Ingredients

The following ingredients have 16 Servings
  • spelt flour
  • water

Instruction

  • Day 1: Combine ½ cup of spelt flour with ¼ cup of lukewarm water in a bowl that you won’t need for a few days. Cover the container with a paper towel, parchment paper, or a clean dish towel and leave it at room temperature (70°F/21°C) for 24 hours. Don't use an airtight lid on the container. 
  • Day 2: The next day, measure out ¼ cup of starter and discard the rest. Mix the reserved starter with ½ cup spelt flour and ¼ cup lukewarm water. Cover the bowl again with a towel and let it rest at approximately 70°F (21°C) for another 24 hours. 
  • Days 3-5: The spelt starter should be bubbly and have that characteristic sourdough smell. Starting on day 3, feed the starter twice per day (12 hours apart), once in the morning and once at night. For each feeding, mix ¼ cup of the starter with ½ cup of spelt flour and ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Then you should cover the bowl loosely and let it rest at 70°F (21°C) until the next feeding. 
  • Day 6: The starter should be bubbly and smell like sourdough. If it is not as active as described, continue feeding it for another couple of days before continuing on. When the starter looks and smells like it is ready, you can use it in bread recipes! 
  • Sourdough Starter Storage: Keep sourdough flour spelt starter in the fridge in a loosely lidded mason jar between feedings. At least once per week, remove your starter from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.  Remove ¼ cup of starter and discard the rest. Mix this reserved starter in a bowl with ½ cup of flour and ¼ cup of water. Let it sit at room temperature for 6-8 hours until it gets nice and bubbly, and then pop it back in the fridge. Don't cover the canning jar or crock tightly. 
  • To Make Bread from Refrigerated Starter: Remove the starter from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Measure out ¼ cup of starter. Feed the starter it with ½ cup of flour and ¼ cup of water and then let it rest at room temperature (70°F/21°C). Continue feeding it every 12 hours until you are ready to use the starter in your recipe. You should have fed the starter at least 3 times before you use it. This gives your starter plenty of time to become bubbly and active, so your bread will rise well. If you need a large amount of starter in your recipe, don’t discard starter for the last few feedings. 
  • Hot tip! Get sourdough starter discard ideas, a link to a sourdough bread recipe, and additional tips for caring for your starter in the article above.