Leo’s Sourdough Starter recipe

Presented by My House NOLA

First batch of fough ‘rests’ at Leo’s Breads.

What is a starter?

A bread starter is just what it sounds like: a mixture of water and flour that has been colonized by yeast and other friendly bacteria to provide a starting point for new batches of bread.

(Takes about 10 days before it is ready to use)

First, mix one cup warm water and one cup flour in a bowl.

Let this mixture sit covered on a warm (75-80 degrees) countertop for 24 hours.

After one day discard half the mixture and replace with half cup flour and half cup water.

Repeat this every day for about 10 days. (You will notice bubbles appearing and a slight sour smell . Both are good signs as they mean that naturally occurring wild yeast and bacteria have found their way into your starter.)

After you begin to notice a liveliness in your starter you can start to use to make sourdough bread.

While you will likely store your starter in the fridge in between making batches of bread you should continue to feed regularly, at least once a week while refrigerated.

For best results, take your starter out of the fridge a few days before you wish to bake and feed 2-3 times a day at room temperature to increase yeast activity.

Now you can use your starter in any sourdough recipe. Have fun!

Read an interview with Kate Heller of Leo’s Breads here.