Polish Sour Rye Soup Starter {Zakwas na Żurek}

Anna

8 years ago

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Polish Sour Rye Soup Starter {Zakwas na Żurek}

If we want to be ready to cook żurek– sour rye soup this Easter, we better prep the starter now. Żurek is a flavorful, a bit sour soup cooked with smoked sausage and aromatic herbs, served with a hardboiled egg. Very popular amongst Poles but also a favorite to foreign pallets. This soup very soon became my husband’s favorite.

The starter will keep in the fridge for several weeks. This takes about 15 minutes to make, and will be a base for our Easter soup.

sour rye soup starter

Polish Sour Rye Soup Starter {Zakwas na Żurek}

Yields: 4 cups / 1 liter
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: Fermenting time: 5-7 days

Ingredients

1/2 cup / 60 g of rye four (+ 1/2 cup on day 3)
2 cups / 500 ml of boiled and cooled water (+ 1 cup / 225 ml on day 3)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
6 allspice
6 peppercorns
1 tbs of dried marjoram
1qt / 1 glass jar / container

Instructions

Sanitize a glass container and cool enough to han-
dle.
Mix cool water with flour until combined.
Place all ingredients in your container and stir. Cover with kitchen towel or cheesecloth and let rest for 3 days at room temperature (60–75°F / 16–25°C).
On day 3 add remaining flour and water, stir well and let rest at room temperature for another 3-4 days.
Stir daily. When done, cover and refrigerate until ready to make “żurek”.