How to make a sour dough starter from scratch - updated

Info. Though no yeast is added, the natural yeast on the grain you use is nurtured until there is a sufficient amount to activate the starter.

Add 1/2 cup of rye flour to a clean empty jar

Add 1/2 a cup of tap or bottled water

Stir to mix

It looks looks horrible but just cover and leave somewhere warm for 3 or 4 days

Every 12 hours or so, stir the mixture and re-cover. The first bubbles are starting to appear.

Another stir, this time with a wooden barbecue skewer. Try not to get the mixture up the side of the container.

36 hours after we started the mix, bubbles of CO2 produced by the natural yeast and associated bacteria are becoming more obvious.

Fermentation after just 24 hours. Time to feed it.

Get the 1/4 cup of tap water and 1/3 cup of Rye Flour ready for its first 12 hourly feed

Add the water and stir...

... until well mixed

Now add the 1/3 cup of Rye Flour

Stir in until mixed

Cover & place somewhere warm. This mix needs to be fed every 12 hours. If the mix isn't bubbling, don't feed it but wait for the next 12 hour feed time. Each feed is 1/4 cup of water & 1/3 Rye Flour.

The feeding cycle continues until after feeding it doubles insize and drops back. As you are constantly feeding it, you will need to throw some in the compost bin else it'll escape uncontrollably.

Day 4 - The sun has come out & things have started moving again. I didn't feed it this morning as it was too cold and nothing was going on, it's now bubbling well. Tomorrow on to the next stage.

Day 5: Tip half out as we start the next stage.

...mark the jar - just for fun to see how fast it grows. You now do this stage, throwing half away and feed, every 12 hours.

3 photographs taken at 30 minute intervals. This shows how fast the mixture grows.

Don't worry, day 4 and the feeding cycle is still going. Photographs and updates to follow.