Looking for a tested potato flake starter for sourdough bread that doesn’t require flour?
I finally found one that works, and I think past failures are because I didn’t pay attention to the water when adding the yeast; in order to activate the yeast, the water must be between 120°-130°F (Note: I used Fleischmann’s RapidRise yeast.). Since I have a post over at Grace Table that mentions my sourdough bread and includes the recipe to make it, I thought it might be helpful to have a recipe for starter if you don’t have access to one from a friend.
Potato Flake Bread Starter Recipe
(version that doesn’t use flour)
3 Tablespoons Instant Potato Flakes
1 Packet Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast (21/4 Teaspoons Dry Yeast)
½ Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 Cup Water (120°-130°F)
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Pour warm water into a plastic container with a lid. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir well. Add potato flakes and sugar to yeast mixture and stir well again. Cover loosely with container lid and leave starter on counter.
Daily for the next four days, stir the starter leaving it on counter, unrefrigerated. On the 5th day, feed your starter (see below), remove one cup to make bread, and return the remainder of the starter to the refrigerator. Starter should be fed every 5-10 days and either returned to the refrigerator or a cup removed to make bread.
To Feed Starter
Every 5-10 days, take starter out of the refrigerator, and stir in the following:
1 cup warm water
½ cup granulated white sugar
3 rounded tablespoons instant potato flakes
Leave out of refrigerator 8 hours (or overnight). At that point, either return starter to refrigerator or remove one cup to make bread, returning the remainder to the fridge.
- 6 Cups Bread Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1/2 – 1 Cup Granulated White Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1½ Cups Warm Water
- 1 Cup Starter (See notes below)
- Mix together in glass or plastic bowl the flour, salt and sugar; make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, water and starter.
- Mix well.
- Knead for about five minutes, folding “corners” of dough toward center, up and over. It’s okay if dough is sticky.
- Also, to keep dough moist, lightly grease bowl and roll dough ball until it’s lightly greased, too.
- Cover with a damp dish towel and let it rise in a warm place overnight or all day (8-12 hours).
- Punch down. Knead a few times to work out any air bubbles that might have formed.
- Spray 3 loaf pans with cooking spray and divide dough equally into the 3 pans (shaping into loaf form). Let rise 6 to 8 hours, covered loosely with damp dishcloth.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven when crown of bread is golden brown and flip bread loaves onto cooling rack.
- When cool enough, slice a thick slab of bread, slather in real butter and prepare to hear the angels sing :).
