Establishing a Starter

The initial stage of establishing a sourdough calls for mixing flour and water. The dough is then left to rest. As it rests, it attracts the ambient yeasts in the air. Grapes, potatoes, onions, and apples contain a high percentage of the natural yeasts desirable for creating a starter. Adding them to the flour and water mixture will speed the process of creating a starter. When the yeasts start to feed, grow, and reproduce in the mixture, they ferment the dough, making it bubbly and airy and giving it a tangy or sour aroma. The dough will expand to double its original volume, start to fall when the yeast activity peaks, and then begin to decline as the yeast consumes the food source.