Keeping Your Sourdough Starter Alive
A healthy starter smells like fresh yogurt or green apples, not nail polish remover. Treating it as a living member of your pantry routine takes only a few minutes and prevents it from souring into neglect.
Consistency is your best tool
Use a digital scale for every feeding; eye-balling quantities leads to erratic activity. Keep your starter in a glass vessel so you can track its rise through the walls of the jar.
- digital kitchen scale
- glass jar with loose-fitting lid
- sturdy silicone spatula
What goes in.
- 50gmature sourdough starter
- 50gall-purpose or bread flour
- 50gfiltered water, lukewarm
The importance of the ratio
Always remove the majority of the old starter before adding fresh flour and water. If you don't discard, your starter will eventually outgrow your jar and consume more flour than you can manage.
The method.
Weigh the jar
Keep a mental or written note of the empty weight of your jar so you can easily calculate how much starter remains inside.
Remove the excess
Scoop out all but 50g of the starter. This leaves a small base of established yeast to populate the new flour you are about to add.
Feed the culture
Add 50g of flour and 50g of water directly into the jar. Stir vigorously until no dry streaks remain and the texture is uniform.
Rest
Scrape down the sides of the jar. Cover loosely and place in a spot away from direct sunlight.
Other turns to take.
The Refrigerator Hold
If you don't bake daily, store the jar in the back of the fridge after feeding. It will go dormant, requiring a feeding only once every 7 to 10 days.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your starter develops a dark liquid on top, it is hungry; pour it off and feed immediately.
Use a rubber band around the outside of the jar to mark the level immediately after feeding to track how far it rises.
Always use non-chlorinated water, as chlorine can inhibit the growth of the wild yeast.
The ones that keep coming up.
Does the type of flour matter?
Rye or whole wheat flour feeds the yeast faster, leading to a more aggressive rise, while white flour is more forgiving for beginners.
Can I save a starter that has been ignored for weeks?
Yes. Perform two or three consecutive feedings every 12 hours. The yeast will usually bounce back once it recognizes a steady supply of fresh sugars.
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