Feeding ratios…

and discard…

and hooch…

OH MY! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

Listen, I get it. Sourdough can feel totally confusing, overwhelming and a bit like trying to understand a new language at first. I’ve been there. But the good news is that it’s really not as difficult or high maintenance as it seems. Once you understand the few basics, it’ll all start making sense. I’m here to answer your questions so you can feel prepared and empowered to become a sourdough pro in no time.

 

 

 

FAQ

What kind of flour should I use?

Sourdough starters can be made and maintained with many different types of flours. All sourdough starters will behave differently, but different flours will yield different characteristics and flavor profiles. 

I generally recommend feeding it with the type of flour that you will most often bake with. Therefore, if you’re making mostly whole grain bread, you might want to maintain a whole wheat (or predominantly whole grain) starter. If you want a classic loaf of sourdough, I prefer to use King Arthur unbleached bread flour. You can also just use all purpose flour for (you guessed it…) all purposes. You do not need to run out and buy a specialty bag of flour for one recipe! I’m a big fan of using whatever you have available to you.

 

Can I switch what kind of flour I use?

Because you have rehydrated a mature starter, you can change flours as needed. If your starter was brand new (ie you created it from scratch on your own, not rehydrating an established starter) I would not recommend switching flours until your starter becomes more mature. Keep in mind that types of flours behave differently so you may need to adjust your ratio/schedule.

 

What is a feeding ratio? Which feeding ratio should I use? 

Feeding ratios are used to indicate the ratio of sourdough starter, flour, and water in each feeding. Here are a few examples: 

1:1:1 ratio = equal amounts of sourdough starter, total flour, and total water. Ex. 20 grams starter: 20 grams flour: 20 grams water

1:1:.75 ratio = ex. 20 grams starter: 20 grams flour: 15 grams water

1:2:2 ratio = ex. 20 grams starter: 40 grams flour: 40 grams water

1:5:5 ratio ex. 20 grams starter: 100 grams flour: 100 grams water

Once your starter is active and on a reliable feeding schedule, you can adapt your feeding ratio as needed to fix consistency, adjust baking timelines, etc. 

 

When should I feed my starter?
Once your starter has doubled in size, or peaked, and it begins to fall, it’s time to discard and feed again. Careful not to begin feeding before it’s peaked! 

 

How do I know when my starter is ready to bake with?

Once your starter is very bubbly and reliably doubling in size within 6-8 hours, it’s ready to bake with. If your starter is struggling to rise between feedings or taking a significantly long time to reach peak activity, it is most likely not strong enough to leaven bread. Continue to feed your starter until it’s ready.

You can also try the float test. Put a small scoop of fed starter into a cup of water. If your starter sinks, it’s definitely not ready to bake with yet. If it floats, that’s a good sign it’s ready to go.  The float test can produce false positives so don’t rely on only that. I generally recommend to go off of its bubbly appearance and actively doubling in size as the main indicator your starter is ready and use the float test to be sure. Does that make sense?

 

Won’t it go bad sitting out at room temperature?

As long as you’re maintaining your starter with regular feeds, it won’t go bad. The starter culture develops a pH level (acidity level) that is hostile to mold/pathogens so a healthy starter should actually resist mold while sitting out at room temp. Sourdough is so cool! 😎 

 

Should I keep my sourdough starter covered?
I like to loosely cover my starter to keep anything from falling inside since it lives on my countertop and to keep it from drying out. You can use a lid, put a paper towel on top of your jar and secure it with a rubber band, or even purchase sourdough starter covers if you’re feeling extra.

 

What is discard?

Sourdough discard is simply the leftover portion of sourdough starter that is removed before fresh flour and water are added. You may also hear this referred to as unfed starter. 

Do I need to discard? How much?

You don’t *have* to but discarding part of the starter is required to maintain a healthy sourdough starter. This actually reduces waste too, as it means your starter remains a manageable size and requires less flour during feedings. It will continue to grow each time you feed it, so if you didn’t discard your sourdough starter would grow way too big and probably take over your house. Kidding, but also you’ve been warned!🤪

You should be discarding half of your starter each time until you figure out your baking schedule and get more familiar with sourdough.

 

Okay, I discarded. Now what do I do with the discard?

There’a a few things you can do with your discard. If you don’t plan to use it, you can get rid of it or give it to a friend. Otherwise, save it in a jar with a lid in your fridge. You can take it out to bake with as needed as well as add to it when you feed your active starter. If it’s sitting in the fridge for longer than a week or you notice liquid forming on the top layer, it’s hungry. You can feed it, use it, or pull it out to continue feeding in order to turn it back into an active starter.

If you’re building up a big supply of discard in your fridge, it’s time to start using it! There are plenty of amazing discard recipes out there. I regularly make graham crackers, tortillas, cheez-it’s, etc.
It may also be time to think about your feeding schedule and store your starter in the fridge between baking if you’re noticing a pattern of large discard quantities.

 

How often should I feed my refrigerated starter?

Just like a starter on the countertop, it will depend on many factors such as temperature, flour type, humidity, etc. Start off feeding once or twice each week. Keep an eye on when it starts to show signs it’s hungry and adjust your feeding schedule based on that. 

 

How can I make my starter bigger or smaller?
Simply discard more or less and then continue to feed. Make sure you adjust your new feeding amounts based on your starter’s new size. This is where a kitchen scale comes in incredibly handy.

 

I don’t want to get rid of my starter but I don’t bake often. Do I still need to feed it everyday?

Nope! If you don’t bake frequently or are going out of town, you can refrigerate a healthy sourdough starter. Cold temperatures slow yeast and bacteria activity and will naturally extend how long your starter can sit between feedings. 

Before refrigerating your sourdough starter, discard and feed like usual. Allow it to sit at room temperature for roughly 1 hour before transferring it to the fridge.

Once you are ready to bake with your starter or resume regular feedings, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature until it is bubbly and has reached peak activity. Continue with regular feedings and observe its activity. Depending on how long it was refrigerated, it may require an additional 2 to 3 regular feedings at room temperature before it has resumed regular activity levels and is strong enough for baking. 

 

 

I forgot about my starter in the fridge for a few months. Did I kill it?

It’s nearly impossible to kill your starter by refrigerating it. As long as it isn’t moldy, you can easily restart a neglected starter. If there is mold present, throw it away and restore a backup dehydrated starter or make a new one. Mold is dangerous and can penetrate deep below the surface so once you see mold, the entire starter is bad.

If your starter has no mold but is covered in a clear/gray liquid (a.k.a. "hooch”), pour off the liquid  and scrape off the gray layer on top. You’ll likely uncover a beautiful starter underneath. Pour out 30g of that starter into a clean jar. Stir in 30g flour and 30g filtered water. Do not discard and re-feed until the starter is completely covered with bubbles on top. Discarding and feeding before it’s ready will only make it weaker. Your starter should recover within a day or two. Just be patient!

 

 

My starter doubles in size but then it still keeps going and triples in size. Does this mean it’s strong?

I know it’s exciting to see an abundance of starter but this is a sign you’re over-feeding your starter which actually weakens it. Don’t worry—it’s an easy fix.

The optimal time to feed your starter is just past its peak when it begins to fall. This is when the yeast population is at its peak and the food source is being fully consumed. When your starter is tripling in size,  it is doubling, however, it isn’t peaking. When you discard and feed your starter before it’s peaked, you’re essentially throwing away “uneaten” flour and a diluted yeast population which weakens your starter.

Try adjusting your feeding ratio and discarding/feeding only once your starter has peaked (you’re seeing it double in volume and lots of bubbles on top). This is going to take a little trial and error but now you know what to do and what not to do.

 

My kitchen is cold. Can I still make sourdough?

While your starter definitely prefers a warmer climate, a cooler kitchen is not a total deal breaker. Be aware that your starter will take more time to peak during feedings and your bread will take longer to rise. 

You can try keeping your starter in the oven (turned off!) with the light on. I recommend placing it on a baking sheet in case it overflows during its peak. I also recommend using a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature inside the oven so it does not get too hot. Pro tip: put a note on the oven so nobody accidentally turns it on while your starter is doing its thing.

You can also try placing your starter in the microwave next to a bowl of warm water. Play around with it and see what works for your kitchen! If you’re super serious about bread making, you can look into purchasing a bread proofing box to help you out with the temperature.

 
My kitchen is 90°F in the summer. Will my starter be ok?

The die-off temperature for sourdough starter is 130°F so it will not die at 90°F but a warm kitchen will make your starter rise quicker and make your starter become more liquified and acidic quicker. I would suggest keeping it in the refrigerator during the hot months and only pulling it out when you’re preparing to bake.

 

My starter smells like nail polish remover. Shound I throw it away?
Step away from the garbage! This is actually a totally normal byproduct of the fermentation process. If your starter is smelling like acetone, it usually means it needs to be fed.
 

There’s a layer of liquid on top of my starter/discard. Is this mold?

This liquid (or “hooch”, as it’s commonly called) can either be poured off and discarded or stirred back into the culture. Stirring it back in may give you more of the “sour” taste in sourdough but it’s perfectly safe. Seeing hooch on your sourdough can be a sign you’re not feeding it often enough.

 

Do I need a kitchen scale?
Yes and no. If you’re planning to continue to feed your starter and/or bake on a somewhat regular basis, I do recommend getting a scale. Kitchen scales are relatively inexpensive and will provide you with consistent results. If you’re just making one recipe and/or rarely bake, I don’t believe it’s a necessary expense. You bread will still taste delicious. 

 

 

Still have questions? Send me an email at hello@sugarfootkitchenshop.com 😊