How to Make Spelt Sourdough Starter
I have wanted to share a spelt sourdough starter for some time. This recipe is made using wholegrain spelt flour or you could use white spelt flour. You could start using the starter after 3 days but to be safe use the full 5 days to prepare your starter. In my video, my starter took 8 days as I missed a few night feeds.
Inspired by Grant Bakes's wholegrain sourdough starter. I asked Grant if I could share his recipe with my followers.
What you will need
- 5-8 days*
- Glass jar or bowl
- spoon or chopstick
- scales
- wholegrain spelt flour or white spelt flour
- filtered water (preferred)
- rubber band
Day 1 Tuesday- 9 am start then rest 24 hours
- 9 am: add 10g warm water to your jar and sprinkle 10g wholegrain spelt flour to your clean jar, stir with a spoon or chopstick. Flatten using a spoon. Cover the jar loosely with a lid, coffee filter, and rubber band. This will allow the mixture to breathe. Rest for 24 hours on your kitchen bench. NB it's fun to name your starter, my new one is called Samantha.
Day 2 Wednesday - 9 am feed then rest 24 hours
- 9 am: You should now see little bubbles at the jar's bottom. Feeding time. As before, 10g warm water, and 10g flour. Stir with the chopstick until there are no visible flour lumps. Cover and rest again for 24 hours on the bench.
Day 3 Thursday - 9 am feed and rest 12 hours
- 9 am: You may not see much action on day 3. There may not be more bubbles. That's okay. No, it's not dead. Feed again with 20g warm water and 20g wholegrain spelt flour. Mix again. Add a rubber band to the starter level. The rest for 12 hours on the bench at room temperature. Mark the top level of your starter using a rubber band. The rest for 12 hours on the bench at room temperature. Then the starter should double in size.
Day 3 Thursday - 9 pm feed and rest 12 hours
- First feed: 9 pm On day 4 you should notice that the starter has risen above the rubber band and doubled in size. Now remove half of the starter and store it in a 'discard container'. I keep this in the fridge to make pancakes or crumpets. Then repeat the feeding. 20g warm water and 20g flour. Mark the top level of your starter using a rubber band. The rest for 12 hours on the bench at room temperature. Then the starter should double in size.
Day 4 Friday - 9 am Discard then feed and rest 12 hours
- 9 am 12 hours later, your starter should have risen. It might even have fallen back down again. Remove half of the starter from the jar once more, and repeat the same feeding as before. Add 20 grams of water and 20 grams of spelt flour to the jar, and mix well. Cover the jar, mark the starter with a rubber band, and let it rest for 12 more hours.
- Day 4-second feed 12 hours later, repeat above
Day 5 Saturday - 9 am
- By today your starter should have doubled in size once again. It is now ready to start using for baking. If your starter hasn't grown to be double in size, then you need a little more time. Your kitchen may be slightly cooler. Repeat the day 4 feeding again. Then ensure it is doubling in size and growing before using. Now you can use it then store it in the fridge.
Sue Maree P Tips
Maintain the start: re-feed before using
Evening: Add 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter (from the fridge) with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour. Stir until everything is well combined.
Morning: the starter should be bubbly and doubled in size if unsure if it is ready to use. Discard and leave 25g and start again. Otherwise, start mixing into your dough.
You need at least three feeds before commencing using the starter. If for some reason you miss a feed, don't stress, this happens to me. Just start the following day and re-feed.