Sourdough Starter #12

This is how sourdough starters were born, long before anyone sold yeast in packets.

Boil potatoes, save the starchy water, let it cool to lukewarm, and stir in enough unbleached flour to make a thick batter. That’s it. Two ingredients.

The natural wild yeast floating in the air and living on the flour does the rest. Within a day or two, the mixture starts bubbling and develops that unmistakable sour smell that tells you it’s alive and ready to work.

This method was originally designed for camp cooking, where commercial yeast wasn’t an option and resourcefulness was the only ingredient that mattered.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the potato water while it’s still lukewarm, not hot. Too much heat kills the wild yeast before it has a chance to colonize the batter.
• Unbleached flour is important here. Bleached flour has fewer of the natural microorganisms that kick-start fermentation.
• “Smells right” means pleasantly sour, like tangy yogurt. If it smells rotten or develops mold, toss it and start over.
• Once the starter is active and bubbly, feed it equal parts flour and water daily to keep it going. Store it in the fridge if you bake less frequently.