Twelve years ago, my daughter tried to bake a loaf of real sourdough bread. After trying for a while she gave up and challenged me to try, "No one can bake real sourdough bread, mom, not even you. " That was the beginning of my sourdough journey.

Characteristics

Northwest sourdough has been distributed around the world through www.northwestsourdough.com. It is a vigorous starter that proofs in about six hours. It has a bit of a lemony tang to it . Northwest sourdough is kept at room temperature and fed once or twice a day depending upon usage and temperature.

Viscocity

Taste & flavour

Recipe

Starting ingredients

50g Flour
50g Water
80g All purpose flour
80g Water
40g Starter

Feeding ingredients

40g Starter
80g Water
80g Ap

For general maintenance, I pour out most of the starter, leaving about 30 - 50 grams and then feed at 100% hydration. I will feed anywhere from 60 - 100 grams each of all purpose flour and water. If I am preparing to bake, I feed the amount necessary for the bake and to have some left over for re-feeding.

40g Starter

After you pour out all but 40 grams of the old starter, add 80 grams water.

80g Water

Then add 80 grams of flour. Mix all ingredients together and let it ferment for at least 6 hours before using. This is just for maintaining your starter. If you need more starter for your formula, then save more of the starter and add more flour and water to feed it.

80g Ap

Working method

Combine 50 grams all purpose flour and 50 grams of water (you can substitute part juice for the acidity to jumpstart the process) in a covered container (you can cover it loosely to begin with). Let the container set at room temperature until you notice bubbling, which means fermentation has started.

50g Flour 50g Water

Once the starter is bubbling, pour out half of it and feed it again with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of starter every ten to twelve hours.

If you notice the starter is sluggish, add more flour and water at feeding time. Pour out most of the starter and then add 80 grams of water and 80 grams of flour.

80g All purpose flour 80g Water 40g Starter

To maintain the starter, continue to discard most of the starter use the above low amounts of food to feed with. For using to make a formula, add the requisite amount of water and flour to make your dough to the starter with a bit extra so you can have some starter left over after you use it.