Paul's Sourdough Starter Guide Part 1 | Paul Hollywood's Easy Bakes

Here's my easy to follow Sour Dough Starter Guide:

100g strong white bread flour
100ml tepid water
To feed the starter (each time)
60g strong white bread flour
60ml tepid water

Dough
150g sourdough starter
10g fine sea salt
450g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
310ml tepid water
A little oil, for oiling

To prepare the starter
Day 1 Using a fork, mix the flour and water together in a bowl to form a thick paste. Transfer to a large jar, seal and leave to ferment at warm room temperature (ideally 20–24°C) over the next 2 days. The mixture should start to froth up.

Day 3 Open the jar: there should be a distinctive sour (not unpleasant) aroma. Discard half of the mixture then add 60g flour and 60ml tepid water and stir together until no flour can be seen. Seal the jar again and leave to ferment again for 24 hours.

Day 4 Your starter should be risen and forming bubbles now – within the 24 hours. Throw away half of the mixture away and feed with another 60g flour and 60ml water. Stir together as before, re-seal and leave to rise again overnight.

Day 5 You should have an active starter now, with bubbles on the top and throughout. This indicates that it is ready to use.
If there are few bubbles and/or the starter appears to have risen and fallen (marks on the side of the jar suggest this), your starter is inactive and you will need to feed it again, as on day 4, to stimulate fermentation.

Storing and using your starter Once your starter is active, you will need to feed it (as above) after each use. If you bake regularly, keep it at room temperature. If you bake infrequently, keep the jar in the fridge to slow down the starter’s activity. A brown liquid may form on the top while it is in the fridge; discard this and feed with more flour and water (as above).

To prepare the dough, Place the ingredients in a mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on a slow speed for 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for a further 5 minutes. The dough should be stretchy and soft to touch. Place the dough in a lightly oiled 1 litre plastic container and leave to rise at room temperature overnight (8–9 hours) until doubled in size.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold a corner into the middle, then rotate the dough 90° and repeat. Continue folding and rotating the dough for 5–10 minutes to put some tension into the dough. You should have a ball of smooth dough with a taut top.
Dust a small, round banneton, about xxx capacity, with flour. Invert the dough into the floured banneton, cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 4 hours or until at least doubled in size.

Carefully tip the dough into a heavy-based shallow ovenproof pan, retaining its domed shape. Cover and leave to rise for a further 4 hours.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Place the uncovered pan in the oven and bake the sourdough for 45 minutes, until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

#PaulHollywood #EasyBakes #SourDough

[francocarrieri]

That reminds me, another way to use the starter dough you take away when feeding is to make crumpets . You have NOT had a crumpet until you've used sour dough starter. In fact, use overproved starter dough. It is not possible to overprove starter dough for crumpets (not possible). I cook my crumpets gently, as you did your blueberry milk pancakes, except I use metal biscuit cutters and slacken off the dough to make a batter, so it bubbles to create those authentic holes you see in super market crumpets. Do not eat the same day they are cooked. Leave until the next day or even the day after that. The lactic and ascetic acid matures to give a flavour few humans get to experience. Toast them until they start to burn (seriously) and then slab enough butter on them so it runs through the crumpet and all over your fingers. This too will improve your life.

[sailorgirl]

2 years ago I was gifted a sourdough starter from a fellow sailor, it was his mother Marion's starter, and was over 30 years old. I still have it. It has been forgotten a couple of times in the back of the fridge but always comes back to life when I feed it. They are so much hardier than people realize.
I don't throw out the "hooch" (the liquid that forms when I leave it too long) I just mix it in, add flour and water, and in 2 days "Marion" is ready to make another bread. It's a treasured gift.

[deekbzu]

I was trying to search for how to make Sourdough bread, but I could remember your name and here I am: Your instructions are so clear. Right - i'm making Bread today...

[daliamshko]

You grew my passion for baking to the point I call myself a baker

[ogdanem]

At last, someone explains in the clearest way how to do the starter properly without yeast! Thank you.

[tanakeilidh]

Thank the Gods for Paul Hollywood!

I've watched so many sourdough starter tutorials, and this was the first one that made plain sense in plain English. I should have started with you, Paul.
Subscribed, duh.
Thank you so much!

[jasonb]

You are an excellent teacher. Your recipes, explanations and methodologies are absolutely bulletproof. You have an extraordinary ability to connect with a novice and lift them up, i have never had a failure following your instruction. Thank you

[paulasimson]

By far the best explanation of sourdough starter.

[catrionaabram]

I always come back to this video every time I wanna make a starter or use one as a gift for a friend ! Thankyou ❤

[lvwlprl]

As a newbie to sourdough baking this clip is very helpful.

[djchdcr]

This is the best explanation I’ve ever heard. Thanks

[evoletmc]

So happy to have found this. My starter is on day 6 and I couldn’t decipher what to do with it from my book and thought… Paul will know.
Here we are. And now I know and will get it prepped for a Saturday bake. Thank you for this!

[aracelisruiz]

A master class for this first part of this new tutorial, better impossible to explain and with your usual patience, only a great Baking Master Chef can do it! Thank you Paul, sharing your recipes that make us see easy! Congrats 👍👏🎉✨👌

[shaunacohen]

I started making sourdough last summer using the Paul Hollywood's Bread book. I just started planning on starting my sourdough starter for this year. Great timing!

[culinarybible]

I just made the starter I thank you for the clarity.

[Alucardster]

As someone that bakes with it, I feed mine weekly. Had some hit and misses (mostly cause I didn't understand the recipe clearly), but its real fragrant. Wont mind sharing my go to recipe for a no knead sourdough that is so easy with 4 ingredients, one being the starter. Each time I make it, I can't get over the beauty of the structure it makes with the air pockets. Soooo tasty and when I have some left and dried out, good breadcrumbs for dinner recipes

[brigittakiss]

I love it! We have one since december. I bake every week a beautiful and delicious bread.
It's called 'kovász' in hungarian language.

[alejandrinahs]

The artistry within the love of a chef for baking/cooking is the main ingredient to an unforgettably delicious meal. Paul’s passion truly exudes in his work! 😊

[vamm]

Baking sourdough is so relaxing and rewarding!!!! I love it!! I hope more people try this. Yeah, like Paul said, Get You won't regret it people!

[kathyforgues]

I have been playing with my starter and loving the results! And the discard makes some really yummy pancakes!