Paper Bag Sourdough Starter at 10 days. Look at those bubbles!
Dabrownman and Mini Oven, two of the most prolific posters on The Fresh Loaf, have written most creatively about this starter which is so simple and foolproof someone recommended putting a button on the home page so new bakers could find it immediately. I had to try it myself and it worked just as advertised. The starter will be better through repeated feedings but it’s already capable of serving as the leavening agent in my bakes.
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour (unbleached)
Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour (unbleached)
A brown paper bag (these are scarce nowadays; I saved one from the liquor store)
Getting started with Paper Bag Sourdough Starter
Method: transfer maybe ¼ cup whole wheat flour to a small bowl and add water sparingly till you can knead it into a golf ball-size lump that holds together. Place in a brown paper bag and add a little bread or all purpose flour to coat the sides so it doesn’t stick to the bag. Close up the bag and leave in a warm place (in my kitchen, a cabinet above the stove) for five days or more.
Five days later, the Paper Bg Sourdough Starter comes out of the bag.
Take the ball of dough out of the bag and crack it open. The insides will be gooey. Scoop them out, leaving the hard exterior behind, and mix in a glass jar or container with 50 g bread flour or all purpose flour and 30 g water. Return to the cabinet for 2-3 more days, then feed again with 50 g bread flour or all purpose flour and 30 g water. Return to the cabinet and leave a couple of days or until it shows pronounced bubbles (indicating yeast activity). You can use it now, or keep feeding (you should now start throwing out some of the old starter, so the maximum volume stays at around 150-200 g) to increase the sourness.
