Many new sourdough bakers struggle with creating sourdoughstarters. The most common problem I seeis new bakers trying to create a starter with 100% all-purpose flour (or 100%bread flour).
The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purposeflour.
I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and breadflour.
Why do you need to use these two types of flour?
When establishing a new sourdough starter, the vast majorityof the yeast cells and lactic acid bacteria cells come from the flour. The microbes attach themselves to the wheatberries in the wheat field and are lying dormant in the bag of flour. Contrary to popular belief, the microbes inyour kitchen that come from the air, or your hands, or your utensils are an infinitesimallysmall contributor to the microbial population of a new starter.
The beneficial microbes (yeast and lactic acid bacteria) arefound on the outside hull or shell of a wheat berry. When you buy a bag of whole-meal flour (wholewheat or whole rye), it includes 100% of the wheat berry (the hull, theendosperm and the germ). So, the microbesattached to the outside of the wheat berry are ground up in the milling processand end up in your bag of flour.
With processed flours like bread flour and all-purposeflour, much of the bran (the hull of the wheat berry), is extracted from theflour and discarded in the milling process.Many of the microbes attached to the outside of the wheat berry are discardedwith the hull and do not end up in a bag of bread flour or all-purpose flour. Refined flours, like bread flour and all-purposeflour, are also subject to more mechanical milling which can damage the cell membranesof the microbes – reducing the viable population of microbes.
Lastly, whole-meal flours contain unique nutrients andenzymes which are beneficial to jump-starting the microbial population in a newsourdough starter.
Why not use 100% whole-meal flours?
You can create a starter with 100% whole-meal flour, but, inmy experience, you will get best results with a blend.
As the yeast and lactic acid bacteria populations begingrowing, they need a food source (sugars and starches). Bread flour or all-purpose flour provide amore readily available food source than whole-meal flours. Refined flours are easily converted to sugars,which are the essential food source for your new starter.
A simple way to think about a 50/50 flour blend is – the whole-mealflour provides the “bugs” and the refined flour provides the “food.”
Do I need to continue feeding the 50/50 mix forever?
Once your starter is established, you can transition tofeeding it 100% bread flour or all-purpose flour. An established starter (e.g., 14-30 days aftercreation) has a robust microbial population, and the feedings from that point forwardare primarily providing the food, not additional microbes.
I feed my starter a 50/50 mix of bread flour and whole-wheatflour, but many bakers maintain strong starters with bread flour or all-purposeflour.
FAQs
The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour.
What is the best flour to start a sourdough starter with? ›
Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.
What flour makes the most sour sourdough starter? ›
For more tang: Incorporate some rye flour and/or whole wheat flour early in the bread-making process, such as when feeding the mother culture and the preferment. Rye flour in particular will help your culture produce some acetic acid.
What if I used the wrong flour in my sourdough starter? ›
Also, the type of flour you are using can impede the rise of your starter. All-Purpose flour, for example, will not rise as robustly as a blend of bread flour and whole wheat flour. Different mixtures or types of flour will cause your starter to rise differently. I strongly recommend at least 50% whole wheat flour.
Is strong white flour good for sourdough starter? ›
This is an easy to make sourdough starter to use in delicious bread, pizza, and more. All you'll need to make your sourdough starter is strong white flour and water.
What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›
Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.
Which bread flour for sourdough? ›
Cotswold Strong White Bread Flour is a popular option of making sourdough because of the flour's versatility and protein level. You can use Cotswold Strong White Bread Flour to bake a variety of goods such as bread and rolls.
How to get strong sourdough flavor? ›
For bread with stronger sour flavor, the preferment should be:
- Looser (100% to 125% hydration), rather than stiff (see “a cautionary note,” below)
- Ripened at a higher temperature (75°F to 82°F)
- Fed a larger meal; rather than 1:1:1 (starter:water:flour), the feeding ratio should be more like 1:4:4 or similar.
Still, there are three specific factors that can really affect your bread's flavor: The health of your starter. The level of the bread dough's organic acids. The complex relationships over time between levain, dough, fermentation, and proofing.
Why is my sourdough starter making hooch? ›
Hooch is formed and thrown off when a starter is fed too little, and too infrequently. I usually see it in thin starters, such as the ones fed with a cup of flour and a cup of water. This starter has a hydration of around 166%. This means that there isn't much food (flour) in the starter compared to a thicker starter.
Yes you can mix the flours in your sourdough starter. This can be an economical way to add some whole grains or rye. So you might want to feed 25% rye and 75% all purpose for example. There's really no hard and fast rules for what ratio of flour you use.
What happens if you put too much sourdough starter in your dough? ›
If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.
What is the best sourdough starter flour? ›
Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).
Can I use tap water for sourdough starter? ›
Myth 2: Sourdough starter requires fancy water
The key to sourdough starter success is using water without chlorine, which can cause the starter to die. While bottled water is chlorine-free, you can also use filtered tap water for our sourdough starter recipe.
What protein is best for sourdough bread? ›
You can make sourdough with all-purpose or “plain” flour, but you will get better results with higher protein flours like “bread flour” or “strong flour” which typically have about 12.5% protein. All-purpose flours have about 11% (or lower) protein.
What flour is best for sourdough pizza starter? ›
Using high-protein white flour (13-14% protein) in your sourdough pizza dough can lead to a chewier pizza. If you'd like to reduce the chewiness, try using a lower protein flour for the pizza dough (like all-purpose flour or Type 00 with lower protein).
What can I use instead of flour for sourdough starter? ›
I recommend the following flours to make your sourdough starter:
- Gluten free: use brown rice, millet, quinoa, sorghum, buckwheat, teff or gluten free oat flour.
- Regular starter: use whole wheat, whole spelt, whole rye, khorasan/kamut, emmer, einkorn, oat etc.
The choice of flour in a sourdough starter is completely up to you. Whole wheat is one of many great options, so let's discuss why we might choose whole wheat. Whole grains are made up of three main components: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ. Each component offers some nutrition, though some more than others.
Is rye flour best for sourdough starter? ›
Whole wheat and rye flours provide more nutrients for your starter and ferment more actively, but working with rye flour makes starter maintenance easier than whole wheat. Rye provides increased fiber and nutrients similar to whole wheat flour, but because of its lower gluten amount it's much easier to stir.
