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Rye sourdough starter recipe
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3.55 from 11 votes

Rye Sourdough Starter

Keyword bread, sourdough
Prep Time 5 days
Cook Time 20 minutes
Author Pam

Instructions

Day 1

  • 25g wholemeal rye flour & 50g tepid water (35°C/95°F)
  • Using a medium sized plastic bowl with a lid, mix the flour and water, put the lid on and keep at a warm temperature for 24 hours.
  • There is no need to add anything else to your starter mixture as the wholemeal flour contains all the yeasts and lactobacilli needed for the fermentation process.
  • The optimal temperature for fermenting rye sourdough is around the 30°C mark. Don't worry if this is not the temperature in your room (it isn't in my flat in Edinburgh!). The process will just take slightly longer.

Day 2

  • 25g wholemeal rye flour & 50g tepid water (35°C/95°F)
  • Add the above ingredients into the bowl which contains the 75g starter mixture from Day 1, cover and keep at a warm temperature for 24 hours.

Day 3

  • 25g wholemeal rye flour & 50g tepid water (35°C/95°F)
  • Add the above ingredients into the bowl which now contains 150g starter mixture from Day 1 and 2, cover and keep at a warm temperature for 24 hours. At this point, you may already start to see signs of the starter fermenting (small bubbles).

Day 4

  • 25g wholemeal rye flour & 50g tepid water (35°C/95°F)
  • Add the above ingredients into the bowl which now contains 225g starter mixture from Day 1, 2 and 3, cover and keep at a warm temperature for 24 hours.

Day 5

  • You should now have an active starter that has bubbled up overnight, slightly subsided again and smells fruity. You are the proud owner of a viable rye sourdough starter - the sourdough baking can begin!