KEEP YOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER ALIVE and REFRESHED!

Refresh your whole wheat einkorn sourdough starter and keep it alive the easy way. It’s the starting point for making sourdough bread, sourdough pastries, sourdough crackers, and sourdough everything.

(Don’t have a starter yet? Here, I’ll help you whip up a New Einkorn Sourdough Starter and you’ll be on your way 💁🏼‍♀️.) If you already have a starter, keep reading for easy sourdough starter maintenance.

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HOW TO REFRESH YOUR WHOLE WHEAT EINKORN FLOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER USING THE 20-60-100 METHOD

This starter stays small. It’s easy. I don’t have to manage a huge jar of a gooey mess every time I refresh my einkorn flour sourdough starter. I can also place it in the refrigerator for up to a week at a time without refreshing it every day. I just refresh it again before I bake.

I’ll explain more below, but it’s simple. Just remember 20-60-100. There’s got to be a way to turn those numbers (and the ingredients) into a sourdough jingle you can sing around the kitchen so you never have to pull this recipe up again. Don’t worry though, you can visit this page for your reminder until you write your sourdough jingle.

20 grams sourdough starter, mixed with 60 grams warm water, mixed with 100 grams whole wheat einkorn flour and a nice long 6–12-hour rest keeps your sourdough starter refreshed and ready for baking day!

sourdough starter mixed with water and whole wheat einkorn flour

WARNING!

I developed this recipe with fresh milled whole grain EINKORN flour. Using another type of flour will change the outcome!

SET UP YOUR SPACE:
a wheat grinder
a small glass container with an air tight lid
a digital kitchen scale
a small warming pan for water
a dinner fork
sourdough starter
filtered water
einkorn wheat berries or whole wheat einkorn flour

HELPFUL EQUIPMENT

Grain Mill: A stone burr grain mill provides fine milled whole wheat flour. I make a majority of the bread recipes with fresh milled einkorn flour.
Digital Kitchen Scale: The scale helps me achieve consistent results. Consistent results help—especially when you’re having company.
Small Warming Pan for Water: I used a ¾ qt. stainless steel butter warmer. It’s a handy little pan.

SOURDOUGH STARTER INGREDIENTS

Starter: Always set aside 20 grams of your starter in order to keep refreshed starter on hand. You don’t want to have to develop a completely new starter every time you bake.
Einkorn Whole Wheat Berries/Flour: I regularly refresh my sourdough starter with organic fresh milled whole wheat flour.
Filtered Water – Use filtered water rather than tap.

HOW TO REFRESH YOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER

Let’s go over the recipe with a few pictures here.

Don’t worry, this sourdough starter isn’t overly needy. It thrives with a healthy dose of consistent attention though. It provides the amazing sourdough results your taste buds are after. Keep it up weekly so it’s ready to help you offer whole grain nourishment whenever needed.

FIRST

Add 20 grams of fresh milled whole wheat einkorn sourdough starter to the small bowl you plan on using for storage (make sure it has an airtight lid). Then zero out the scale by pressing the “tare” button.

THEN

Add 100 grams of fresh milled whole wheat einkorn flour. Use the fork to combine everything. Once combined, stir a couple extra times.

FINALLY

Seal the bowl. Cover it with a towel and set it in a room temperature dark place. Let it rise for 6-12 hours. It’ll need a much longer rise (usually 10-12ish hours) when it’s very cold and a much shorter rise (usually 6ish hours) when it’s very hot.

NOW

It’s ready for whatever tasty whole wheat sourdough einkorn bread recipe you choose to bake!

FAQ’S:

HOW OFTEN DO I HAVE TO REFRESH MY STARTER?

Try not to go longer than a week without refreshing your starter. It’s great to refresh it even more often when you can.

WHAT IF MY STARTER LOOKS GRAY

Try and push aside the discolored starter and use what’s left underneath to refresh it. If a little gray gets in there it’s not a bit deal as long as there’s not mold issues.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THERE IS LIQUID ON MY STARTER?

If there is liquid on the starter, pour it off, push aside the gray starter, and get 20 grams of dough so you can refresh your starter again.

STORAGE OPTIONS

Since this sourdough starter is small and dry compared to other starters it keeps nicely in a small glass container instead of a large jar. I prefer a round glass container with shorter sides (around 1 cup) rather than a large canning jar.

I refresh my starter in the container I continuously store it in. Actually, I have two of these containers and rotate them.

Sometimes I refresh the starter and still have discard starter left over so I need two containers—one for the starter and one for the discard.

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