A couple of things about sourdough starter — sleepingmakesmehungry (2024)

The basis for good sourdough is a good, happy, healthy starter. How do you do manage that?

Name it. I find that attaching a name to inanimate objects attaches me to them. It is easier to me to care about something with a name. My starter is affectionately name Gertrude ( and you can get some Gertrude here if you want).

You have to feed it regularly. I always discard some (save it in a jar to use in other recipes) and then feed with equal amounts of flour and water. I never measure how much starter is in there when I feed it, but I like to make sure that there is at least as much flour/water going in the jar as what is left (usually, I am adding more).

Some recipes call for a specific poolish or levain. This will give specific measurements of how much starter, water, and flour to add. When making a recipe like this, I always mix it in a separate jar and save some of my original starter in its jar.

If I am not going to be using my starter for a few days, or a couple of weeks, I feed it and put it in the fridge. Over time it might have a greyish liquid start to collect in it, called hooch. It is a natural alcohol that your starter produces, and it just tells you that it is hungry. You can stir it in the next time you feed or pour it off (this is what I do) and then feed as usual.

I have had periods when I go out of town for longer than a couple of weeks or know I can't handle feeding it and don't want to see it in my fridge, so I have dried it out. Spread it on some parchment and let it air dry over a couple of days. Break it up into pieces and store it in a jar in a cool, dry place. Once you are ready to use it again, rehydrate it with water, and then basically, you feed as usual.

I killed my starter. What do I do?

Sourdough starter is hard to kill, like SO hard to kill. People get a little freaked out when they see the hooch on top (but hey, the grey stuff is delicious… well, it is sour, but don't be scared of it) and think they killed it. It isn't dead unless you see actual mold; you haven't killed it. It might need a few days of being out of the fridge and regular feeding to get it happy and active again, but it is not dead.

If you got rid of the starter you thought was dead, you could ask a friend for some more, or you can make yourself some more again. I sell my dried-out starter here as well.

My starter smells like acetone? Is this normal?

Sourdough starters have a variety of smells that come with them, and it having a bit of an acetone smell is normal and means it is probably hungry!

I've been feeding for days, and it won't grow or pass the float test. What do I do?
Keep going!! Try feeding twice a day for a few days and see if that gets things going. Or change out your water source. The water you are using might have something in it that kills your natural yeast.

A few other things that can (not always) hinder activity in your starter:

If you are using metal utensils, you can try to stick to something metal-free.

Is it really cold where it is being stored? That can slow the whole process down.

Is the flour you are feeding with really old? The fresher, the better, also make sure it is unbleached.

Some tips:

You can have a starter made from basically any flour, but consistency is key. Try to use the same kind of flour to feed your starter. If you have a sluggish starter, sometimes a feeding that includes a little bit of rye flour in the mix (or whole wheat) can help get things going. But of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Speaking of your starter being sluggish, sometimes, to speed up the amount of time it takes for my starter to get to peak activity so that I can use it quicker, I place my fed starter in warm water. Make sure it isn't hot, but just warm. I sometimes switch the water out to keep it in a warm bath.

A couple of things about sourdough starter — sleepingmakesmehungry (2024)

FAQs

A couple of things about sourdough starter — sleepingmakesmehungry? ›

You can have a starter made from basically any flour, but consistency is key. Try to use the same kind of flour to feed your starter. If you have a sluggish starter, sometimes a feeding that includes a little bit of rye flour in the mix (or whole wheat) can help get things going.

What is a fun fact about sourdough starter? ›

While many people believe the yeast in your sourdough starter comes solely from the air around them, the truth is, some of the yeast in the jar actually comes from your own hands. This further creates a unique blend of wild yeast, making each sourdough starter truly special.

What makes sourdough starter so special? ›

Think of sourdough starter as a natural leavener, and in many cases, a way to cultivate the wild yeast that exists naturally in flour and in the air, and convert it to something that you can use to make bread (or whatever else) rise.

How do you know if your starter is hungry? ›

Adjust feeding frequency: Hooch (a brownish liquid) that forms on top of your starter between feedings, indicates that the starter is hungry. Stir or pour off excess hooch: If hooch forms, stir it back into the starter or pour it off before feeding.

What is the science behind sourdough starters? ›

Type I sourdough starter communities result from spontaneous succession in the same way that a forest might grow from a fallow field. That is, environmental bacteria and yeasts colonize a flour-water mixture and ferment the digestible carbohydrates in the mixture (along with other nutrients).

What is special about sourdough? ›

Sourdough relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, rather than baker's yeast, to leaven the dough. It's richer in nutrients, less likely to spike your blood sugar, contains lower amounts of gluten, and is generally easier to digest than bread made with baker's yeast.

How old is the oldest sourdough starter? ›

The World's 'Oldest' Sourdough Starter Was Made With 4,500-Year-Old Yeast.

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic. Most will compost or trash this discard, but you can save it and use it in other recipes!

What is the best flour to feed sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose flour works great for feeding starter, but adding a little whole grain flour can help give it a boost if needed.

What does a starving sourdough starter look like? ›

Starvation - if you don't feed your starter for a long period of time it will develop harmful bacteria and mold. This will smell terrible and look orange, pink or fuzzy and green.

What does an overfed starter look like? ›

An overfed starter can be too diluted and it will be very watery. Your workers are there, they are just overwhelmed with too much food and water. When this happens, first leave it out in the warmth overnight. In the morning discard all but a tablespoon of starter and feed it.

Why is my sourdough starter bubbling but not rising? ›

If your starter gets completely covered on top with bubbles but does not rise, it is healthy but may just be a wet mix. Try reducing the water in your next feeding and see if you have different results. Also, the type of flour you are using can impede the rise of your starter.

Do sourdough starters get better with age? ›

While the age of your starter won't make your bread any better — turns out, only good sourdough practices can do that — it's a link in the long legacy of sourdough, one of the oldest forms of baking that exists. Whether your starter is a week or a decade old, you can become part of that lineage as well.

Is there bad bacteria in new sourdough starter? ›

At first, just about any microbe can grow on this rich, new energy source, including spoilage bacteria. (That's why brand-new sourdough starters often go through a black, putrid-smelling phase.) But soon, conditions begin to change.

What is the secret to sourdough? ›

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

Is every sourdough starter unique? ›

Yes every sourdough starter will taste different depending on the age of the starter, they type of flour you feed it, how often you feed it and where the yeast in the starter has come from. Each starter also has a unique level of acidity, hydration and bacteria.

How was sourdough starter invented? ›

There are many theories as to how they first discovered it, but we can assume that it was by accident. It's thought that the Egyptian people left some out and some of the wild yeast spores in the air mixed with the dough, which caused it to rise and create sourdough bread as we know it.

Why is sourdough starter alive? ›

The yeast and microbes from the soil are on the surface of the wheat that is made into flour then fermented. The microorganisms colonize the flour and water mixture. After that happens, the sourdough starter can be kept and maintained indefinitely.

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