may be screaming about tossing out so much flour and feeling a shameful sense of waste. But saving and storing starter day after day can become overwhelming. I’ve seen too many new bakers fret about using their starter, only to get frustrated and quit baking sourdough or put it in their fridge to try again later. I pride myself on being green, but even I dump my starter into my trash bin or compost. It’s okay to dump your discard! Just be sure to do so in the trash or compost — don’t pour it down your sink! Sourdough starter or dough placed down your sink drain can wreak havoc on your pipes! Hot water and dough can create a cement-like mixture.
If you want to store your discard, you can keep a separate (labeled) jar in your refrigerator where you place all your discard. Then, when the mood strikes, you can whip up one of the recipes in Chapter 13, which is full of sourdough discard recipes. Sourdough discard is a great yogurt, egg, or buttermilk substitute. The tartness is mild, and the starter discard can give the product a light, airy texture.
Day 3
On the third day, follow these steps:
1 Place a clean glass jar on the scale and tare the scale to 0.
2 Transfer from the other jar 50 grams of the starter.
3 Discard the remaining starter.Don’t use or save the discarded starter. Throw it in the trash or compost it.
4 Tare the scale to 0 and add 50 grams of flour.
5 Tare the scale to 0 again and add 50 grams of water.This is a 1:1:1 ratio (starter:flour:water).
6 Using a spoon, give the mixture a stir.
7 Screw the lid loosely onto the jar.
8 Place a rubber band around the jar at the line where the starter is now.The rubber band will serve as a marker showing you how much the starter is growing each day.
9 Place the jar in a dark, cool spot (like a pantry or cupboard), and let it rest for 24 hours.
Days 4 through 11
Now you’re ready to increase your feedings to twice daily, 12 hours apart. Follow these steps every day from days 4 through 10:
1 Place a clean glass jar on the scale and tare the scale to 0.
2 Transfer from the other jar 50 grams of the starter.
3 Discard the remaining starter.Don’t use or save the discarded starter. Throw it in the trash or compost it.
4 Tare the scale to 0 and add 50 grams of flour.
5 Tare the scale again and add 50 grams of water.This is a 1:1:1 ratio (starter:flour:water).
6 Using a spoon, give the mixture a stir.
7 Screw the lid loosely onto the jar.
8 Place the rubber band around the jar at the line where the starter is now.The rubber band will serve as a marker showing you how much the starter is growing each day.
9 Place the jar in a dark, cool spot (like a pantry or cupboard), and let it rest for 12 hours.
10 Repeat Steps 1 through 9.
KNOWING WHEN YOUR STARTER IS READY
How do you know when your starter is ready to use?
Some folks swear by the float test. This is where you take a spoonful of your starter and put it into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s assumed to be ready. For the most part, this is a reliable test with a sourdough starter.
But using a rubber band to mark where your starter begins really gives you an idea of the vitality of your starter. When it doubles in size, it’s ready to use. Look for large and small bubbles throughout the starter.
Every time you feed the starter, look to see how much the starter has grown. Is it bubbly? Has it doubled in size? If you answer “Yes” to both of these questions, it’s time to bake your first loaf of bread. If you answer “No,” continue to feed your starter twice daily until you have a vibrant, bubbly starter.
Caring for a Starter
To keep your starter alive, you can store it on the counter or in the refrigerator or freezer:
If you plan to bake daily: Keep your starter on the counter and feed it twice daily, 12 hours apart.
If you plan to bake anywhere from once a week to once a month: Keep your starter in the refrigerator and feed it once a week. In the refrigerator your starter goes dormant, slowing down its need to be fed. If you see hooch (the alcohol layer mentioned in Chapter 1) form on your starter, just stir it into the doughy part of the starter and then feed the starter.
If you don’t plan to bake for more than a month: Keep your starter in the freezer. Freezing temperatures won’t kill all your yeasts or Lactobacillus mix. The freezer can be a great place to store a starter if you get burned out on baking or you’re traveling for an extended period of time.
If you’re storing your starter on the counter, you can use it whenever you’re ready to make a loaf of bread. If you’re storing it in the refrigerator or freezer, you’ll need to revitalize your starter before baking.
When you want to bake a loaf of bread, you need to take your starter out of the refrigerator 12 hours prior to baking. Leave the jar at room temperature (65 to 80 degrees). Let your starter rise, about 2 to 4 hours. Then feed your starter. In 8 to 10 hours, your starter will be ready to use again.
Then follow these steps:
1 Place a clean glass jar on the scale and tare the scale to 0.
2 Add 50 grams of the starter in the jar.
3 Tare the scale to 0 and add 50 grams of flour.
4 Tare the scale to 0 again and add 50 grams of water.
5 Using a spoon, give the mixture a stir.
6 Screw the lid loosely onto the jar.
7 Place a rubber band around the jar at the line where the starter is now.The rubber band will serve as a marker showing you how much the starter is growing each day.
8 Place the jar in a warm spot in your kitchen.Many people like to use their oven (turned off) with the light on.After about six to eight hours, your starter should be bubbly and ready to use to bake bread.
To bake bread, you’ll use however much starter you need in a recipe (usually around 50 to 100 grams), and then create another jar to keep your starter going, and discard the remaining amount. To break this down for you more simply:
You have a jar with starter (say, about 150 grams of starter in total in this jar).
You take 50 grams out to bake bread.
You take 50 grams out to put in another jar and continue the starter jar, which you feed as described earlier.