Rye sourdough starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.
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A couple of years ago, I had the chance to go on an absolutely fabulous party-bus progressive dinner that took us to four of Portland’s most esteemed restaurants. Our main course came courtesy of The Bent Brick in northwest PDX. Among the dishes served was the best spaetzle I’ve ever eaten – made with rye sourdough and dressed with caramelized cipollini [fancy-pants onions], sautéed mushrooms, and Tabasco shallots.
If there is German pasta in heaven, it tastes like The Bent Brick’s rye soudough spaetzle.
You can find the complete recipe for this amazing spaetzle here, which I share with gratitude to everyone at Bent Brick for their generosity. But before you can make the spaetzle (or rye sourdough bread, or rye sourdough pancakes, etc.), you need to put together a rye sourdough starter.
How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter
Rye Sourdough Starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.
- The Flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill Organic Dark Rye Flour.
- The Water: Best Practices: Use distilled water.
Water notes: When I made this starter the first time, I used plain old tap water, and everything bubbled up just fine. Nevertheless, many sourdough professionals discourage the use of tap water in favor of distilled water, as the chlorine and other chemicals found in treated water can kill the microorganisms that need to flourish to create sourdough. (To clarify: I am not a sourdough professional.)
I now use distilled water for all my sourdough, but I wanted to share my expereince with tap water because unless your city uses an excessive amount of chlorine in your water supply, I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker.
What does 100% hydration mean?
This Rye Sourdough Starter is a what is referred to in the sourdough world as a “100% hydration starter.” A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a sourdough culture which is kept and fed with equal weights of water and flour. (For example, 2.25 ounces water to 2.25 ounces of flour.)
By contrast, a 166% hydration starter is fed with equal volumes of flour and water. For example, 1/2 cup of water (4 ounces) to 1/2 cup flour (2.25 ounces).
Keep your Starter Cozy, Not Sweltering
According to those aforementioned sourdough pros, 70°-80° F [21° – 27° C] is the ideal temperature range at which to keep your sourdough starter.
If I am actively using my starter on a regular basis, I keep it on my kitchen counter near my stove. (I’ve also had good luck in the past keeping it on top of the fridge.) If I am taking a break from sourdough baking, I let my starter chill in the fridge.
If kept below 70°F [21°C], the natural yeast in the starter incubates very slowly; above 80°F [27°C], the starter will tend to ferment alcoholically, which is not desirable. Do not leave the starter in direct sun.
Troubleshooting: If you ever forget your starter in the back of the fridge and it looks scary when you take it out, be sure to check out The Lazy Caretaker’s Guide to Sourdough.
Rye Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
Day 1:
- 2 1/4 ounces rye flour
- 2 1/4 ounces water
Day 2:
- 2 1/4 ounces rye flour
- 2 1/4 ounces water
Day 3:
- 1 1/8 ounces water
- 1 1/8 ounces rye flour
Day 4:
- 1 1/8 ounces water
- 1 1/8 ounces rye flour
Weekly feeding (or every time starter gets used):
- 3 ounces water
- 3 ounces rye flour
Instructions
Day 1:
- Using a wooden spoon, mix the rye flour and water in a mason jar or non-reactive bowl.
- Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours. (I put mine up against the counter right next to my stove.)
Day 2:
- Add the rye flour and water to the starter. Mix with a clean wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the flour has been incorporated.
- Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours.
Day 3:
- Add the rye flour and water to the starter. Mix with a clean wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the flour has been incorporated.
- Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours.
Day 4:
- If bubbles have started to form and the flour has begun to ferment discard ⅔ of the mixture. Add the flour and water to the remaining ⅓ and mix for 30 seconds until the flour is well incorporated. If the mixture has not started to ferment repeat step 3.
Day 5:
- The starter should be mature by this point and is ready to use. Use the starter you need. After use, see feeding instructions.
Weekly feeding (or every time starter gets used):
- After each use of the starter: Feed remaining starter with 3 ounces each flour and water. If no starter is used for a week: Discard 5-6 ounces of starter before feeding with 3 ounces each flour and water. Let the starter rest in a dark 70°F place for 12 hours and then place in the refrigerator if you will not be using it in the next 24 hours.
If you don’t already own a kitchen scale, now might be the time to get one – and this is coming from someone who usually measures everything by pinch and palm!
I honestly don’t know how I ever lived without a good kitchen scale. Weighing the water and flour for your sourdough starter keeps the hydration consistent, which in turn gives you more consistent results in your cooking and baking. (I don’t even use measuring cups anymore when I make bread.)
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With the cooler temperature this week I can’t believe you’re holding out on some comforting Spaetzle recipe!! Can’t wait to read it!
I’m not much of a baker, but the science behind everything we eat is so interesting! Looking forward to see the recipe come to life!
Confession: I’ve never thought about or attempted a sourdough starter, but I am bookmarking this! I love how you lay out each step in easy to follow directions. I’m looking forward to that spaetzle recipe!
Oh! Have you made rye sourdough pancakes using this? I’m intrigued to know how that tastes!
Man, sourdough scares me. But, then, bread scared me and that’s turned out to be dead easy.
Yes! I’ve been not-so-patiently awaiting baking weather, and sourdough will be a perfect project. You might see vegetarian spaetzle from my kitchen soon…
I agree with Cyra, this totally scares me but I love sourdough…ugh might have to face my fear…
http://www.dawnehanks.com
Wow, this post is chock-full of details on making a sourdough starter. I had no idea metal could ruin a starter!
Does anyone have baking instructions for this bread?
Amanda, you can use it like any other sourdough starter. I have an easy sourdough bread recipe on the blog here → Kaylen’s Bread; however, I posted this recipe as a lead-in to my Rye Sourdough Spaetzle with Caramelized Cipollini & Sautéed Mushrooms, which is delicious.
First of all, your amazing and I appreciate the step by step! I’ve made starter twice now just to get the hang of it. I made my first load of 100% rye sourdough last week and it was awesome. But I had to use ALL of my starter because after discarding 2/3 of it, I only had 1 cup left which is what the recipe called for. Why is it important to discard 2/3 of my starter? Can I just use 2/3 instead of throwing it away? I’ve had lots of success with my starter and am very excited to experiment some more with it. Thanks for sharing your method!!
So glad it is working for you! Honestly, as far as I know, discarding it is just a way of making sure you don’t end up having it take over your fridge or countertop, so of course you can use it as apposed to throwing it out. If you keep it and don’t use it, however, you do have to keep the ratio of new to old correct, so you will have to add more flour and water.
I have a similar question; basically, my confusion with maintaining the starter starts with the discard, does the 2/3 have to be taken out at all? Is the purpose exclusively to keep the amount of the starter manageable? I plan to make quite a few loaves at once so I’d like to build the amount of starter I have from the beginning of the process if that makes sense.
Thank you for the tips!
Short answer:Yes, you need to discard before feeding your starter. However, you can build up your starter slowly to what amounts to double or even triple the amount, and then make loaves regularly to your heart’s content
Long answer : This post, Why Discard Starter: A Mathematical View, explains why it is important to discard a portion of your starter before feeding it far better than I can. Hope this helps.
I have a mason jar with a metal lid. Is it ok to use as long as it doesn’t touch the starter? And if I just screw it on loosely will it allow enough circulation, or should I use cheesecloth and twine instead?
I use a very old mason jar with a loose lid, and it works fine. Just be sure not to “seal” the jar with the lid.
Thank you! Looking forward to trying this!
Thanks for this recipe, I’m so exciting to try it! Do you have a favorite Rye Sourdough Bread recipe that you use it with? Thanks!
Thank you for reading! I’m still searching to the “ultimate” sourdough rye bread. I’ll be sure to post it when I figure it out though.
My starter seems to be separating- there is a dark liquid at the top. Is this normal or should I discard?
Don’t discard it yet. Usually, the liquid in a dormant or neglected starter will start to turn gray. (Warning: If it has mold on top or smells putrid, throw it away.) Search “Reviving a dormant or neglected starter” and you will find some good advice. Good luck!
When you “discard” the 2/3 – can they be used for anything?
Hi:) so I finally made the starter, but it looks too dry, and looks like there’s not enough water for it too ferment. What did yours look look like on day 1?
If by dry, you mean thick, then yes – on the first day, the starter mix does appear much thicker than it does once the natural yeast has a chance to start working. If I remember right, on the first day, the consistency is a lot like old-fashioned school paste. That being said, if after a day it still seems too thick, just add a little bit of extra water to get things moving.
Ok thank you! It was bubbly today but still a bit thick so did add some more and will see how it is tomorrow.
It does smell really sttrong aswell which I’m guessing is normal especially since I’m milling my own flour?
OK… you’re milling your own flour: that may affect the water absorption, which would impact the density of the mix. Just a theory.
And yes, your starter should have a distinct, sourdoughy scent; however, it should not be off-putting. From what I’ve read, hand-milled flours can introduce undesirable wild yeasts that can ruin your sourdough (as opposed to the “desirable” wild yeast you are looking for). This isn’t to say you shouldn’t use it: just that doing so may take a bit more investigation into the process. Perhaps you could Search for more advice on “home-milled flour sourdough starter” and see what helps. I wish I had more advice to offer; unfortunately, while I’ve milled my own flour on occasion, I have no experience with it in regard to sourdough maintenance. Best of luck, Serena
I am confused for weekly feeding amounts.
It says follow day 4 which is 1 1/8 each water and flour but it also says 3oz each.
Made Soft pretzels for thanksgiving they were delicious with everything bagel seasoning.
Thanks for the question, Colleen. I’ve updated the recipe card: hopefully it is more clear now. Basically, on Day 4, you are still building your starter, so feed it with 1 1/8 ounces water and flour. The 3oz refers to the regular weekly feeding, after your starter has been established.