Sourdough starter without whole grain flour

Is it possible to make sourdough starter without whole grain flour? I have glanced over the two recipes: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe and https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2019/03/beginner-sourdough-starter-recipe/, and both call for whole grain. Is regular all purpose good enough?

Note: This will also be my first time ever making sourdough starter, so if it is much easier to succeed with whole grain, please let me know!

sourdough sourdough-starter

Best Answer

Yes, a sourdough starter can be made from AP flour. Rye and other whole grain flours are recommended because they can generally be built up more quickly, given the higher level of nutrients available to yeasts and bacteria, but I've been able to make the process work with AP flour. It is fairly likely that you will need at least some whole grain flour if you get into bread making. So, it's not a bad idea to have a small amount of whole grain flour on hand. In either case, give it a go. There is not much to lose!

Pictures about "Sourdough starter without whole grain flour"

Sourdough starter without whole grain flour - Fresh bread loafs on table in bakery

Sourdough starter without whole grain flour - Fresh bread in basket placed on wooden surface

Sourdough starter without whole grain flour - Close-up of Wheat

Do you need whole grain flour for sourdough starter?

Whole wheat flour is used to jumpstart the fermentation process. If you do not have whole wheat flour, just use all purpose flour instead. The starter will be fine.

Do you need whole wheat flour for starter?

Note that whole grain flour (whole wheat or rye) is used at the beginning of the process. This is because whole grains contain more nutrients and sourdough-friendly microorganisms than all-purpose flour.

Can you feed sourdough starter with any flour?

Yes, you can feed your sourdough starter different flours. The sourdough starter's organisms are looking for a food source, and that is starch. Starch is in all the grains, so any will do.

Can you use normal flour for sourdough?

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Geraud pfeiffer, Gil Goldman, Piotr Arnoldes, Pixabay