Rye Starter

Barm, levain, seed culture, chef, sourdough and rye starter are all nomenclature for this bubbly natural ferment. Unlike the yeasted starters, biga, poolish, pate fermentee this is a 100% natural ferment using only freshly ground rye and water. Rye has a knack for fermentation so there is no need to add yeast or sugar to get a stout long lasting starter. This powerhouse of ferment and flavor is able to quadruple in volume in 8 hours or less. With the warm summer days upon us the environment is ripe for fermenting!

Day 1
Combine 3.5 ounces warm water with 3.5 ounces rye flour fresh ground is best but store bought also works
Cover and let stand at room temp for 2 days until bubbly

Day 3
Stir 3.5 ounces of bread flour into the rye mixture
Cover and let stand at room temp for 2 days until bubbly
Day 5
Combine  2 ounces of rye started with 1.5 ounces of water and 3 ounces of bread flour
Cover and let stand at room temp for 2 days until bubbly

Day 7
Combine  2 ounces of rye started with 1.5 ounces of water and 3 ounces of bread flour
Cover and let stand at room temp for 1 day until bubbly

Day 8-10
Repeat above until starter is able to quadruple in size (1/4 cup starter rises to fill a 1 cup measuring cup) in 8 hours


Your starter is ready to use! If you need to put it to rest store it in the refrigerator. When you want to wake it up again just refresh as you did on Day 7 every 12 hours until starter is once again able to quadruple in size in 8 hours.