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Sourdough Starters from Around the World
😁 Please note that starters grow in volume and bubble size after feeding over several hours. Once it peaks, it will recede and deflate. That is why we continue to feed them regularly : to lengthen that peak window and to capture that peak for our bread leavening.
MAINTAINING STARTERS
😁 Please note that starters grow in volume and bubble size after feeding over several hours. Once it peaks, it will recede and deflate. That is why we continue to feed them regularly : to lengthen that peak window and to capture that peak for our bread leavening.
MAINTAINING STARTERS
THE PROCESS
THE PROCESS
Decide how much starter you want to feed and discard from the Top, to that weight amount. You remove from the top because that is the expired or deflated portion of your starter. (Put aside the discarded starter for later use or disposal).
Decide how much starter you want to feed and discard from the Top, to that weight amount. You remove from the top because that is the expired or deflated portion of your starter. (Put aside the discarded starter for later use or disposal).
Put a liquid measuring cup, on the scale, tare it to zero, pour the same amount of grams of water into the cup. Pour that into your weighed starter. Mix well.
Put a liquid measuring cup, on the scale, tare it to zero, pour the same amount of grams of water into the cup. Pour that into your weighed starter. Mix well.
Put a paper plate on the scale, tare it to zero, scoop the same amount, in grams, of flour onto the plate. Pour into the starter/water mixture and stir well. You should have a thick pancake batter consistency. Add flour in by teaspoon if needed.
Put a paper plate on the scale, tare it to zero, scoop the same amount, in grams, of flour onto the plate. Pour into the starter/water mixture and stir well. You should have a thick pancake batter consistency. Add flour in by teaspoon if needed.
With a loose lid, let warm up and get bubbly over several hours. Either put on a tight lid and put into refrigerator, or leave at room temperature until peak and use immediately. If keeping at room temperature, keep a loose lid.
With a loose lid, let warm up and get bubbly over several hours. Either put on a tight lid and put into refrigerator, or leave at room temperature until peak and use immediately. If keeping at room temperature, keep a loose lid.
Repeat this process weekly if kept in the fridge; Daily if kept at room temperature. This process is what produces the yeast and bacteria to keep the starter healthy and happy. When it's time to bake, either remove the entire amount required for your recipe, returning thr rest to the fridge, OR remove 1/3 of your recipe's required amount of starter from the fridge and feed it a 1:1:1 ratio starter to flour to water and let warm up to about double and bubbly. Keep the remaining starter in your fridge. Alternatively, you can follow the prep to bake schedule below. You can contact me or attend a class for other options for preparing your starter to bake with. 😉
Repeat this process weekly if kept in the fridge; Daily if kept at room temperature. This process is what produces the yeast and bacteria to keep the starter healthy and happy. When it's time to bake, either remove the entire amount required for your recipe, returning thr rest to the fridge, OR remove 1/3 of your recipe's required amount of starter from the fridge and feed it a 1:1:1 ratio starter to flour to water and let warm up to about double and bubbly. Keep the remaining starter in your fridge. Alternatively, you can follow the prep to bake schedule below. You can contact me or attend a class for other options for preparing your starter to bake with. 😉
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
4 Ways of Maintaining your Starter (keeping it actively alive & happy)
4 Ways of Maintaining your Starter (keeping it actively alive & happy)
- Remove a heavy 1/4 cup starter from jar. (Just pour it into a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup and discard the rest. Repour the 1/4 cup starter back into your jar). Add a 1/4 cup dry measure, or 60g water and 1 loosely scooped 1/2 cup dry measure, or 60g of flour, directly into existing container. Mix well and keeping the sides of the container as clean as you can. (Do NOT do this more than twice without doing a proper weighed feed w discard and putting into a clean container.)
- Remove starter from the fridge. Starting from the top, remove (discard) all but 60* grams. (YES that can be 2/3 of starter that you are removing if you havent removed any since last feed!!!) Using a measuring cup on a scale tared to zero, weigh out 60 grams of water. Add to starter and stir until well mixed. Using a paper plate on a scale tared to zero, weigh out 60 grams of flour. (Note the 1:1:1 ratio of starter to water to flour). Add to starter/water mixture and stir until well combined and is a thick pancake batter consistency. Put into fridge. Repeat WEEKLY. To bake an extra structured bread with large holes, remove 20grams and follow Prep to Bake schedule.
(*60 is a suggested amount, not a required one. I honestly prefer a 75 gram starter base since its easier to work with the different quantities of starter needed for the recipes that I provide.)
(*60 is a suggested amount, not a required one. I honestly prefer a 75 gram starter base since its easier to work with the different quantities of starter needed for the recipes that I provide.)
- Keep a mother starter. THIS IS FOR AVID BAKERS! In a large 9 cup batter bowl, put 200 grams each of starter, water, and flour, mixed well. Let start to rise/show activity, (see bubbles appear). Then put into the fridge. Use right out of the container. Add flour and water as needed, or weekly, to keep a usable amount in the container. About 6 cups. DO NOT DISCARD! For bread making, just take the recipe amount out of the mother and make your dough.
- *** For weekly bakers, (Like me), I recommend maintaining 300grams. 100g each starter, flour, water. Once a week I take 200 grams for my bread making. I mix my dough. While its resting, I feed my starter the new 100g each of flour and water. Mix it well. Put the loose lid on, let it start to get active, tighten the lid, and back into the fridge. *By the following week, the starter is Just starting to shrink from its peak. Perfect for my bread making all week long, as well as providing me with a recipe amount of discard if I don't bake at all. 😉
Christina@the-sourdough-lady.com; (650) 219-5794
Christina@the-sourdough-lady.com; (650) 219-5794
Text, Call, Email if UNSURE about ANYTHING
Text, Call, Email if UNSURE about ANYTHING
If you like large holes, dry crumb, and a thick chewy crust, follow the above schedule, only using 20 g of starter, leaving the starter out at room temperature every night. This will let you cold ferment up to 36 hours and increase your structure size. It will provide you with 100 grams of levain, (Fancy term for active starter), for your recipe.
If you like large holes, dry crumb, and a thick chewy crust, follow the above schedule, only using 20 g of starter, leaving the starter out at room temperature every night. This will let you cold ferment up to 36 hours and increase your structure size. It will provide you with 100 grams of levain, (Fancy term for active starter), for your recipe.
It will also give you a whole bunch of discarded, freshly fed starter to use in discard recipes. 😉
It will also give you a whole bunch of discarded, freshly fed starter to use in discard recipes. 😉
The more often you feed a starter, the more active it gets, the bigger the holes and gluten structure, and the more stamina of maintaining its rise. Because of this, you can pluck any amount of starter at any time and feed that for a more active, stronger starter to make your bread.
The more often you feed a starter, the more active it gets, the bigger the holes and gluten structure, and the more stamina of maintaining its rise. Because of this, you can pluck any amount of starter at any time and feed that for a more active, stronger starter to make your bread.
Note: For mailed starters: Please feed your new starter as soon as you can after receiving it, without doing any discard, to wake it up after it’s travel. Give it 60 grams each of flour and water. Mix it well. Leave it at room temperature. After 12 hours add another 60 grams each flour and water to the starter and mix well. Do Not remove any starter yet. Leave it at room temperature overnight. It should have some obvious bubbles and have increased in size. If not, go ahead and discard some of the starter and repeat the feeds. It may need a couple of feedings to fully wake up. Yes it may smell odd when it first arrives, because it’s hungry!! Do NOT put into the fridge until it is obviously bubbly and rising.
Note: For mailed starters: Please feed your new starter as soon as you can after receiving it, without doing any discard, to wake it up after it’s travel. Give it 60 grams each of flour and water. Mix it well. Leave it at room temperature. After 12 hours add another 60 grams each flour and water to the starter and mix well. Do Not remove any starter yet. Leave it at room temperature overnight. It should have some obvious bubbles and have increased in size. If not, go ahead and discard some of the starter and repeat the feeds. It may need a couple of feedings to fully wake up. Yes it may smell odd when it first arrives, because it’s hungry!! Do NOT put into the fridge until it is obviously bubbly and rising.
Note: Gluten Free starters are typically kept at in the fridge and fed every 3 days. Check the instructions that come with your gluten free starter.
Note: Gluten Free starters are typically kept at in the fridge and fed every 3 days. Check the instructions that come with your gluten free starter.
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