A good, healthy sourdough starter is key to delicious sourdough bread. But what if you don’t have time to catch a wild starter? Here is a quick and easy sourdough starter that only takes 24 hours to make.
Struggles with Sourdough Starter
There are a number of reasons why it can be difficult to make a really healthy traditional sourdough starter. Sometimes starters take too long to become active and never become very vigorous. They can grow mold or turn pink (that has happened to me). Or they can look great, but taste bad.
Here are a few of the main reasons why sourdough starters can be tricky:
- Regional variations in wild yeast: There’s a reason why we think of San Francisco sourdough and not Dallas sourdough… some regions just have better tasting wild yeasts. Even if you buy a San Francisco sourdough starter online
, it will quickly get taken over by the local varieties of yeast. - Poor air quality: If you live in a heavily polluted city, or have problems with mold in your building, then you may have trouble maintaining a healthy sourdough starter.
- Filtered air: Using a hepa filter in your home will greatly reduce the wild yeasts and bacteria that can colonize your starter.
- Type of flour: Certain flours, like buckwheat, are great at catching sourdough starters. However, other flours like rye, barley and rice are difficult to maintain as sourdough starters. It isn’t impossible, as my husband regularly keeps a rye starter, however, his rye starter is never as vigorous as my buckwheat starter.
, it will quickly get taken over by the local varieties of yeast.
in your home will greatly reduce the wild yeasts and bacteria that can colonize your starter.
, are great at catching sourdough starters. However, other flours like rye, barley and rice are difficult to maintain as sourdough starters. It isn’t impossible, as my husband regularly keeps a rye starter, however, his rye starter is never as vigorous as my buckwheat starter.An Easy Sourdough Starter
If you are struggling to keep a healthy sourdough starter, or if you don’t want to wait for 5-7 days to develop a health starter here is an alternative way to kick-start your sourdough. Start your sourdough with a culture that already contains active bacteria and yeast.
There are a number of different SCOBYS (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) that exist in the fermenting world:
Quick and Easy Sourdough Starter
Get a jump on your sourdough bread with kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir or jun. Using a yeast-based culture will result in a vigorous starter in just 24 hours. Perfect for anyone struggling to make traditional sourdough bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1/3 cup 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Sourdough
- Cuisine: Simple
Ingredients
- 2 oz flour (or 1/2 cup depending on flour)
- 2 oz fermented beverage (1/4 cup -see section above for options)
Instructions
- Mix equal parts (by weight) of flour and a fermented yeast and bacteria based beverage in a glass container.
- Loosely cover with tea towel and leave in a warm spot. Above the fridge works well.
- Stir vigorously every 12 hours until ready to use. Leave it for at least 24 hours, and up to 72 hours (3 days).
Notes
- The best beverages to use are either milk kefir or an unflavoured kombucha. Don’t include the actual SCOBY or grains. The fermented liquid will have enough yeasts and bacteria to kick start the sourdough starter. However, avoid using off-the-shelf grocery store kefir and kombucha. They won’t have active strains of yeasts.
- Most sourdough bread recipes require a 100% hydration ratio for the starter. (Meaning equal portions of water and flour by weight.) This is easiest to do with a digital scale
(affiliate link) that has a zeroing function. If you have to measure the ingredients by volume then remember that wholegrain flour is heavier than white flour.
- Here’s sourdough bread techniques for wheat-based breads.
- This quick sourdough bread method will work for gluten free breads as well! Just use a gluten free bread flour mix and GF bread recipe.
Keywords: quick, easy, kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir, jun, starter, gluten free, 2 ingredient or less, 5 minutes or less
I have tried this and left it for 1 week, it hasn’t gone off but there are no bubbles, what would you recommend? Thanks
That is surprising because it should only take 1-2 days. After a week you should have at least caught a free range sourdough culture! Did you use homebrewed kefir or kombucha? Because store-bought often doesn’t contain much “live culture” or at least none of the yeast culture.
If it hasn’t gone off, does it at least smell good? If it smells good then bake with it using some instant yeast as back up.
Ah that may be it -it is store bought but says it contains live culture. I will try it anyway. Thanks!
If I have prepared the sourdough using water kefir successfully, pls may i know how to make a loaf of bread . Pls may i have a bread recipe. Thank you
Hi Pauline,
I have exactly the same autoimmune reaction to gluten. And have been gluten free for over 10 years. I have a ton of recipes for GF sourdough and breads, etc. Using buckwheat or teff will create a very healthy sourdough starter without added culture. They both have their own yeast that is right on the grain. Here’s a recipe: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/gluten-free-sourdough-starter/ And recipes for bread: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/category/types-of-ferments/gluten-free-sourdough/
Cheers, Emillie
Hi once bubbling after say 72 hours do I just maintain the starter as per your other starter instructions ie dump and feed?? Please let me know thank you Raelene
Yes, you can maintain it just like a regular sourdough starter. It will continue to be happy and bubbling as long as you keep feeding it.
Thank you for letting me know . I used fresh mulled buckwheat and the recipe weights but it is quiet a thick paste, what consistency should it be? Should I add a little more water kefir?
Buckwheat usually ferments quite well. So I’m sure it will work out, even without extra water kefir. Try to make it the consistency of a thickened sauce. I find that buckwheat absorbs a lot more water than other grains, so you will probably need to add extra. If it’s already bubbling, then just add water. Otherwise, you could add water kefir. Good luck!
❤️
Hi, still very new to the sourdough world. Just wondering- once I have it started with the milk kiefer and flour and it’s ready, and after I dump the scraps, do I feed it with MORE milk keifer and flour or just water and flour?
Just keep it fed like a typical sourdough starter, on water and flour. If it doesn’t do well, then you just need to keep at it. Sourdough is mostly fed by your local strains of yeast and bacteria. It can take a while (2-3 months) to establish a good local culture.
Good luck!