The secret behind great sourdough? Using a starter, aka mother, to ferment the dough rather than ready-made yeast from a packet. Making a sourdough starter isn’t inherently difficult (all you need is flour, water and time) but prepping your own will take some commitment. The mixture needs a few days to develop yeast and bacteria, become sour and produce those signature frothy bubbles.
If you’re not familiar with the process or don’t think you’ve got the skills to proof and feed a starter, don’t worry. Bryan Ford (@artisanbryan), author of “New World Sourdough,” has an endless supply of knowledge and tips for novices and pros alike. He’s shared this delicious recipe for creating the ultimate sourdough pizza dough, from starter to finish.
A little effort here goes a long way, leading to a greater depth of flavour, aroma and strength for your dough. Use this method to make anything from baguettes and bagels to pretzels and, but of course,–pizza.
Bryan’s first slice of advice? Keep your starter in a jar on your kitchen countertop, covered with a lid or a cloth with an elastic band wrapped around the opening. If you plan to use your starter regularly, it’s best to feed it with water and flour every 1 to 2 days to keep it alive.
For feeding, add equal parts flour (the same flour your starter used; in this recipe’s case, a combination of “00” and whole grain) and water to the starter and mix until fully blended. The starter will grow every time you do this, so remove a little bit of the starter each time before adding the fresh flour and water.
If you need to leave your starter at home for a while, or can’t feed it for a period of time, seal it and place it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (the cold temperature will cause the starter to go dormant, so it doesn’t need to be fed). When you’re ready to use it again, simply remove it from the fridge and continue feeding it every 1 to 2 days.
