Gwen's Nest

Recipes, remedies, and reflections from my neck of the woods.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Kitchen Tips
  • Trim & Healthy
    • Trim Healthy Mama Index
    • THM Book Review
    • THM Quick Start Guide
    • Weight Loss Before & After Series
    • THM Amazon Store
    • THM Recipes by Type
    • THM Recipes by Meal
  • Remedies & Health
    • Natural Remedy Index
    • Digestive Bitters Series
    • High Blood Calcium Series
    • Magnesium Deficiency Series
    • Plantain Herb Series
    • Rabbit Tobacco Herb Series
    • Whooping Cough
  • Reflections
  • Creative Home
    • Creative Home Index
  • Shop
    • Trim Healthy Store
    • Natural Health Remedies Store

Easy Sourdough Starter Tutorial

September 10, 2013 By Gwen Brown 37 Comments

P1120467This EASY sourdough starter is on tap for this Trim Healthy Tuesday!  Somehow, sourdough has never really held much appeal until now, but this woman wants some yummy homemade bread that’s Trim Healthy Mama friendly!  And that means that it needs to be slow glycemic…either sprouted or sourdoughed.  And it needs to be EASY.  Because as you’ll see in my post, I can BOMB fermented stuff with the best of them.

I asked a friend how to get started with sourdough, and she recommended a sourdough starter kit from Breadtopia.  I ordered mine from Amazon- they’ve since stopped selling the kit, but you can still get all of the components on Amazon: the breadtopia starter culture (with instructions), the super easy to clean Danish dough whisk (which I LOVE!), and the jar.

Full Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Disclosure Page

It came with this sweet little handwritten note on it!  I love to support small businesses. ♥

P1110875The thing I love about this is that there is no ‘catching wild yeasts out of the air’ involved.  The packet of proven, dried starter comes with instructions on how to create a jar full of sourdough starter.  And let me tell you, this is GOOD stuff!

P1120351

I’ll walk you through the steps, and pitfalls here on the Grain Mill Wagon blog in my Sourdough Starter: the Easy Button Tutorial!  You’ll also be able to print out my recipe/method for making this starter.

sourdough tutorial img

Easy-Sourdough-Tutorial

 

If you’re not sure about sourdough, let me just put your mind at ease: this has AMAZING flavor…not really strongly pungent or sour.  It’s got more of a nutty flavor.  Next week, I’ll share how to make DELICIOUS pancakes with this super easy sourdough starter.

Sourdough Tutorial

If you’re in a pancakes mood right now, then head over to Stacy Makes Cents, where she’s making Cottage Pancakes.

And now for LOTS more Trim & Healthy Inspiration…

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Recipes, THM Breads, Crusts & Baked Goods, THM E Breads, Crusts & Baked Goods, THM E Recipes, THM Recipes by Meal Tagged With: bre, coconut free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, Sourdough, Trim Healthy Tuesday

« Berry Breakfast Cake- Sugar Free
Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start Guide »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Stacy says

    September 10, 2013 at 7:46 AM

    I’m weird and like to catch wild yeasts from the air. It makes me feel powerful like I should pound my chest and yell like Tarzan.

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      September 10, 2013 at 7:03 PM

      You go girl. 🙂 I just don’t trust whatever is wild in the air here. I’ve had bad juju from other fermentation experiments. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rashel says

    September 10, 2013 at 9:14 AM

    I wish they had a like button for comments, Stacy you are a hoot! Gwen, thank you so much for choosing my blog post from last week. I love your blog and have learned so much about THM from you here and on the group page. Thank you for all the time you spend helping others!
    Blessings,
    Rashel

    Reply
  3. Nanci Smith says

    September 10, 2013 at 12:57 PM

    I love your pictures showing the progression.

    I started a post on the THM forum asking about sourdough (http://trimhealthymama.freeforums.net/thread/1944/ready-give-on-sourdough?page=1&scrollTo=12426) because I was so frustrated with the recipe coming out like bricks and someone posted another recipe that is yummy and worked really well.

    I used sourdough recipe for soft pretzels, too.

    Stacy- your comments and your blog always remind me not to take life too seriously 🙂

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      September 10, 2013 at 7:01 PM

      Thank you for sharing, Nancy! I’m going to try it!

      Reply
  4. Amy | Club Narwhal says

    September 11, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    Oh goodness, I cannot wait to try this! I have been slowly dipping my toes into bread making and have always wanted to try making dough with a starter. And I adore sour dough! Thanks so much for co-hosting 🙂

    Reply
  5. Martha says

    September 12, 2013 at 10:10 AM

    I read Serene uses only rye and spelt for her sourdough? can I use golden chemical free wheat – freshly milled or does that take it off the scale for (E)? still trying to figure this all out 🙂 sorry if that is a dumb ?. And can I just keep my pet in the fridge and make bread once a month? or do I have to use it every week and feed it every day?? plez say no…don’t have time for that.

    Reply
    • Anna says

      October 3, 2013 at 11:37 PM

      Hey Martha, on Breadtopia they have videos that talk about how to start and maintain your sourdough starter. It also talks about keeping it in the fridge and feeding it. Head over there and Im sure they can answer your questions.

      Reply
  6. Di says

    September 17, 2013 at 8:15 PM

    Hi Gwen. I’m loving you and your recipes all the way down here in New Zealand. So thanks for your gwens bread!!! It’s really been a wonderful addition to me and my family! Thanks.
    Now I am confused about which flour to use here on this one, rye or ordinary whole wheat or white or what? I’d love to follow suit….
    Thanks Diana

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      September 21, 2013 at 11:56 PM

      I used ordinary wheat flour for my starter. Working on new ideas with this as well!

      Reply
  7. Patti Patterson says

    November 1, 2013 at 9:04 PM

    I am confused. I thought on THM we could only have sprouted bread or low glycemic bread like your Sourdough in a glass jar. I would love to try this real Sourdough with starter from Breadtopia. But would it be E or S?

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      November 9, 2013 at 11:07 PM

      Fermented breads, like true sourdough, or the Easy Bread recipe (which ferments with baking yeast) are on plan as an E.

      Reply
      • Tracy says

        December 7, 2013 at 12:25 AM

        So…where is the sourdough bread recipe? I already have starter…now I just need a THM friendly sourdough bread. TIA.

        Reply
        • Its_Gwen says

          December 18, 2013 at 7:00 PM

          Tracy, I’m in a really busy season right now and haven’t had a chance to really properly work with sourdough recipes. If you find a good one, I’d love to hear about it! 🙂

          Reply
        • Kerri says

          September 16, 2015 at 10:00 AM

          I’m still trying to find a recipe for bread as well, and I have a pin on Pinterest that uses a dutch oven to get an amazing crusty, no knead bread, I’m wondering if we can try our bread this way, if I can find a recipe! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and tips Gwen 🙂

          Reply
          • Gwen Brown says

            September 16, 2015 at 10:01 PM

            Sure, Kerri! I want to play with that method too. 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!

  8. Jina Ezell says

    January 11, 2015 at 1:11 AM

    Thanks for all your amazing posts, Gwen, you are so many of our “go to resource”. So I’m one of the weird ones, I love the authentic artisan-ness of the hand-me-down starter, so thats what I use. A bunch of my friends are VERY CONFUSED about the wheat portion…do you believe that we can use whole wheat for this? Or, what is your thoughts? Thanks in advance! Jina

    Reply
    • Gwen says

      January 12, 2015 at 12:12 PM

      I personally use all whole wheat to keep the bran in and keep it compliant with the Trim Healthy Mama plan. I only use it for flatbreads & pizza crusts at this point. I wasn’t getting a nice enough rise from the blended flour to make loaves. I need to spend some time playing with it to try for a nice loaf. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Teresa says

    March 3, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    Just ordered starter, jar and whisk….excited and scared! Is this bread S or E?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 3, 2015 at 9:28 AM

      Grains are E. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Carrie says

    March 3, 2015 at 9:58 AM

    sooooo…. Where is the starter dough tutorial? I can’t find it!! Lol. Thx for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 3, 2015 at 6:06 PM

      There is a link, but I’ll put a big visual button. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Kathy Judson says

    March 4, 2016 at 1:04 AM

    I just wondered if doing so for thm do you need to use rye and spelt or can you use regular wheat?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 4, 2016 at 2:58 PM

      You can use any of the above. 🙂 Depending on what your final recipe calls for. 🙂

      Reply
  12. Rebecca says

    July 21, 2016 at 5:36 PM

    Do you have any recipes to go along with this? 🙂

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 22, 2016 at 11:44 PM

      I do! 🙂 I have a sourdough pancake recipe here, and a sourdough tortilla here.

      Reply
  13. Katie says

    September 6, 2016 at 9:00 PM

    Aren’t you never supposed to use metal for sourdough? The Danish whisk has a metal end!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      September 7, 2016 at 3:02 PM

      Hi Katie,
      It was recommended to me by a friend who is a pro at sourdough. 🙂 I don’t think you want to let the sourdough ferment in a metal bowl, and sit against it for long periods, but a quick mix with the whisk hasn’t had any negative effects for me.

      Reply
  14. Marian says

    March 7, 2018 at 2:03 PM

    This looks so much simpler than trying to catch wild yeast. My experiment with that didn’t go so well. This might be a silly question, but I was wondering if there is something about this jar that makes it better than others for sourdough starter? Or is it just a preference? I have so many jars already, and I hate to spend money for another one if I don’t have to.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 16, 2018 at 2:45 PM

      You can use any jar that you like! 🙂 I just like the ones that allow air to “burp” instead of screw down lids for fermenting.

      Reply
  15. Kimberly Thomas says

    April 3, 2020 at 5:30 PM

    Gwen! I am so excited I have fallen in love with the thought of your bread and sourdough started. I just ordered the book so please send me a starter! Kim T in NC!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 15, 2020 at 5:30 PM

      Hi Kim!
      The book and starter are through the company I ordered from…not from Gwen’s Nest. You’ll want to contact them with any questions about what you ordered. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sue’s Simple Starter Menu | Expatriation Preparation says:
    September 10, 2013 at 10:04 AM

    […] linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesday over at Gwen’s Nest and Stacy Makes Cents – come on over and find all kinds of THM goodies to try […]

    Reply
  2. Ready for the week! | Expatriation Preparation says:
    September 10, 2013 at 10:07 AM

    […] also linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesday over at Gwen’s Nest and Stacy Makes Cents – come on over and find all kinds of other things to put in your […]

    Reply
  3. Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Tacos Recipe says:
    September 10, 2013 at 4:46 PM

    […] recipe has been linked up at Gwen’s Nest and Stacy Makes Cents for Trim Healthy […]

    Reply
  4. Monday again?! | Expatriation Preparation says:
    September 16, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    […] also linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesday over at Gwen’s Nest and Stacy Makes Cents – come on over and find all kinds of other things to put in your […]

    Reply
  5. Let Heaven and Nature Sing! | Serving and Loving says:
    August 30, 2014 at 10:53 PM

    […] ( I used the recipe in the “Trim Healthy Mama” book. Gwen’s Nest also has a great tutorial, using another starter […]

    Reply

follow Gwen’s Nest

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Favorite Posts

I can't believe how simple this recipe is, and it looks AMAZING! Must try this one.
Get your fix of chocolate covered cherries with this amazing sugar free milkshake!
What is Trim Healthy Mama all about? I'll give you the run down and show you photos of my food and weight loss journey.
MyTHM weight loss before and after photos and journey
My favorite THM recipes sorted by type: S, E, FP, & Crossover.
Try this delicious all natural cough remedy...I have the ingredients in my cabinet!
Oh my word...this is not only delicious, but it's been amazing for knocking out colds & flu symptoms!
This household remedy is probably already in your pantry, and is the classic ear pain remedy.
How I get my kids to fight over who gets to mop the floor...
An EASY and fun DIY gift for the Catan player in your life...
This impressive makeover was done with craft paint in one afternoon...it looks great & lasts!
The true story of a gift that wasn't deserved, and the most passionate and personal giver.
My 5 minute solution to 2 good hair days.
True tales of my son...a modern day Viking child.
I ♥ PINTEREST & FACEBOOK...come follow along there too!
This site and its contents are © Gwen's Nest, 2015

I blog here because I love to help others, so please feel free to use anything here for your own home and family.
I love for you to share links from my site! But if you want to use a specific photo, recipe, or other content, please check out the terms of use below.
All the legal jazz is here:
TERMS OF USE • PRIVACY POLICY • FULL DISCLOSURE • DISCLAIMER • MEDIA KIT
CONTACT GWEN • I ♥ MY REDESIGN TEAM • FOODIE PRO THEME
We use cookies to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners. Your continued use of our site implies you agree to this.