Start a Sourdough Starter Before Thanksgiving in a Free Workshop – GWC Mag

All you need to start and nurture a lively sourdough starter culture are flour, water, time and a bit of know-how. In this Zoom class, I’ll show you how to start a starter culture—and how to keep it alive. Bring your questions and I’ll answer them after the demo.

Class takes place on Thursday, November 9th, 6pm PT/9pm ET

Your sourdough starter will develop over approximately seven to 10 days, beginning with conception during class, followed by awkward pubescence and finally full maturity with bread-making capabilities.

Depending on the temperature of your kitchen (and other factors, but mostly the temperature of your kitchen…), you should accumulate enough sourdough discard to make at least crackers or pumpkin quick bread for your Thanksgiving dinner on the 23rd. If your sourdough starter is slightly precocious, you will be able to bake a loaf of sourdough bread for your meal. (You’ll have to start it on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day).

To make the bread, you’ll need a starter

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Sourdough Starter Workshop Materials

Tools

  • Kitchen scale OR measuring cups and spoons
  • A large jar for storing flour (4-cup size or larger)
  • Small glass jar that holds about two cups or another container to store your starter in, preferably something wide-mouth and shallow for easy starter removal
  • Fork for mixing
  • Scraping spatula (nice to have but not necessary)
  • A towel to wipe your hands

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour or rye flour
  • ½ cup tap water

Notes on ingredients

  • If you don’t have the above types of flours, just bring whatever flour you have.
  • You can make a gluten-free starter following the same method I will demonstrate in class. Teff and buckwheat work well. Brown rice flour, sorghum or a combination of flours should also work well.
  • Filter your tap water if you prefer. If your water contains high levels of chlorine, the day before class, fill a container with water and cover it securely with a cloth to prevent impurities from falling in. Some of the chlorine will evaporate.

Bookmark these links to refer to after class

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