Things You'll Need:
- Jelly jar
- ¼ cup of instant potato flakes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- Spoon
- Sharp knife
- Jar lid
-
Step 1
Put the jelly jar on the counter. Make sure your jar is clean and dry before using. You can also use a pickle or mayonnaise jar or even a canning jar to make your sourdough starter.
-
Step 2
Add the potato flakes and white granulated sugar to the jar. Pour the warm water over the potato flakes and sugar. You can substitute the sugar with honey.
-
Step 3
Stir the mixture with a spoon. Make sure you scrape the bottom of jar so all of the flakes and sugar get moistened.
-
Step 4
Cut 2 holes in the top of the jar lid with a knife or sit a paper towel over the mouth of the jar. The holes in the lid will allow the starter to breathe and release gases. If there isn't a lid with holes or a loose covering, the jar could explode from unreleased gases.
-
Step 5
Set the jar of sourdough starter in a warm dry place, like a kitchen counter close to the stove or on top of a hot water tank. Leave your sourdough starter alone for 1 or 2 days before you start feeding it.
-
Step 1
Move your jar to the kitchen counter. Take half of the starter out of the jar and throw it away. You can also give this part of the starter to a family member or friend.
-
Step 2
Add ¾ cup sugar, 3 tbsp. potato flakes and 1 cup warm water to the starter and stir.
-
Step 3
Repeat step 2 every day until the starter is bubbly and gives off a yeasty smell. This may take from 3 days to a week or more.
-
Step 4
Take out the amount of starter you want to use in a bread recipe before feeding it.
