you dispose of in the trash or compost. (Or check out the recipes in Chapter 13 using sourdough discard.)
COPING WITH COMMON STARTER WOES
Yes, your starter can have troubles. Generally speaking, most starter troubles start with a mistake a person makes. For example, cross contamination, from not using clean jars, utensils, or hands while dealing with a starter, can invite unfriendly foes into your jar. If you see a dark brown or pink streak in your starter, it’s time to start again. Molds and unfriendly yeasts can take over, so it’s important to always use clean tools and clean hands.
I bake a lot, and I’m not immune from starter woes. In fact, I have a funny story about my own starter getting overheated: I had placed my starter on the center of my stovetop. It’s a warm spot and it had always kept my starter happy … until the fateful day I turned on my oven and forgot to move Elvira (yes, that was her name). The heat from the oven went up the backside of my stovetop and baked poor Elvira. She was toast, and I had to start again.
Now when I’m keeping my starter warm in the oven or on top, I place a sticky note on the oven to remind myself not to bake my poor starter. Also, I keep an extra batch of starter on hand, either in my freezer, in my refrigerator, or dried. You can never be too careful — sourdough starter is like gold!
Before returning your jar to the refrigerator be sure to feed the starter using the same 1:1:1 ratio. Refrigerate until ready to use again.
The more you bake, the more vivacious your starter will be. Some bakers who have a healthy, well-used starter can leave theirs unfed (in the refrigerator) for a month between feedings. But with a brand-new starter, it’s important to feed weekly and keep your starter healthy.
DRYING YOUR STARTER
Most bakers enjoy sharing their starters across the globe, and to do so, they send it off in its dried form. To dry your starter, follow these steps:
1 Feed it as you normally would.
2 Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter.
3 Pour a thin layer of sourdough starter on the parchment paper.
4 Let the starter dry for three to five days, until completely dry.
5 Break the starter into pieces and store the pieces in an airtight container or glass jar.
Dried starter can keep for a year safely in your pantry. To use the dried starter, follow these steps:
1 Place a clean glass jar on a scale and tare the scale to 0.
2 Add 30 grams of dried starter to the jar.
3 Tare the jar to 0 again and add 30 grams of warm water.
4 Stir the mixture and let it bubble for 4 to 8 hours.
5 Feed your starter as you normally would (1:1:1 ratio) until it becomes active, doubling in size.
I recommend fully waking up your starter by feeding it twice a day for two to three days before baking.
Forming Your Dough
Finally, what you’ve been waiting for: making your first loaf of sourdough bread! In this section, I break down the exact process to making sourdough bread. There are variances as you advance your skills in sourdough bread making, but the basics will get you started and moving in the right direction. When your starter is ready to bake, these are the general steps you take in baking a bread loaf. Chapter 7 has all the sourdough bread recipes you need to get started.
Watch videos if you struggle with shaping, folding, or stretching. Sourdough is a constant learning process. You never stop learning — that’s the fun of it!
Pay attention to how the seasons affect your bread. Adjust your sails when it’s summer or winter. If it’s very warm, use less starter or bulk-rise for less time. If it’s cold, you may want to increase your starter or bulk-rise longer.
Feed your starter and keep it well loved and viable. Neglected starters don’t thrive.
Start with the Rustic Sourdough recipe (Chapter 7) and make it two or three times per week for a whole month. Get the feel for it. Learn from this one loaf and perfect it. Then advance to other recipes.
Don’t give up. Keep practicing!
Realize that appearance is not as important as flavor and texture. If it tastes good, great! That’s what matters most.
When you have the sourdough process down, share a loaf and starter with a friend! Spread the love. Oh, and don’t forget to give them a copy of this book, too!
Step 1: Autolyzing
You’ll start by pulling out a large, glass mixing bowl. In this bowl, you’ll gently mix together your flour, water, and starter in the recipe you’re following. The dough will look like a shaggy mess. Don’t worry, it’ll get there! Allow the mixture to autolyze (hydrate the flour, allowing the enzymes to be activated). This process can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour.
Step 2: Adding salt
Next, you’ll fold in the salt. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and lift the bottom edge of the dough and fold into the center. If your hands are feeling sticky, dip them in water and continue. Give the bowl a quarter turn, lift up the bottom edge and gently stretch the dough up and fold it over the center. Repeat this twice more. This process is called stretching and folding (see Figure 4-2), and it’s very different from kneading dough. Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel and begin the bulk rise.
FIGURE 4-2: Stretching, folding, and shaping sourdough.
Step 3: Bulk fermenting
How long you bulk ferment depends greatly on the amount of starter used in the recipe and the temperature of your home. If you’re making a basic white sourdough, you can simply cover the dough and let it rest and ferment for eight to ten hours. If you’re making a whole-grain variety, you’ll want to help the gluten formation by folding the dough (as described in Step 2, with four quarter turns and folds) every 30 to 60 minutes twice more.
Production could look like this:
8 p.m.: Autolyze the dough and feed the starter.
8:30 p.m.: Add in the salt and fold.
9:30 p.m.: Perform four stretch and folds.
10:30 p.m.: Perform four stretch and folds and rest the