Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch (2024)

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Sourdough starter liquid - what is the liquid that's formed in my sourdough starter jar?

If you're new to making a sourdough starter, you might have noticed some sourdough starter liquid forming in your jar.

This liquid is called hooch and generally forms on the surface of your starter. It can sometimes form in the middle of your starter or even underneath.

It looks like the flour and water have separated, however this liquid (hooch) is quite normal.

Why Does My Sourdough Starter Have Liquid?

Sourdough starter is, in its simplest form, just flour and water.

The flour and water are mixed together and when given a little time and the right temperature, start to ferment.

After a few days, you might notice that the starter has liquid forming in the jar. It can be on top of the starter, but sometimes forms underneath or even in the middle of your starter.

This liquid is called hooch and it forms when your sourdough starter has used all of its food. It's an indication that your starter is hungry!

Hooch is actually alcohol and is a by product of the fermentation occurring in your starter.

Should I Pour The Hooch Off My Sourdough Starter?

Generally, no you should not pour the hooch off your sourdough starter.

The hooch is part of your starter's hydration, so pouring it off will change the hydration of your sourdough starter.

It also gives your starter flavor - if you're looking for a nice sour sourdough, the hooch is what will give you that!

In fact, you'll find that making your starter produce hooch is one of the ways to make your sourdough more sour.

If your sourdough starter forms hooch, mix the hooch back into the starter before you discard and feed.

The only time I would consider pouring the hooch off your sourdough starter is if it has been stored in the fridge for a long time and the hooch is very dark. You'll find instructions for reviving an old sourdough starter here.

What Color Is Hooch?

Hooch varies in color.

Generally, on a very young starter (so less than a week old), hooch will be a clear or slightly cloudy color.

As your starter matures, you'll find that the hooch may change color. A starter that has been left in the fridge for a long time will develop darker hooch. It can be brown, black or even purple looking.

All of these colors are normal and will not affect the viability of your sourdough starter.

They can just be stirred back in before you discard and feed.

The only time you should toss your starter and starter again is if your starter develops mold.

Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch (1)

How To Stop Sourdough Starter Forming Hooch?

If your sourdough starter is consistently producing hooch, even after being fed, you need to look at changing a few things.

While hooch is harmless, it also indicates that your starter is hungry and so you need to increase its food and/or stop it from consuming the food so quickly.

Here are a few things you can do to stop your sourdough starter from producing hooch:

  • Increase the regularity of feeding - so instead of every 24 hours, feed every 12 hours.
  • Try to move the starter to a cooler spot. Warmer temperatures will increase the rate at which your starter consumes flour and water. Keeping it at 21C/70F or cooler will ensure that it chomps through the food a little slower.
  • Feed your starter a higher ratio of flour and water. Instead of 1:1:1, try 1:2:2 so for 25g of starter, feed it 50g of flour and 50g of water.
Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch (2)

Frequently Asked Questions About Hooch (Sourdough Starter Liquid)

What to do if my sourdough starter is watery?

A watery sourdough starter means that it has too much water. A sourdough starter should be thick, like warm peanut butter. Add a little more flour to the mix. Ideally your starter should be 100% hydration, so have equal amounts of flour and water. But a little extra flour is ok. Check out this guide on how to fix a watery sourdough starter.

My sourdough starter has hooch but not rising?

If your sourdough starter has hooch, this indicates that it is hungry so it will not rise. A sourdough starter rises as it consumes food and the yeast produce CO2 gas, causing the mixture to rise in the jar. You'll be able to see bubbles forming on the surface of the jar. In order to make your starter rise, you need to feed the starter regularly and make sure you feed it more than it weighs.

No matter what I do, my starter produces hooch. How can I fix it?

If your sourdough starter continually produces hooch, you need to change the way in which you feed it. You'll need to increase the ratio of flour and water to starter. So instead of feeding it 1:1:1, you'll need to feed it 1:2:2. This means that for 50g of sourdough starter, you'll need to feed it 100g of flour and 100g of water. This means that your starter has double the amount of food to get through and it should stop producing hooch.

What does hooch smell like on a sourdough starter?

A hungry sourdough starter will smell like acetone or nail polish remover. Hooch can make your sourdough starter smell like this. A very strong acetone smell on sourdough starter indicates that it is extremely hungry and you'll need to feed it more regularly. Hooch can also make your starter smell like alcohol.

Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch (3)

Further Reading

If you found this article helpful, you might enjoy these:

  • Why is my sourdough starter so runny?
  • Here are 5 ways to boost a sluggish sourdough starter.
  • Looking for ways to troubleshoot the most common sourdough starter problems?
  • Why you must discard to establish a thriving sourdough starter.
Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch (2024)

FAQs

Sourdough Starter Liquid: How To Deal With Sourdough Hooch? ›

If your sourdough starter continually produces hooch, you need to change the way in which you feed it. You'll need to increase the ratio of flour and water to starter. So instead of feeding it 1:1:1, you'll need to feed it 1:2:2.

What to do if sourdough starter has hooch? ›

The longer the liquid sits, the more those particles oxidize, and the darker the liquid gets. Stir liquid hooch back into your starter before feeding it or drain it off and discard it — your choice.

How to fix runny sourdough dough? ›

If you've just completed autolyse and you feel that your dough is too wet, it is possible to add some more flour at that that stage. The flour will absorb water and become incorporated during the stretches and folds.

What to do when sourdough starter has liquid on top? ›

That's okay. And it just means that your sourdough starter is hungry, which is a good thing, especially since you're starting out. So when you go to feed it, just mix it all up, mix that liquid back in there. It's actually called hooch.

Should I pour off the hooch? ›

If your sourdough starter forms hooch, mix the hooch back into the starter before you discard and feed. The only time I would consider pouring the hooch off your sourdough starter is if it has been stored in the fridge for a long time and the hooch is very dark.

Is my sourdough starter ruined if it smells like alcohol? ›

This is very common. If you smell it, you will smell that it is alcohol, a common byproduct of the yeast when it has consumed all of the available food.

How do I know if I killed my sourdough starter? ›

Keep feeding your starter, and you'll see normal activity (bubbles) return in a few days. If your starter has a bit of dark liquid on top, it's not dead! It simply means it's hungry and that it's time to feed it. Unless your starter has a pink or orange hue or is beginning to mold, you probably haven't killed it yet.

Why is there liquid at the bottom of my sourdough starter? ›

Hooch can only form on a starter after it has been completely covered with bubbles and has risen, fallen, and all of the bubbles have subsided. This is the only time hooch can be created. It is created when the microbes have consumed all of the flour.

What happens if you add too much water to sourdough starter? ›

This is not always a bad thing, and sometimes extra flour is necessary to rectify a runny starter or make the starter peak at a later time. Feeding a sourdough starter too much water is worse as the starter won't have enough flour to feed on and it will be runny and less bubbly than it should be.

What to do if dough is too liquidy? ›

Another method: add flour. You don't want too much—start mixing with one tablespoon and slowly increase from there. This will help your ingredients adhere to one another. While it may not be as firm as you'd like, it'll work well enough to bake.

How to fix over fermented sourdough starter? ›

This is just a sign that your starter has over fermented. Just remove the hooch before you feed your starter again. You can also stir it in if the layer of hooch is rather thin, however bear in mind that it might take longer (more feeds) to reduce the acidity of your starter.

What does over fermented sourdough look like? ›

Dough that is over-fermented will start to spread once scored and look bubbly/weak. You'll notice it falling in a bit or a lot. Notice how the whole loaf is collapsing. If you notice your dough is over-fermented be sure to score very shallow and use a minimum of scoring slashes.

What can I do with a watery sourdough starter? ›

A sourdough starter tends to get runny when it's hungry. Simply feed it more often. If you feed your starter once a day, up it to twice a day, once in the morning and once again at night. You can always use the extra starter to make a yummy treat like Sourdough discard brownies, or whip up some pancakes.

How to prevent hooch in sourdough starter? ›

You can prevent hooch by keeping your starter fed well and often.

How to know when sourdough starter is bad? ›

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Can you use discard with hooch? ›

Often a layer of grey liquid will form on top of the discard—or even your starter. I usually pour this hooch off but you can also simply stir it in. If it smells strong like acetone, I'd pour that off to reduce the bacteria strain creating that aroma. It won't hurt you—your discard is merely hungry—but it smells awful.

How do I know if my sourdough starter is bad? ›

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Does hooch mean sourdough is hungry? ›

Hooch is formed after your sourdough starter has already had some bubbles, rises and falls. Hooch will smell like alcohol. This is a big indicator that your starter is really hungry. You can choose to pour off your hooch or stir it in, then feed it both water and flour using your typical ratios.

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