Here's how to get your starter started.
Stage 1
50 g spelt flour
150 g white bread flour
40 g honey
100 g water (at about 100 degrees; Bertinet calls this "blood temperature")
Mix ingredients into a compact dough; cover and let rest in a warm place for at least 36 hours.
Stage 2
Refreshing the starter
170 g starter
15 g spelt flour
140 g white bread flour
75 g water ("blood temperature")
Mix into a tight dough and let rest for 24 hours at warm room temperature (about 24C/75F).
Stage 3
Discard half of Stage 2 dough and refresh remaining 200 g with:
400 g white bread flour
200 g water ("blood temperature")
Mix to a thick dough.
Let rest for 4 hours in a warm place, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.
The starter is ready when it smells slightly fermented and is a little stringy.
Each time you use the starter, feed it by adding 2 parts bread flour to 1 part water.
If you go a week without baking, discard some of starter and feed it to keep it alive.
Stage 4
To make 1 large loaves:
307 g white bread flour
42 g spelt flour
209 g starter
312 g water ("blood temperature")
10 g salt
Using your hands or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, work starter into flours.
Add water and mix.
Add salt and keep working dough until glutens activate.
You can tell when this happens, because the dough will come together into a ball.
Transfer dough to a dry, lightly floured surface and fold into center to form a ball.
Place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 hour.
Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold into center to form another ball,
shape into ball and place in a well-floured basket or lightly oiled bowl.
Cover with kitchen towels and let rest at room temperature overnight to rise.
Stage 5
Baking the bread
Tip dough ball out onto a dry surface and turn over.
Score top.
Bake at 230C/450F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200C/400F and bake until loaves sound hollow when tapped with your fingertips, about 1 hour (???!).
Recipe adapted from:
- Starting a Starter for Winter Sourdough Bread | Bon Appétit
Stage 1
50 g spelt flour
150 g white bread flour
40 g honey
100 g water (at about 100 degrees; Bertinet calls this "blood temperature")
Mix ingredients into a compact dough; cover and let rest in a warm place for at least 36 hours.
Stage 2
Refreshing the starter
170 g starter
15 g spelt flour
140 g white bread flour
75 g water ("blood temperature")
Mix into a tight dough and let rest for 24 hours at warm room temperature (about 24C/75F).
Stage 3
Discard half of Stage 2 dough and refresh remaining 200 g with:
400 g white bread flour
200 g water ("blood temperature")
Mix to a thick dough.
Let rest for 4 hours in a warm place, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.
The starter is ready when it smells slightly fermented and is a little stringy.
Each time you use the starter, feed it by adding 2 parts bread flour to 1 part water.
If you go a week without baking, discard some of starter and feed it to keep it alive.
Stage 4
To make 1 large loaves:
307 g white bread flour
42 g spelt flour
209 g starter
312 g water ("blood temperature")
10 g salt
Using your hands or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, work starter into flours.
Add water and mix.
Add salt and keep working dough until glutens activate.
You can tell when this happens, because the dough will come together into a ball.
Transfer dough to a dry, lightly floured surface and fold into center to form a ball.
Place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 hour.
Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold into center to form another ball,
shape into ball and place in a well-floured basket or lightly oiled bowl.
Cover with kitchen towels and let rest at room temperature overnight to rise.
Stage 5
Baking the bread
Tip dough ball out onto a dry surface and turn over.
Score top.
Bake at 230C/450F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200C/400F and bake until loaves sound hollow when tapped with your fingertips, about 1 hour (???!).
Recipe adapted from:
- Starting a Starter for Winter Sourdough Bread | Bon Appétit
