Dame Cathy Sloman
As Sourdough September draws to a close, I’ve been casting my mind back to my first foray into
the dark art of wild yeast at Bread Ahead Bakery School. I’ve baked and taught it on and off ever
since those first adventures and it’s one of my all time favourite breads. There are so many
sourdough books out there, some of them pretty daunting in their forensic attention to detail – so I
always come back the Bread Ahead starter which has never let me down (which is not to say that I
have never let it down…)
They do say you should name your starter, less likely to forget to feed it that way. My daughter has
a name and I’ve never forgotten to feed her, so it does make sense… It’s Bruce at Bread Ahead
(come to a workshop and find out why!). I’m sorry to say I have had a few over the years, the
current one is called Lola, for no particular reason.
How to get started with your starter?
You can make your starter with white, wholemeal or rye flour – at Bread Ahead it’s light rye and
that’s what I use, creature of habit that I am.
This is how we do it at Bread Ahead:
You’ll need water (and no, spring water isn’t essential), 250g flour and a jar or a pot with a lid (a
Kilner jar works well). It’s a six day process but it’s not onerous or time-consuming.
Day 1 – mix 50g flour and 50g water until smooth, cover and leave at room temperature for 24
hours.
Days 2-6 – add 50g flour and 50g water, cover and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
By day 6, you should see some bubbles and there should be a slightly alcoholic aroma – your
starter is alive and well!
Now the starter can stay in an airtight container in the fridge, until you’re ready to bake.
Feed the starter at least once a fortnight (50g flour and 50g water) and before baking feed it with
75g flour and 75g water (or whatever volumes your recipe requires – ie for a recipe using 100g
starter, feed with 50g flour and 50g water) and leave at room temperature for 8 hours to wake it up.
Happy baking!
