As part of the feeding process, most bakers discard some of their sourdough starter before adding fresh flour and water to the jar. This is done to refresh the acidity levels (think sweet vs. sour smell) and to manage its overall growth in size. This technique is crucial for successful sourdough bread.
If you don't discard your sourdough starter, it will grow too big and be unmanageable. Not to mention you will go through an unmentionable amount of flour.
If left unfed it can start to grow mold and bacteria. At that point, a starter should be thrown out and started over. Any pink, orange, or grey color should be discarded and a brand new starter should be made. A sourdough starter does have a tangy smell to it but it should never have a foul smell.
Feed the starter 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water and a scant 1 cup (4 ounces, 113g) all-purpose flour twice a day, discarding all but 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) of the starter before each feeding. It should soon become healthy, bubbly, and active.
Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.
Myth 7: You can't overfeed sourdough starter.
While starters do need regular feeding, it is possible to overfeed one. Each time you feed a starter, you thin out the population of microorganisms by adding flour and water.
Room temperature sourdough discard should be used, refrigerated, or thrown away after 36-48 hours. Sourdough discard can be kept in the fridge for weeks, BUT it continues to get sourer as time passes.
Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.
Discard is the portion of starter removed from the jar prior to feeding. Starter refers to the active starter that has been fed and has risen to a peak. What is this? Both come from the same jar and are fed flour and water at some point, the differences are really in the timing.
One approach is to save up all this discard in one container in the fridge in what I like to call a sourdough starter cache. Then, use all this at once in a starter discard recipe or my sourdough waffles, pancakes, or banana bread at the end of the week.
Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.
Sourdough starter and sourdough discard are basically the same things. The discard is just the active starter that you remove when you feed your starter. It is called discard because it is often "discarded" during your starter's feeding.
It's possible to keep the sourdough discard fresher for up to 1 week by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.
I try to use my refrigerated sourdough discard within a week or two but you can probably store it in the refrigerator indefinitely. However, the quality and flavor of the discard will change and deteriorate over time.
Well it is true! Scientists, nutritionists, and health experts all agree that naturally-fermented sourdough bread is healthier than 'regular' white or whole wheat bread – for a multitude of reasons! Sourdough is more nutritious, easier to digest, and has a lower glycemic index.
As mentioned earlier, sourdough bread will have less calories and carbohydrates than their conventional bread counterparts due to the consumption of starches and sugars at the fermentation stage of making sourdough bread.
No. Probiotics can't handle high temperatures. So during the baking period, these bacteria would have already died. Toasting won't have any effect on the probiotics.
Ideally, your sourdough starter should be loosely covered with a lid or paper towel to keep out bugs (like fruit flies) and other debris. A loose lid will also stop it from drying out too much.
Do I have to feed my sourdough starter twice a day? No. You can scale back to once a day or even scale up to three times a day, whatever works for you and your schedule. I like to feed it at least once a day to keep it strong and ready for baking.
The oldest known sourdough starter is said to have originated from clay pots unearthed in Egypt. Seamus Blackley baked a loaf of sourdough bread using yeast harvested from 4500 year old clay pots. What is this? If you want to read more about this 4500 year old sourdough starter, go here.
You most definitely can bulk ferment sourdough too long. If you leave the dough to ferment for too long, it will become "over fermented". Over fermented dough will lose its structure and become a soupy, sloppy mess that you will not be able to shape.
The dark liquid is a form of naturally occurring alcohol known as hooch, which indicates that your sourdough starter is hungry. Hooch is harmless but should be poured off and discarded prior to stirring and feeding your starter.
A more mature starter will have a better established colony of lactobacillus (the good bacteria that give you the distinctive sourdough flavor). So as your starter matures and ages, it will develop a much stronger sourdough flavor.
It should show noticeable growth, with bubbles forming on the surface and throughout the mixture. Texture and Consistency: The starter should have a light and airy texture. When you scoop a spoonful or take a small amount of starter, it should be elastic and have a slightly stretchy quality.