Starting your own Sourdough

So you’re ready to start your sourdough journey! Let’s begin with the most important step: getting your starter up and running.

What you will need:

-A glass jar
-Sourdough starter kit flour 
-Your choice of flour (we use millet and sorghum)
-Water
-A spatula or spoon
-A scale

Use these instructions to get started:

1. Combine equal parts water and flour and starter kit
     -Use a scale and measure out 40 grams of a sourdough starter kit (Simple Kneads starter kit coming soon!) and mix it with 40 grams of warm water.
     -Add 40 grams of your flour
     -Mix that together with your spatula
     -Cover loosely (not airtight) and let it sit at room temperature for 5-6 hours.

2. Repeat step 1
     -You may see a few bubbles or smell a slight tang, this is normal.
     -Add another 80 grams of flour and 80 grams of water and mix.
     -Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours or until the starter has risen and fallen.
     -You can refrigerate after this

4. Ready to use 
     -Your starter is ready when you see it doubles in size after 4-6 hours of being fed. 
     -You can test this by the pouring some of it in water and seeing if it floats.

Here are some tips for maintenance

*For daily use, feed every 24 hours at room temp
*For weekly use, store it in the fridge and feed weekly. Before using pull it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before and feed it. Use water that is at least 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Water should only be this hot if mixing it with starter from a fridge.
*Warmer environments speed up the fermenting process
*If you see a layer of liquid on top (hooch) you can either mix it in or pour it out. It just means your starter is hungry!