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Feeding Sourdough Starter

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This playbook documents how you should feed your starter. It assumes you have a starter already.

State #

Note

Using a transparent container to store your starter makes it easier to know how active your starter is.

There is a gradient of which how hungry/active your starter is, and it can usually be gauged by the volume that your starter takes up.

Not fed in a while: Not bubbly, and may have a clear fluid on top (referred to as hooch). This fluid smells like alcohol and is a byproduct of fermentation. A build-up of this fluid usually indicates that your starter needs to be fed. Pour it out before the next feeding. This will be the smallest in volume it can be.

After feeding: Make note of it’s volume. You can do this by wrapping an elastic band at the level it is sitting at. You will start to see bubbles forming and the sourdough expanding in volume. From the side view, it may look like the top of the starter is slightly domed. This means that it is consuming the flour and water. When it is no longer domed, it will be at it’s peak (as there is no more food to eat).

However, the time window for using the starter is quite generous and it is not strictly necessary to use it at it’s peak activity. A good guideline to follow is when it doubles in volume, it is ready to use.

Feeding #

Procedure #

Use room temperature, filtered water. The temperature of the water can affect the fermentation speed.

All purpose flour can be used to feed the sourdough, however it is not strictly the only type of flour that can be used.

After adding flour and water to the sourdough, mix well. Make sure to clean the sides of the container so that there isn’t extra mixture hanging.

Note

Some sources recommend taking out the starter from the container, mixing it, then placing it back in a clean container. It has benefits, but may not justify the extra time it takes.

Schedule #

Fermentation speed can be controlled by two factors: The amount of starter relative to food, and the temperature.

It is recommended to use the starter when it is active, so the feeding schedule should be derived from the baking schedule. Here’s a general rule of thumb:

If the starter will not be used for two or more days, place the starter in the fridge for storage. This will slow down the metabolism of the yeast and allow it to survive longer on less food.