This is our friend Martina Goernemann’s recipe for sourdough starter, from her book entitled “Sauerteig - Glück vermehrt sich in 4 Tagen” (= Sourdough – Four Days to Happiness). It takes at least 4 days before it can be used.

Day 1: Mix 100 g of water with 100 g of plain flour; transfer the mixture into a glass jar (containing approx. 500-600 ml, for example the ones used for La Vialla’s Pomodori Pelati) and cover it with a piece of cotton cloth fastened with an elastic band; leave to rest for 24 hours at a temperature between 20 and 35 °C (the more stable the temperature, the better it is).

Day 2: Add another 100 g of water and 120 g of plain flour to the mixture; leave to rest for another 24 hours.

Day 3: Weigh out 200 g of the mixture, add another 100 g of water and 120 g of plain flour to it and leave to rest for 24 hours. You can do the same thing with the remaining quantity of the starter (about 220 g) in another jar, or you can mix it with roughly 2 litres of water and use for watering your plants (it’s full of probiotic microorganisms and an excellent fertilizer).

Day 4: Repeat the same operation and, using an elastic band, mark the height of the mixture in the jar before you leave it to rest. When it has doubled – in around 8 hours – it will be ready to use for breadmaking. If you don’t use it straight away, put it in the fridge with the lid of the jar closed tightly until you use it.

A day before breadmaking: From the 4th day, the sourdough starter is ready for making bread. If it’s been in the fridge, it must be taken out and left to “acclimatise” for about 30 minutes. In any case, before being used it always needs to be “refreshed”. Weigh the starter and add ½ its weight of plain flour and ¼ of cold water (for example: 200 g of sourdough starter + 100 g of flour and 50 g of water). Mix with a fork or a wooden spoon and leave it closed in a jar to rise for 3-4 hours, at room temperature (20-25 °C is ideal), until it doubles in volume. Now the sourdough starter is ready for breadmaking. If you don’t use it all, to keep it “alive”, refresh it again, put it in the jar and keep it in the fridge until you want to use it next time.