Sourdough Starter
What is a sourdough starter?
The sourdough starter is the leavening agent that gives rise to our sourdough bread. By capturing and cultivating the wild yeast that live all around us (and on us), we can create an invaluable tool in our kitchens that will take care of you for the rest of your life.
Types of sourdough starters
Based on the flavor that a baker desires in their loaves, a different type of starter may suit their needs better. Here are the main three that you will see used:
Regular Starter
1:1 flour and water, 100% hydration
Stiff Starter
2:1 flour to water, 50% hydration
Liquid Starter
1:5 flour to water, 500% hydration
Creating the starter
A sourdough starter is very simple to create. All that is necessary is flour, water, and patience. Start with a small jar. Too many start with massive jars and end up keep way too much starter on hand and waste a lot of flour doing so. I suggest a pint sized jar. Combine 25g of flour and 25g of water. Every 24 hours for the next three days add 25g of flour and 25g of water without discarding any. On the fourth day you should be noticing some gas production and rise happening in the jar. every 24 hours for the next four days discard half starter and add back 50g of flour and 50g of water. At this point the start should be doubling to tripling in size every 12-24 hours. If this is the case, it is ready to bake with. If not, continue to discard and feed until this amount of activity is achieved.
Discard or no discard?
Once you have an established starter that can consistently rise and fall, there is no need to discard any of it. The goal is to have enough starter on hand to bake a loaf. When you’re done, store the remaining starter in the refrigerator to be fed again the next time you want to bake. I keep 10g of starter in a jar in my fridge. The night before I plan to start my loaf I take it out, feed it 50g of water and 50g of flour and leave it out on the counter over night. When I get up in the morning it’s ready to go and I take what I need and put the remaining 10g back in the fridge for the next time.
When to add starter to the dough
Typically you want to add your starter to your dough when it as the peak of it’s rise. This is because when your starter will be at it’s strongest at this point in it’s daily cycle. This gives you the shortest amount of time to wait on it to do it’s job.
What is that liquid on top?
If your starter hasn’t been fed in a while, you may start to notice a layer of liquid forming on top of it. This is known among bakers as “Hooch”, this is alcohol and is a normal byproduct of the fermentation process. It can be any color ranging from clear to black. All it means is that your starter is hungry and needs to be fed. Do not, however, discard this liquid. It is integral to maintaining the hydration percentage of your starter. As long as there is not mold on this liquid then your starter is okay. Mold is fuzzy, sometimes you will see bits of flour in the liquid. That is perfectly fine.
Can I bake with an unfed starter?
Baking with an unfed starter is completely fine. You are essentially feeding it by mixing it into the dough. If your starter has lost some strength due to a relaxed feeding schedule or lack of use then it may take longer to bulk ferment and proof your loaves. Other than that the outcome will be the same as if you had added your leaven at it’s peak.
Strengthening your starter
The best way to build strength in your starter is to use it. I have no idea why, and it’s probably just placebo, but I have observed that my own starter has gotten much stronger when I use it to bake vs when I just discard from the jar. Some people will say to change up the flour you use or to add honey (don’t do this), all of that is completely unnecessary. Just keep feeding and baking and it will strengthen naturally over time.
Is it dead?
no. not unless it’s mold. starters are quite hard to kill.