Meet Tama-DOUGH-a! He’s our sourdough starter.
We caved in to making our own sourdough starter after a lack of yeast at the store. And let’s face it, finding allergy friendly bread was never easy even before Covid, nevermind bread without random ingredients.
Apparently people name their sourdough cultures as they are considered living things. A quick google search shows names like Bread Pitt, Clint Yeastwood, Bubbles, Jane Dough, and Dough-bafett. We simply had to name our baby sourdough.
Want or need to make your own?
Here’s the recipe we are using:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe
All you need is whole wheat flour, water, and a container that won’t react such as glass, plastic, crockery, or stainless steel.
I also found a well-rated version for my gluten-free friends:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-sourdough-starter-recipe
As far as we know he’s the only Tama-Dough-a out there. My kids are obsessed with Moana, the super awesome Disney movie, and Tama-to-a is one of the villains they have to face in the movie.
Let us know if you tried a sourdough starter and if you named it.
Find out how to tell if your starter is ready to use and how to use it here. And here are some great sourdough recipes to get you started.
Want more than just the recipe? Do you want to decorate your starter (or really anything) like Tamatoa? We may have been the first to make a Moana-inspired sourdough name, but we can’t take credit for the Tamatoa cut out. You will find that here:
https://www.colorthemoon.com/post/moana-paper-plate-craft
I gave the kids markers, and it kept them busy for about 10 minutes. Then we added stickers for the eyes. I then cut him out and taped him onto a shiny container because he ought to be “shiny,” just like the song Tamatoa sings from the movie.