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Small glass jar with fully risen potato sourdough starter

Sourdough Starter with Potato

How to make your own sourdough starter with potato from scratch. Also includes instructions for feeding, storing and maintaining your starter.
Author: Pavani
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rising Time:: 5 days
Total Time: 5 days 15 minutes
Course: bread
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1

Ingredients

For Potato Starter:

  • 480 grams (4 cups) Bread flour, divided
  • 70 grams (½ cup) Grated Organic Potato
  • 960 grams (4 cups) Water, divided

For Feeding:

  • 113 grams (½ cup or 4 ounces) Sourdough Starter, from above
  • 113 grams (½ cup or 4 ounces) All purpose flour*
  • 113 grams (½ cup or 4 ounces) Lukewarm Water

Instructions

Day 1:

  • In a medium size non-reactive bowl*, combine the 1 cup bread flour, ½ cup grated potato and 1 cup filtered water. Mix well, cover and set aside at room temperature (65°F ~ 75°F) for 24 hours.

Day 2:

  • After 24 hours, there may or may not be any bubbles in the mixture. Either way, discard (or give it to a friend to cultivate) all but ½ cup of the starter (4 ounces) and add 1 cup bread flour & 1 cup filtered water. Stir, cover and let rise at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 3, 4 & 5:

  • After 24 hours, you will see small bubbles forming with some fruity aroma and some evidence of expansion. Discard all but ½ cup (4 ounces) of the starter and stir in 1 cup of bread flour and 1 cup filtered water. Mix, cover and set aside for 12 hours. Again discard all but ½ cup (4 ounces) of the starter and stir in 1 cup of bread flour and 1 cup filtered water. Mix, cover and set aside for 12 hours.
    The sourdough starter is complete at this point. But if you want a pronounced sour flavor, then continue to feed the starter for another 2 times every 12 hours.
    After 4~5 days of consistent feeding, your levain should be ready to use in a sourdough bread. If not don't lose heart; keep feeding it regularly, and it will gain strength. Patience is a virtue here!!.
  • You will have about 1½ cups of sourdough starter at this point. Store it in a non-reactive jar either at room temperature (a serious sourdough baker) or in the fridge (occasional baker).

Feeding your Starter:

  • To feed your starter, remove it from the fridge and set aside for a few minutes to take the chill off. Stir it to make sure that the hooch is incorporated. Weigh 113 grams of the starter into a small ceramic or glass jar. Discard the remaining starter*. Add 113 grams each of all purpose flour and water. Stir well to combine. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and place in a warm place.
    Place a rubber band on the jar to mark the top of the starter. Depending on how warm your house is, it will take about 4~6 hours for it to double in volume. Once it is bubbly and active, it is ready to be used. Or you can return it to the fridge.

Notes

  • Always use non-reactive bowls like glass, ceramic, stainless steel or food-grade plastic to make and store the sourdough starter.
  • Even though my potato sourdough starter is made with bread flour, over the years I have changed it into a part whole grain starter. Here's how I did it:
    • While feeding, I add 56.5 grams or ¼ cup each of all purpose and whole wheat flours along with 113 grams or ½ cup of water. Mix well and set aside for 4~6 hours.
  • Sourdough discard: I usually plan to use up the discard right away by adding it to pancake or waffle batter or even to roti dough. But sometimes, I save all discard from 2~3 feedings in an airtight container in the fridge and then when I have time, I use it to make quick bread or popovers.
  • Relocating with Sourdough: As I mentioned before, I relocated twice with my starter.
    • The first time, we drove 500 miles to our new home, so I just took the jar in a cooler. Put it in the hotel fridge overnight and then safely put it in my new fridge at destination.
    • Second time was cross country, so I dried my sourdough starter. Few days before our move, I took about 1 cup of the starter and spread it into a thin layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Let it air dry for 1~2 days. Then I broke it up into chips and stored it in a airtight glass container.
    • Once we got to the new place and when I had time, I rehydrated the starter. Took 1 ounce of the dried chips and ¼ cup of lukewarm warm in a small bowl or a measuring cup. Stir occasionally to dissolve the chips. After about 3 hours, add 1 ounce of flour, mix well and set it in a warm place.
    • After about 24 hours, there will be some bubbles starting to form. If your house is cooler, wait a little longer to see the bubbles. Now, without discarding any starter, add 1 ounce of lukewarm water and 1 ounce flour. Put it back in the warm place.
    • Feed it again after 24 hours without discarding. Add 1 ounce lukewarm water and 1 ounce flour.
    • After about 12 hours, you will have your starter back to its previous self. Now discard all but 4 ounces of starter. Add 4 ounces of flour and water. Set aside for 4~6 hours. AND you are good to go.

Nutrition

Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 5mg
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