me.  Happy baking.