ok, so I have the sourdough starter

[redsquirrel]

I am the proud owner of a sourdough starter. I got it from a acquaintance, who happens to be a highly esteemed microbiologist so you know it is good, lol.

 

I have gone in an out of sourdough baking, but the last time I was successful was years and years ago. I tried last year, I got a starter and it promptly died on me.  Well, I say died, but I probably killed it. I kept it on the counter, I fed it and.....nothing. It never bubbled up, it never showed a sign of life. I never put it in the fridge because it was winter and in the winter my house is cold.  Like butter is seriously hard and breaks when you try to get some. So I think I killed it. The guy who gave me this starter said it might have already been dead, he isn't convinced I did anything wrong, but I am not so sure.

 

So, he told me that he uses city water but he brings it to a boil and then lets it cool and that is the only thing he does that he thinks is special. People have given me all kinds of instructions but that was all he said.

 

So, this starter was just fed yesterday.... what should I do with it? I have about 2 cups. It is thin...like slightly thick milk. The top currently has lots of little bubbles on it and it smells fantastic, much better than any starter I have used before.

 

So, if was fed yesterday.  When do I feed it again? How do I feed it? I am asking because I am not sure I am doing it right. I've done sourdough in the past and it was always thicker than this and it wasn't so white and it certainly didn't smell this good. I've always had stronger, harsher starters and they were kind of nasty. This is just beautiful and I would like to keep it this way. I think I have to use it a lot and that is fine, my kids would be thrilled if I was forced to bake bread many times a week.

 

Please help me before I kill again.  It's a nice little starter and I would like to make it happy

 

ETA: I am a fairly traditional bread maker, but I have wanted to try the no-knead method. Can I do that with sourdough?

[Tina]

:w00t:   Yeah!  I'm listening!  I just got a starter kit from Cultures for Health I need to start.  Love learning from the experts here!  (Didn't see the popcorn or coffeecup smilies...)

[KungFuPanda]

A frequently fed starter will be sweeter. The longer you go between feedings, the more sour it becomes. I keep mine in the fridge because I can't commit to feeding it twice a day. I feed mine a couple times a month just to keep it alive, but will pull it out of the fridge and feed it twice a day a few days before I use it. I like my sourdough bread to taste very sour, so I think the neglect makes it better.

 

If you want it thicker, use more flour when you feed it. I've never had issues using tap water. It's pretty forgiving and can often be revived from near death. Mines been ticking for years.

[Liz CA]

You feed it every day - even if just a little bit. I feed my new one straight for one week about 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water or more - just usually equal parts of flour and water. During this time I keep it at room temp.

When you are ready to use it, it should be bubbly and smelling like you describe it. Once it's established you can probably feed it once or twice a week the night before you are going to use it. I used to keep mine in the fridge until the night before I took out what I needed to bake, fed it and let it sit out overnight, then used it.

[SamanthaCarter]

I keep a small amount in my fridge (less than 1 cup) and get it out a couple of days before I need it. Then I feed it twice a day until I have enough for my bread recipe, saving 4 ounces to feed and put directly back into the fridge. It works well for me!

[redsquirrel]

Do you all let it come to room temp before you feed it, or do you feed it right away?

 

If I keep it in the fridge, can I feed it more than once a week? I am thinking maybe twice a week if only to keep it so mild.  I do like sour bread, but I'd like to work my kids up to it, lol

[Jennifer132]

I just made my fourth loaf of sourdough, so I'm by no means an expert, but I did make my starter from scratch and my loaf was tasty! I started out feeding mine once a day 3/4 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons flour and half a cup water. It started out well, but got stinky around day four (I mean vomit stinky, not sourdough stinky, it was seriously bad). I tossed all but a few tablespoons and started over feeding it twice a day instead and 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 water (I used bottled, whereas on my first try I used tap). They say the chlorine in tap can kill the good bacteria in your starter...? I don't know, but bottled worked for me! Mine never doubled in that first two weeks, but it always bubbled up at least a significant amount. So I just finally decided to make a loaf. It does take a long time to rise. I left mine for 6 hours for the first rise, and 2 hours each for the subsequent rises. Then I refrigerated the dough. About a week later, I needed it, so I took it out the day before and fed it twice that day, then fed it the morning I planned to bake. It rose so much it came out of the container! So I used some up on bread and also made popovers, then fed it and stuck it back in the fridge.

[skimomma]

I have been making sourdough bread every week for about ten years.  I had the same homegrown starter going for almost ten years until this summer when I botched it and had to start over (long story).  My new starter is so much different in taste that it has taken some getting used to.....  But to answer your questions:

 

I use filtered water for feeding.  There is too much chlorine in our water for starter so it really just need to sit to dissipate the chlorine.  Since it needs to sit anyway, using a Brita filter kills two birds....sitting and other contaminates.  In general, I think tap water is just fine for anything but if yours is high in chlorine like mine, I would suggest letting it sit for 12-24 hours before adding to the starter.  Boiling will do the same thing but takes more effort.

 

I keep my starter in the fridge until I am ready to start a new batch of bread.  Usually, there is no time in between but if we are traveling or have another reason to delay the next batch, I just put it in the fridge.  I do not feed it or anything.  I have left starter for as long as four weeks with no problem.

 

That said.....we like SOUR bread so we don't mind the extra "seasoning" that results from fridge-neglect.

 

I have also had much more luck with rye flour for starter.  I use wheat for when I actually make the bread but use rye for feeding and propagating.  In both cases, I use fresh-ground.  I have a grinder attachment for my KitchenAid that grinds just fine (despite very bad reviews).  I keep the whole grains in the freezer and grind straight from the freezer.  Even with the cost of the grinder, it is FAR cheaper than already-ground flour and much fresher.  I keep 50 pound bags of each in my chest freezer.

[Rosie_0801]

You can make pancakes with it too. My aunt made some using kefir and it mixed itself. Do sourdough pancakes mix themselves too?

[Liz CA]

Do you all let it come to room temp before you feed it, or do you feed it right away?

 

If I keep it in the fridge, can I feed it more than once a week? I am thinking maybe twice a week if only to keep it so mild.  I do like sour bread, but I'd like to work my kids up to it, lol

 

I don't wait for the starter to come up to room temp. I feed right away, then let it sit there. Like Panda said, they seem to be pretty forgiving (unlike the Kefir grains I killed). I had not used sourdough starter in years until I resurrected it last week and fed the culture every day. Yesterday, I made the first sourdough loaf in years - and voila, it worked. I forgot how good sourdough is.

[LostSurprise]

I feed once a day if it's out on the counter and I'm not using it. I feed twice a day if it's out on the counter and I do plan on using it. Pancakes are great for any sourdough glut. There's one recipe that needs no additional flour...just sourdough. 

 

If I don't plan on using it any time soon I cut it down to 1 cup and toss it in the fridge. It can go 4 (or more) weeks without feeding in there. I take it out a few days before use, drain the icky liquid, add tepid tap water, and stir. When it warms up I add the flour and put it in a comfortably warm place. I like to refresh it twice before using. 

 

It's usually hard to kill sourdough. I wouldn't even use filtered or boiled water unless your tap water is really overly-chemical. Even if the sourdough seems bad (black or top molded) or dried up you can usually take out a tablespoon from the bottom and soak it in warm water. Add flour. Build it back up. It doesn't usually take long. 

[KungFuPanda]

This is my new favorite sourdough pizza crust:

 

http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/08/15/sourdough-pizza-crust/

 

If you want the flavor of sourdough bread, but don't have the time or foresight to plan ahead or let it rise, there ARE recipes that use yeast AND starter so you can have it all. This is also foolproof if your not sure your starter is robust enough. Now, the slow, two-year rise gives the best flavor, but if you're going for mild anyway.

 

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/king-arthur-sourdough-bread-with-yeast/103957

[Liz CA]

This is my new favorite sourdough pizza crust:

 

http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/08/15/sourdough-pizza-crust/

 

 Now, the slow, two-year rise gives the best flavor, but if you're going for mild anyway.

 

Wow, that calls for patience!

[KungFuPanda]

Wow, that calls for patience!

Hey, sometimes you think about sourdough and want a loaf the same flippin' day. I'm not always patient with my food whims.

[Liz CA]

Hey, sometimes you think about sourdough and want a loaf the same flippin' day. I'm not always patient with my food whims.

 

This is exactly why I quit making sourdough for years - kept starter in fridge all these years, and now just came back to it. Good food takes forethought and I am frequently missing the forethought part. Sigh.

[SamanthaCarter]

redsquirrel, this is the recipe I use. It is not sour at all, nobody knows it's sourdough unless you tell them, so I think your kids will like it. It doesn't take half as long to rise as the recipe says. I think that's why it's not sour. 

 

http://www.thenourishing    gourmet.com/2009/01/669.html

 

I make a quadruple batch each time, and I found that we like it better with only 1 t. of salt per loaf. Also, I weigh the sourdough rather than measure volume, so to make 4 loaves I use 32 ounces of starter. I've never needed as much flour as the recipe calls for. Three cups per loaf is really the upper limit IMO (maybe because my starter is thick?), you want it sticky. I feed my stater with white flour, so this ends up being probably only 2/3 whole wheat, which is fine with me. I've added yogurt to this with good results. Try experimenting with this one! 

[redsquirrel]

I have been considering a 'mixed' recipe with some yeast to boost the starter, but I have done all sourdough successfully. But, like I said, that was years ago..like over 20 years ago. My memories of what I did have become hazy. I blame the children.

 

Have I mentioned that I have been making bread for a long time? Jeepers I am old. You would think I would be a master baker by now, tossing miche out like it was nothing.

 

I only have 2 cups of starter and I would like at least three, so I think I am going to feed it today but also feed what I take out, making 2 small starters, and then merge them. Then, when it looks happy, I am going to toss it into the fridge and let it sit until next week. I can't do anything until after Thanksgiving.

 

and I am so trying that pizza dough!

 

SamanthaCarter, your link doesn't work? I will try to track it down though, because I like the idea of it.

[SamanthaCarter]

You should be able to copy and paste and take the spaces out. I broke the link because I wasn't sure what the rules were here at WTM. 

 

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I want to try sourdough waffles!

[ThursdayNext]

Another person who keeps the sourdough starter in the fridge. I feed it once a week. If I want to make bread, I'll take it out and feed it more frequently. And sourdough waffles are great, so you don't have to discard when you feed it.

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-sourdough-waffles-331605

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/healthy-sourdough-whole-grain-waffles-and-pancakes-226011

 

http://www.foodfanatic.com/2013/02/banana-muffins-with-chocolate-chips-and-sourdough/

 

These are all awesome recipes. My starter is whole wheat, and I haven't had great success at 100% whole wheat sourdough bread. But I would keep the starter around just for waffles and muffins. We eat waffles once a week at feeding time, or more often if I think of it.