Day 1- Start in a quart mason jar: 1 cup of all purpose flour (I prefer an organic kind like Arrowhead Mills, unaffiliated, not an ad) and 1 cup of filtered water.
Mix well and cover with a light cloth or coffee filter.
Let sit for 2 days, checking by sight and smell daily. At some point during this week, your starter may become “hoochy”- develops a terribly sour smell and possibly a light brown liquid juice on top. Do not fear! This is a good thing. Mix it in before feeding.
Day 3- Mix up again (metal utensils not recommended).
Save 1/2 cup of starter and discard the rest (do not use this yet).
Feed the starter in a new mason jar with 1/2 cup very warm water and a skant cup of flour (just under a whole actual cup measurement- just eyeball it).
Mix well and let sit covered 2 more days.
Day 5- Repeat feeding in a new jar: 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup very warm water, and 1 skant cup of flour. If you see any mold in starter, discard entire jar's contents and start over. You may see bubbles on top and sides. This is a good thing. Let sit for 2 more days.
Day 7- Check by sight and smell. Look for bubbles and a sour smell. Repeat feeding again. This should be your 3rd feeding.
Day 9- If you are seeing bubbles and the starter has nearly doubled in size or more, it is ready to use for baking!
Notes
See blog post for more tips/troubleshooting your simple sourdough starter recipe at www.johnsonhomenc.com