If you’re thinking of making the sourdough plunge, but are overwhelmed, you aren’t alone. Many people never even get started because creating and maintaining a sourdough starter seems like quite the daunting task. And from the outside looking in, it may seem that way. But the truth I want to share with you is that it doesn’t have to be! In this second post in my Sourdough Basics series, I’ll be addressing some of your most common questions about sourdough starters.
Before you read this post:
Make sure you’ve looked over my list of very basic supplies to get started with sourdough.
When one of my readers is itching to begin their sourdough journey, there are a few questions I tend to get right at the outset. For most people, the starter is the hardest part, but I find that once you wrap your mind around that part, it only gets easier from there. The questions I’ll be addressing today are:
- Is the food scale really necessary?
- Should I start over?
- How do I give my sourdough starter a boost?
- Do I have to feed it every single day forever?
- What’s the deal with discard?
I hope to answer your more specific questions in these categories, but these are some general questions to hopefully boost your confidence and get you started on your sourdough journey.
Is the food scale really necessary?
This is one of the most common questions about sourdough starters. The short answer? Yes… and no.
The long answer?
While many seasoned sourdough bakers do not use a food scale, and maybe you don’t technically have to, it certainly is helpful.
When you’re making your starter, and getting familiar with the process, it can be helpful to remove the guess work of starter consistency. You’ve likely heard the phrase ‘pancake batter consistency’, but I simply don’t think that’s true. Everyone makes pancakes differently, and personally, my pancake batter is runny. Sourdough starter, after feeding, should be thick and a little lumpy.
Even after you have an established starter, a food scale can be handy for baking. Measuring your ingredients by weight can create more consistent results from loaf to loaf.
Should I start over?
NO!
Well, nine times out of ten, the answer is no. Slow-moving starters, funky smells, and changes in consistency are all very normal. The only indicators of truly bad bacteria are streaks of red, pink or orange, or visible mold spores. If you see either of these two things, it would be prudent to throw it out.
Many people, at least once, will experience some pretty intense hooch development. Hooch is liquid layer that forms on top of your starter when it has been hungry for a while. it is most often clear, but can turn gray/black if left to sit. It has a pretty strong acetone smell, but is completely normal, and is often a sign of healthy, hungry starter. When you get hooch, you can drain it off before feeding, or you can stir it in for an extra sour flavor.
How do I give my starter a boost?
Most of the time, a new starter just needs time and consistent feedings. Those two things will do wonders for a young starter, but there are more things you can do if you truly think your starter needs a boost.
- Dry feed- feed your starter a 1:1 ratio of starter an flour, but add no water
- Rye flour- do a normal feeding, but use rye flour instead
- Potato water- if you have starchy water from boiling potatoes, use that water to feed your starter as normal
- Larger feed- Try feeding your starter with a larger ratio like 1:3:3 or more
These methods aren’t recommended for every feeding, but you can try them on occasion if you find your starter is a little slow.
Do I have to feed my starter every day forever?
Nope!
Once your starter is active and established, you can move it to the refrigerator, and feed it before baking, or at least once every 1-2 weeks. Refrigeration slows the fermentation process, so your starter won’t get hungry as quickly.
After it has been refrigerated, it may take an extra feed for your starter to rise as normal, so if you plan to bake, take it out a day in advance.
What’s the deal with discard?
Discard is a natural byproduct of maintaining a sourdough starter. Discard is fully fermented grains, and because of that, it is just more starter. But why is it called discard?
When you feed starter, you have to feed it more than (or equal to) what you start with. If you start with 50 grams of starter, you need to feed it at least 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. If you don’t use it, and it rises and falls as normal, you’ll still have the entire 150 grams in the jar. This is where discarding comes in.
If you don’t discard, you’re starting with 150 grams of starter- meaning you’d have to add 150 grams of each flour and water… so if you didn’t use it again, you’d be starting with 450 grams of starter! That is a LOT of starter, and unless you bake with it or discard it, you’ll have to feed it even more!
So really, discard is just unfed/hungry starter. if you discard it down it’s still the same ting. Calling it discard is just another way to describe unfed starter that you don’t intend to feed.
So what do you do with it?
well, there are lots of things to do with it! You can truly discard it by throwing it in the trash, but if you’re not one for waste, you can use it in many different ways! You can try things like:
- Store it in the refrigerator as backup starter
- Store it refrigerated to use in discard recipes- Pinterest has so many good ones!
- Dehydrate it for backup starter or to share/sell
- Dehydrate it and grind it up to use as working flour when shaping
- Dilute it down and water your plants with it
Because my starter lives in the fridge and I only feed it before baking, I rarely have discard anymore, but I have made some yummy recipes. It is important to remember, though, that unless you long-ferment those discard recipes, they will not be fully fermented, and will not be safe for those who are gluten sensitive.
Time to get started
I hope this post has given you some clarity on the most common questions about sourdough starters. I know it can be confusing, and a bit overwhelming, but with time, it will become second nature. If you’re ready to get started, make sure you check the first post in this series, on what you actually need to get started with sourdough.
Be sure to follow Headed for a Homestead on social media to keep up with the day-day happenings in my kitchen, garden, and life.
Until next time,
Rebekah
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