jeri Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have the KA Whole Wheat Baking book, which I love and use often. In fact, the only breads I haven't tried are the sourdoughs. It looks so daunting to have to take care of the starter! Also, I like to bake several loaves at once since I have a ginormous Bosch mixer. So, would one have to triple the amount of starter that one makes? Or would you just make a second starter instead of throwing out 1/2? Or would you not throw out half? And isn't there anything else to do with the 1/2 they say to throw out? It sounds like it gets expensive! Thanks. Jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 All you add is flour and water. It doesn't really get expensive. Also, you can keep a smaller amount in the fridge all the time and just feed it more a day or two before you plan to bake. You don't HAVE to throw ANY out, it's assumed that you use the amount removed and feed the rest to maintain a supply. I think people toss half to keep their starter in a smaller jar if they need to feed it without baking anything. It helps if you think of it as a very forgiving pet. It's easier to maintain than that plant you forget to water. I've neglected mine for a month at a time. I even brought it back from the dead after a summer of not baking. It's nice to have, but it doesn't really take over your life. It can seem to take forever to raise compared to yeast bread, so you don't want to plan a meal around it coming out of the oven at an exact time. If you want an intermediate step, the king Arthur website has a recipe that uses sourdough starter and yeast, so you get the sourness without the longer wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Once you get started its not as daunting as it seems. Frankly its really hard to kill one of these things once they get going and they're easy to make bigger or smaller. Acidic liquid on top? Drain and feed. Black? Scrape off the black and find even 1 Tbl of sorta normal looking stuff. Add that to water and flour. It will come back. Unless I'm baking I usually keep mine in the back of the fridge. When I clean the fridge out I drain it and feed it, leave it out overnight then put it back. When you're baking take the starter out a day or two before. Get rid of any liquid. Feed. Keep in a warm place. Feed again. Let it build up. If you're making lots of loaves just feed it more then usual. You can get a starter quickly from just a little bit. If you like more intense sourdough flavor just give it a 24-36 hours to cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I kept a starter for years and never threw any of it out until we went on an extended vacation.:confused: You just feed it more if you use more. I have the KA Whole Wheat Baking book, which I love and use often. In fact, the only breads I haven't tried are the sourdoughs. It looks so daunting to have to take care of the starter! Also, I like to bake several loaves at once since I have a ginormous Bosch mixer. So, would one have to triple the amount of starter that one makes? Or would you just make a second starter instead of throwing out 1/2? Or would you not throw out half? And isn't there anything else to do with the 1/2 they say to throw out? It sounds like it gets expensive! Thanks. Jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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