The Family Table Farmstead

Meet Darla my sourdough starter, who’s been my baking buddy since March 2023. I am not a 4th generation baker with a 90+ year old sourdough starter that’s been passed down through my family. I had to figure out how to get one going on my own, and I was too stubborn to buy one online. After three failed attempts to get my very own starter going, I had successfully given Darla life on my 4th attempt.

I believe my first attempt failed due to a lack of patience. The second and third attempts failed due to mold. I believe it got moldy because I used a wooden spoon to mix the starter up. Here is a step by step process on how I created my very own baking buddy, Darla.

Instructions:

First day: mix into a glass 1/2 C whole wheat flour, 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour, and 1 C filtered water. Stir until well combined. Let the mixture sit for about a day and a half to two days.

Second day: REMOVE half of the mixture and throw it out. Next add to the remaining half: 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour and 1/2 C filtered water and mix together. Let this mixture sit for about a day. You will want to start keeping an eye out for bubbles in your starter mixture.

Third day: Again remove half of the mixture, and add in 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour. Now we are going to cut back a hair on the filtered water. I use a flour to water ratio of 1:3/4 when feeding my starter because I personally don’t bother using my scale for feeding. So after you scoop up 1/2 C flour, take that measuring cup and fill it up 3/4s full. You will want to start doing the discard then feed until your sourdough starter takes off and doubles in size in approximately 4-12 hours after a feeding. You can start to use your discard for recipes on about day 4 or 5 if you would like to start testing any discard recipes

Having the right tools and ingredients can make your journey a little bit easier. If you want to see what I use with my sourdough starter, take a look at the list below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Weck Jar – I started by using quart sized mason jars, but I found that I spilled flour all over the counter top and sought out to find a better jar. I have been using this Weck Jar for almost a year, and I have been very happy with it. I always recommend this to new sourdough bakers.

Whole Wheat Flour – Here is the whole wheat flour I bought for getting my starter going.

Unbleached all purpose flour – I love Costco’s organic unbleached all purpose flour, but in a pinch I use this flour!

Silicon scrapers – I have not had the best luck personally with wooden spoons, so these silicon scrapers are my go-to! They make it very easy to get a good stir and keep my jar clean.

Glass liquid measuring cup – This Pyrex is my go-to when measuring liquid!

Metal measuring cups – These are my favorite measuring cups I use daily in the kitchen.

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Family Table Farmstead 🖤