Sour dough starter question

[Remudamom]

How soon after I feed my starter may I use it?

[BikeBookBread]

I do my final feed/build the night before I plan on using it, let it sit overnight on the counter, and then start the dough process in the morning. In any case, it needs to show some life. Some people say it has to double, but mine has never done that, yet is VERY robust when I start my dough process, usually using a two-stage recipe (creating a biga or poolish prior to the final dough preparation...I do a lot of 3 day recipes).

 

Here's LOTS of great sourdough info:

 

http://sourdough.com/

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/forum/10

http://sourdoughhome.com/

 

Also check out Peter Reinhart's book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" for very detailed info about sourdough.

[Liz CA]

Are you just feeding the starter culture? When you leave it at room temp, it should bubble before you make it into dough.

 

If you are wondering when you can use / bake the dough (you made with starter culture), it should have risen quite a bit, not necessarily doubled. But someone told me that it should be so active that, when you stick your finger into the dough ball, the indentation disappears within a minute. It means the dough is very bubbly and active and will fill the hole your finger left.

[LostSurprise]

It depends.

 

I've made sourdough pancakes right afterward.

 

For bread I like a more 'sourdough' taste so I wait at least 3-5 hours for an active starter to replenish itself. You can tell when its ready...it rises and gets very bubbly/holey.

 

A good rule of thumb is to feed your sourdough the night before you wish to use it.

[Starr]

Many uses for sourdough. My dm used it to tan rabbit hides. They came out like frisbees but the hair stayed on. :lol: