Easy Sourdough Starter with Yeast
Love sourdough bread but don't want to wait 1 -2 weeks for your starter. Try this Easy Sourdough Starter with yeast to get an almost sourdough bread in a lot less time!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour or bread flour (97.5 grams)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (32.5 grams)
- ½ cup +3 tablespoons water (lukewarm) (166 grams)
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the lukewarm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes then stir.
- Add the flour to the yeast and combine well, make sure there is no flour at the bottom of the bowl.
- Move the starter to a clean bowl, cover with a towel, plastic wrap or place the lid on the jar without sealing it and let sit for 24 hours in a warm draft free area. Do not stir.
- After the 24 hours it should have risen and become very bubbly with a slight sour smell. And it is now ready to use for baking.
Notes
As one reader wrote -“A recent study performed by the Wolfe lab in the Department of Biology at Tufts University, which uses fermented foods to study microbiomes, showed that the dominant yeast species in most sourdough cultures is Saccharomyces cerevisiae—the very same species used in store-bought yeast.”I’ve done both the natural and the “cheater” starter methods over the years and can assure any doubters that using yeast will result in a delicious sour taste, time after time. Though you get bubbly results quicker by using yeast, the intense sour flavor will still require time and feeding, the same as the natural wild yeast starter method.
So use the cheater method and get started baking! Over the course of a month your baked goods will taste better and better!
Just like regular sourdough starter it can either be kept in the fridge and fed weekly, I have actually let it go a few weeks without feeding and it's fine. Or leave it on the counter and feed and use daily.
The starter should have a fruity, yeasty, vinegary or even overripe fruit smell but if it starts to smell like something is rotting then it is time to throw it out and start new.
When you decide to bake with it, just remove it from the fridge let it sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, then remove ½ cup of starter and feed with ½ cup of lukewarm water and 1 cup of flour, mix together until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid (just place it on top do not close).
If there is a liquid on top (called Hooch) of the starter when you remove it from the fridge just stir it in and continue with the feeding, this is normal since it has been sitting in the fridge.
Let sit in a warm draft free area for approximately 3-4 hours or until doubled. Whatever you don't use for the recipe place in a clean jar and refrigerate until you are ready to use it again. If the starter hasn't doubled then just repeat the feeding until it does double in size.
Nutrition
Calories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 16gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 267mgFiber: 7gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!