Starters

If you mix flour and water in a bowl and let it sit in a warm place, after a few days, a wild yeast is created from bacteria in the flour and air. This wild yeast eats the natural sugars in the flour and converts them into carbon dioxide (creating bubbles) and lactic acid (creating the sourness). Once this process of natural fermentation has begun, we have what is known as a starter. This is the first crucial step in making sourdough bread. Like every living thing a starter needs to be fed and nurtured. You have to make sure the room temperature is fairly constant and keep it away from certain additives, such as salt, sugar, acid or vinegar, which will harm it. The starter needs to be fed once a day with water and flour. Over time, the flavour of the starter becomes stronger and more complex.