Starter Care And Feeding
Some sourdough bakers seem to think they’re chemists. And, okay, in a way, they are. But maintaining your starter is not rocket surgery.
I have a jar in the refrigerator with Zaphod — my starter’s name — in it. When I need to use some, I figure out how much I need. My go-to recipe uses 100grams of fed starter. So I take Zaphod out, I put ~70 grams in my feeding container, I add the same number of grams of flours and the same number of grams of warm water. This is a 1:1:1 feeding: equal parts of starter, flour, and water. I should now have 210 grams in my feeding beaker and I’ll cover gently, mark its level with a rubber band, and wait.
(On Flours: I use some rye and the rest all purpose. In the above example of 70:70:70 I’ll probably use 10-20 grams of rye and the rest in all purpose. Some use all whole wheat. Some use a different mix. I have another starter [that one’s named Parker] that’s only all-purpose.)
Zaphod is usually pretty lively and will double in 6-8 hours. If it’s going to be longer than that before I can use it I might do a 1:1.4:1.4 or so feeding: 70 grams of starter, 100 grams of flours, and 100 grams of warm water. With more non-starter it’ll take it longer to get going and rising time will be longer.
After it’s fully active I take out the 100 grams I need and put the rest back into the container with the rest of the starter. It’s a big container. If you’re doing math along with this you know I should be adding 110 grams of starter back into the container that I originally took 70 grams out of. So it’s getting larger and getting “new blood” so to speak.
Every couple of months I’ll pour it all out into a bowl, clean the container, chuck some of the starter (or put it into my discard container to use in pretzels or something), and then add what I want back into the now-clean container. I usually follow this with using some to feed and get active and make some bread.
Making A Backup
Shit happens.
To make a backup of your starter feed it 1:1:1 and when fully active spread it thinly on a silpat or a piece of parchment paper in a sheet pan. Let it dry out in a dehydrator or just left out with a thin towel tightly over it — want it to cover and allow evaporation but not be in it and sticking to it.
When fully dried out, crack it up and store the chips or powder in a plastic bag in the freezer.
I do the above every couple of months, throwing out the old one.
Restoring From Backup
Creating a starter from backup is pretty easy.
Weigh out how much dried flakes you have. Let’s say it’s 50 grams. Add 50 grams of warm water and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Stir well. I use a chopstick. You’ve now rehydrated your starter and have 100 grams of starter. Add 100 grams of flours and 100 grams of warm water and let sit to double. Ta da! You now have starter.
Don’t forget to make a new backup.
So very helpful to us novices! And though you might not even think about it, the friggen rubber band to mark your starting point is also fabulous information! Can’t believe no one has suggested that before.
Thank you,
I used to put tape. Then had to clean the tape residue off. Then read about someone using a rubber-band. Doh!