Keeping your Starter ALIVE!
Did your Last Starter DIE?
You are not alone! In Fact its one of the most common complaints about why Sourdough is SO HARD! It’s more of a Rhythm then you think, and you just need to Sync up with your Starters needs and you’ll be good to go! Here are my TOP Tips!
Think of your Starter like the Moon or the Sun. It Runs on a Cycle - rising and falling in its own Rhythm - There are 3 Main Cycles.
Cycle 1: Eating/Feeding. When you have “FED” your Starter the Culture is Actively working its way through the fresh flour and water, making bubbles, probiotics and enzymes which make Sourdough so special. You want to “Use” this Active starter when its part way or towards to end of its consumption. This is when it’s making LOTS of bubbles (too many to count), has doubled in size and it has a sweet beer smell. This section of the cycle can take 2-8 Hours depending on your environment so you’ll need a day to watch to find out a more accurate time frame for your house. (Temperature and Season all Matter with Sourdough)
Use this is for “Active Starter Recipes” like Bread or things that need lots of Rise.
Cycle 2: “Discard”. This is when your Starter has eaten ALL of the fresh flour and water, has bubbled up and has deflated at this point, there may be some small bubbles and it should look more liquid and runny , It can stay on your counter for 12+ hours in this state but if you leave it too long the culture can start to die or be prone to mold. You NEED to take Action at this Step and Choose if you are going to feed it to make Bread or another Active Recipe in the next 12 hours or whether you are going to put it in your Fridge to go dormant (Can go in your fridge for up to a week unfed) . If you are taking a break from Sourdough you can Feed your Starter & place a loose fitting lid and it can Eat at a much slower rate, keeping it alive in your fridge for up to 1 month!
Cycle 3: Dormant. This starter is in your Fridge and Ready to be revived when you have time! If its been an Entire month without use- there may be a black liquid on the top and some settling on the bottom. Don’t be alarmed, this is basically a super concentrated version of your starter discard. As long as there is no visible mold you are good to go! There may even be a hard film on top, you can peel it off and still use the bottom. The KEY here is to give your dormant starter a good Stir and only use a heaping tablespoons worth- put this tablespoon of dormant starter the jar you’ll be using to feed your starter. To bring it out of dormancy you will feed 1/2 -3/4 cup flour and enough water to get to muffin batter or thick pancake batter consistency. This MAY revive right back into Active starter ready to use within 8-12 Hours or if it Didn’t double in size then you’ll need to see how it moves with a little troubleshooting. If you only got a 25-30% Rise you’ll need to discard half of your mixture, then re-feed and repeat your observations until it rebalances itself.
The Feed Ratio I Use:
1 tbsp-1/4 cup dormant or discard starter
1/2 cup-3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water (more or less) start slow you can always add more!
Stir until thick pancake batter is achieved
I like to use the Wide Mouth 500 ml Mason Jars fitted with a coffee filter on top and a ring to secure any fruit fly’s from coming in but allowing good airflow
Perfect Bread is only possible with a Healthy Starter- You Can’t FAKE IT!
During Covid Times I was so fed up with all the information on starters after 2+ weeks of trying to get an active starter i thought i FINALLY had a healthy starter because i saw 4 bubbles at long last! I made a recipe from a trusted blog and to my disappointment the bread was a literal Hockey puck i was devastated and i ended up feeding it to my pet pigs! I thought “I followed everything they said and its been 2 weeks of feeding and discarding this is impossible!” The Thing is ALOT of the blogs and sourdough experts are in warmer climates int he southern states making all their recommended time frames not Accurate for this Ontario baker- not to mention with Working and being a busy mom I didn’t have time to babysit my starter and learn why it was not working- I also thought i needed to bake a loaf of bread every day to be successful and that’s not the case- especially for us Modern Moms in the sourdough world! Using these 3 Steps of observation you can be a great Sourdough Scientist and Figure out how to make it work for your Lifestyle. If you still end up killing your starter Don’t worry I’m sure a baker nearby can Spot you one to get back onto your Feet! If you are Local to Oxford County you can always DM Me!
