Simple Bread Starter
Ingredients
1 cup Filtered Water
1 tbsp Yeast – Active Dry
¾ cup Sugar
3 tsp Potato Flakes
Procedure
1. In a small cup, combine the yeast, sugar and potato flakes – mix well
2. Heat the water in a microwave until it is slightly warm – anything above 95ºF is too hot
3. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the warm water – whisk slowly, until homogeneous
4. Pour mixture into a container with a loose-fitting lid – to allow gas exchange (If you use a latch-top jar, don’t latch the top closed)
5. Leave container out on counter for 2-3 days before refrigerating or using for bread
6. Place unused portion in refrigerator
Maintaining the Starter
1. Feed by adding 1 cup of filtered water and a portion of the dry ingredients (excluding yeast) for each cup of starter which is already present in the container
2. Once the desired amount of starter is reached or the container gets full, feed by discarding a portion of old starter and replace with fresh ingredients
3. When baking bread, remove the desired amount of starter from the refrigerated container, feed it, and leave it on the counter for 2-3 days before you begin