Alaska Chef Kirsten Dixon shares how to make Alaska apple sourdough bread starter. Check out her column this week for more on this recipe.

Winterlake Lodge Apple Sourdough

2 Granny Smith (or other) tart green apples

6 tablespoons sugar

3 cups water

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cut up the apples into chunks and place in a bowl (I leave the skin on but you can peel the apple if you prefer), add in the sugar and ½ cup of the water. Cover the bowl. Let it sit for about a week in a warm place in the kitchen, checking on it now and then. If for some reason the apple has dried out, add in a little more water. The apple will soften and turn into something that looks like applesauce.  

Make sure your sourdough container is well washed. Add in the flour, the remaining water, and the apple mash. That’s it. Set the covered starter in a warm place and now you have a living pet that has to be fed and watered, sometimes every day.

To maintain your sourdough, the general rule is to add in equal weight amounts of flour and water (roughly 1 cup flour and ½ cup water) as you use the sourdough. If you don’t bake enough to use sourdough every week, then you’ll need to add in, or “feed” the starter with additional flour and water. You might have to remove a little bit of the old starter to add in new flour and water so you don’t outgrow your container. If you don’t use your sourdough for an extended period of time, place it into the refrigerator or freezer until ready to reactivate.

Makes about 4 cups of starter.