How to create a sourdough starter

DAY 5


One more time!


Take out 20 grams of starter to a new jar. (Or just take out 80% from the old jar)
Add 50 grams of water. Mix into a milky liquid.
Measure 50 grams of flour in to the jar.
Mix. Mix up and down working some air into it.
Put the lid back on loosely.
Put the starter back to its cozy spot. (21C-27C / 70F-81F)

And the amounts in volume,

about two tablespoons of the starter
1/4 cup of flour
a little bit less than 1/4 cup of water (again, aim for a pancake batter consistency)


Tomorrow the directions will change a bit (well actually not really ) and I will talk about the looks and smells of a hungry starter! Yay!


Next step will happen in 24 hours.

Good morning
Not many bubbles all day yesterday nor this morning.  There was just the tiniest bit of liquid on top...a few drops.  I stirred back in and started a new jar following day five's instructions.

The smell is still sweet and nice and I've been putting the discards in our daily bread.

I've upgraded my incubation chamber to a small cooler with a lidded bowl of hot water wrapped in towels...jar on top...then thick towel over all rather than the lid (the lid to the cooler I mean...the jar has it's cloth and ring as usual)

I wasn't sure how much air flow we need?

We are expecting temps down in the twenties farenhite in a few days so thought I better come up with something.

Have not wanted to use the same place that I incubate tempeh for fear of throwing one or the other off?

Judith, your starter sounds perfectly normal! It will start bubbling again in a few days. The liquid on top tells that it’s slowly starting to be hungry for more. But for now, continue the same way.

I think your incubation chamber sounds okay. There’s no need for too much of an airflow, just that things are not completely sealed. When you mix the starter you work in most of the air needed. After that it’s more about gases escaping the jar.


I’m not sure if two ferments hanging out in the same place could be a problem.. I would think that would not be a problem if they are not spilling on each other..  
Maybe someone else has an idea?

My second-set starter, you can see it's got more bubbles than the first day.  

Q: Why can't I wash old starter down the drain?

Kelly Pridgen wrote:Q: Why can't I wash old starter down the drain?

It can block the drain quite easily. Better to put it in a trash can. Or compost!

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

Kelly Pridgen wrote:Q: Why can't I wash old starter down the drain?

It can block the drain quite easily. Better to put it in a trash can. Or compost!

Flour +Water = paste. And it dries up HARD.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

Kelly Pridgen wrote:Q: Why can't I wash old starter down the drain?

It can block the drain quite easily. Better to put it in a trash can. Or compost!

Flour +Water = paste. And it dries up HARD.

And that’s also why I recommend using two jars and cleaning up right away.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

Kelly Pridgen wrote:Q: Why can't I wash old starter down the drain?

It can block the drain quite easily. Better to put it in a trash can. Or compost!

Flour +Water = paste. And it dries up HARD.

Sourdough was often used as glue, paper mache, and even as chinking, in log cabins and wattle & daub walls, because it dries so hard & fast.

Day 3 was too watery, but bubbly all the same. Day four looking better.

DAY 6


Day six it is! Assuming your starter was bubbling nicely around day 3 and then calmed down, this is the day when it possibly starts bubbling nicely again! However, it might take longer, so don't worry if it's still acting all calm and collected.

If the starter is bubbling again nicely, you can try feeding it twice a day from now on. The feeding routine is still the same, but you can do it every 12 hours if your starter is giving hungry signs at the 12 hour mark.

So what does a hungry starter look like? It's thin and pasty, it can have very small, frothy bubbles on it. There might not be bubbles at all. If there's liquid on top of your starter, it's hungry!
If it smells like acetone it's really, really hungry. (That's not really a reality at this point, but later with the established starter if you don't feed it for a while.)

I let my starter to go hungry: It's a bit hard to see but there's liquid on top. That's called hooch! (Yup, but please don't try tasting it.)

The starter has peaked, then fallen down and now it has only those sad little bubbles on top. It's thin and pasty.


So, the directions for day 6 are: Check if your starter is hungry at the 12 hour mark. If it is, feed it the same old way. If not, wait another 12 hours.


Take out 20 grams of starter to a new jar. (Or just take out 80% from the old jar)
Add 50 grams of water. Mix into a milky liquid.
Measure 50 grams of flour in to the jar.
Mix. Mix up and down working some air into it.
Put the lid back on loosely.
Put the starter back to its cozy spot. (21C-27C / 70F-81F)

And the amounts in volume,

about two tablespoons of the starter
1/4 cup of flour
a little bit less than 1/4 cup of water (again, aim for a pancake batter consistency)


We are getting really close to possibly having a mature starter! Exciting!

Next step will happen in 12/24 hours.

Excellent instructions and descriptions...thank you!

Mine is definitely less bubbly than early on but there are a few.  No liquid on top and still a good smell so will stick with the 24 hour feeding.

Temperature control may be the biggest challenge for me.
Is above 80F a problem? I finally checked my temp in the cupboard above the stove and it fluctuates but right now is well over 80F.

Judith Browning wrote:
Is above 80F a problem? I finally checked my temp in the cupboard above the stove and it fluctuates but right now is well over 80F.

Up to 85F is fine, if it goes up from there the temperature will have an effect on the starter. The starter will peak and fall down faster and it will be more acidic and less flavorful.. If the starter is kept too warm it will effect the fermentation process when baking too even if the temperatures during baking are lower.

The warmer temperatures are also good for unwanted bacteria and molds so tread carefully!

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

Judith Browning wrote:
Is above 80F a problem? I finally checked my temp in the cupboard above the stove and it fluctuates but right now is well over 80F.

Up to 85F is fine, if it goes up from there the temperature will have an effect on the starter. The starter will peak and fall down faster and it will be more acidic and less flavorful.. If the starter is kept too warm it will effect the fermentation process when baking too even if the temperatures during baking are lower.

The warmer temperatures are also good for unwanted bacteria and molds so tread carefully!

I moved it...last night was exceptionally warm...the low was almost 70F and our indoor temps are much the same as the windows and doors are open so once I started the mornings cooking it really heated up in the cupboard.

We have a week of night time temps in the low 20's F coming up though so I still need something more reliable to control temps.  

Here’s another picture of my hungry starter:

DAY 7 ->


A week has gone by. By now it is possible that you have a mature starter in your jar! But how do you know if your starter is ready to use?

A mature starter rises and falls after you feed it. When it is in it's high point (peaking), you can try the float test. Take a spoonful of starter and put it into some warm water. If it floats, it's ready to bake!

A starter made with rye or whole grain flour might not float! However, there is another test you can do! Feed the starter on a ratio of 1:1:1. You'll need a kitchen scale for this because the measurements are in weight.
Put a mark on your jar so you know on what level the starter was at feeding (with a marker, string or a rubber band). Check the starter 4 hours later. If it has doubled, it is ready to bake!

Here are some pictures of a mature starter:




The optimal time to use the starter is when it's peaking, so feeding it according to your plans of baking comes to play. You will soon learn how fast your starter peaks and rises.

The feeding ratio has an effect on this (as well as the ambient temperature).

Feeding on 1:5:5 (for example 10g starter, 50g water, 50g flour) ratio, the starter has more to eat and the rise will happen slowly than if you feed it 1:1:1 (for example 40g starter, water and flour).
One 500 gram loaf of bread needs about 100 grams of starter, so make sure the amounts you feed add up to the amount you need.

A mature starter can be stored in the fridge, then it only needs feeding once a week. If you keep it in room temperature, it will want fresh food every day.



If you starter is not ready yet, keep feeding it every 12/24 hours (check the day 6 post for the hungry signs). It can take a while for the starter to mature, so no worries if it's not there yet!

Here's the feeding routine once again:

Take out 20 grams of starter to a new jar. (Or just take out 80% from the old jar)
Add 50 grams of water. Mix into a milky liquid.
Measure 50 grams of flour in to the jar.
Mix. Mix up and down working some air into it.
Put the lid back on loosely.
Put the starter back to its cozy spot. (21C-27C / 70F-81F)

And the amounts in volume,

about two tablespoons of the starter
1/4 cup of flour
a little bit less than 1/4 cup of water (again, aim for a pancake batter consistency)


How are your starters looking?

I think that's it! We're done with the tutorial! Wohoo!

If you are joining now or later, and any questions come up, do ask!

I fed mine at 12 hours yesterday and again this morning.

There was a bit of liquid and bubbles yesterday morning but maybe not enough to warrent the extra feeding?

These pics are from yesterday morning...finally got the temp right at least for the moment.

Smell is nice.  I've been using a loose canning lid rather than the cloth so now it's not drying out on the surface.

Looking at your recent photos Saana, I see I'm no where near needing to feed more often

I’d say keep feeding it every 12 hours. The liquid on top indicates it’s hungry.

Here are two pictures of a float test:

     

It kinda looks like a duck sticking it's head to water! Forget reading the future from tea leaves, lets interpret floating blobs of sourdough starter instead! (I'm not getting ducks.)


And here's a funny thing about slow processing:

Some people like to give their starter a name (and some people let the starter tell their name to them ). When I first created this starter* about year and a half ago, soon a name popped in my head:

Raisa.

Raisa is an old Finnish name. My dad had a great aunt named Raisa. She was a really nice person. A warm person.

But it just didn't feel like a good name for the starter..  But I did stick with it.

Two days ago I finally got it. Raisa is pronounced "rise-ah".

I've been giggling on and off for two days now.


*I dehydrated a part of the starter when it was in it's prime, and now I rehydrated it back to life. I could write about this in tomorrow's post.

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:[b]

Two days ago I finally got it. Raisa is pronounced "rise-ah".

I've been giggling on and off for two days now.

*I dehydrated a part of the starter when it was in it's prime, and now I rehydrated it back to life. I could write about this in tomorrow's post.

LOL, Cute!
I would like to know about dehydrating/rehydrating please and thank you

Ela La Salle wrote:

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

*I dehydrated a part of the starter when it was in it's prime, and now I rehydrated it back to life. I could write about this in tomorrow's post.

I would like to know about dehydrating/rehydrating please and thank you

Me too!

Dehydrating and rehydrating the starter              

Now that you have your precious starter created, you might want to make a back up copy of it to keep in the cupboard just in case? Maybe you have been baking with the starter for a while, but now want to take a longer break? Or maybe you want to give a part of your sourdough as a gift?

Before you get too excited.. I recommend keeping the starter regularly fed for a month or two before dehydrating it. The starter will keep developing in flavour after it reaches maturity. So keep baking with it!

Once you have a starter that has seen a few months of life in your kitchen, it's a great time to dehydrate it.

You want to feed your starter to the point of being strong (meaning that if you have kept it in the fridge, take it to room temperature for a few days and feed it daily before dehydrating).

You can dehydrate in a dehydrator, oven that has a fan or just in room temperature.

1. Take out some parchment paper.
2. Spread a THIN layer of your peaking starter to the parchment paper. A kitchen brush can be used to "paint" a super thin coat of starter to the paper, I recommend doing that if you plan drying it in room temperature.
3.
   a) Put the parchment paper to the oven with just the fan on. No heat.
   b) Place the starter on a dehydrator. The temperature has to be under 35C/95F, otherwise you will kill your bacteria!
   c) Put your starter to dry somewhere where it's warm and the air circulation is good.
4. Keep an eye on it!
5. Once it's completely dry, break it a part. Store the flakes in a glass jar, put the lid tightly on and stick it somewhere dark and not too warm!


Rehydrating the dehydrated starter

1. You will need a jar, fresh flour, clean water and something to stir with...
2. Why does this sound so familiar??
3. Put some water to the jar. Add some dried starter flakes (you can grind them to granules first if you want, they will dissolve a tiny bit faster that way), mix.
4.Let it sit for a while. Mix every once in a while. Slowly the flakes will dissolve to the water.
5. Once it's dissolved, add some fresh flour. Aim for pancake batter consistency.
6. Find a cozy spot for your starter!
7. Let it sit for 24 hours and...
8. You got this! If you need some more instructions, check out DAY 2 post from the first page of this thread and go on from there!




The starter will come to life faster than if you would create a new starter, so adjust accordingly. (Once it bubbles, feed twice a day, look for the hungry signs, check the maturity with a float test.)

I have had a starter for 20+ years. I didn’t start it myself, I was gifted a half cup. I’ve shared with several people so for years if one of ours failed there was always a back up.  Now it’s down to two of us and we both travel a lot so we pass it back and forth to be fed.  The thing about this starter is that it is fed with potato flakes. And it doesn’t hold its shape, it needs to be baked in a loaf pan or smaller cast iron.  It doesn’t crust up or get the big holes in the baked bread like “traditional” sour dough.
I’ve been wanting to start my own and will use your tutorial for sure. Super interesting just reading through these last few days

I’m doing it. Just did day 2 so I’m behind.

Can't wait to try dehydrating some starter but I'll be patient

I guess I'm on the 12 hour feeding schedule...hungry and bubbly!

I even tried your floating 'duck' thing and it did but so briefly that I barely got a pic before it sank.....

So, here I am...I might have a reliable temp control for the cold weather now.  Two quart jars of hot hot water insulated with towels at the back of the toaster oven with the starter at the front held at a good temperature for the last 12 hours.

Lenore, welcome to the party! Over 20 years old potato flake starter, that is amazing! I wonder how many breads have been baked with it... Thank you for sharing. I'm really glad you have found this thread interesting and want to start your own starter!

Kenza, welcome to you too and yay for your new starter! Soon there will be bubbles! Thank you for posting and letting us know you have joined the party!
...ooh I wonder if there are others who have started but not yet posted...

Judith!! Almost there, how exciting!! When it stays afloat you're good to go! Maybe a day or two? Or more? I have no idea but you are close! Woohoo!

It's been getting stronger everyday! I have been feeding about every 15-18 hours. It gets really bubbly right away.

I have made pancakes a d crackers with the discard, but no real bread yet.

I am using putting it in a new jar at each feeding to head off any problems with mold like I had in the past.

Mk, exciting! Is the starter showing any hungry signs?

Every time I see the sourdough party thread my head starts to sing:
To the tune of Garden Party by Ricky Nelson

I went to a sourdough party
To brew up the bubbly yum
Cause fresh bread's the best, we all know
And I want to make me some

And it's all right now
It's coming along real well
You know, you got to feed it every day
Before you feed yourself

La da da daaa    

:D
Judith made me do it!!!

In case you don't know the song, Garden Party by Ricky Nelson:

Hahaha!

You've nailed the chorus Pearl!!!

And ,of course the songs been going through my head ever since I got a preview

Sanaa— by 15 hours or so it has fallen and has a lot of foamy surface bubbles.

PEARL! That is brilliant!

I sing songs with my own words every day, singing about whatever I'm doing at the moment!

Thanks Judith for making Pearl do it! Oh my, you guys are awesome!


Mk, if your schedule makes it possible, you could feed it every 12 hours now and then do a float test when it's peaking - I think your starter is getting close to maturity too! Yay!

Hi. I thought my post was submitted. I joined party three days ago. My starter doesn’t smell wonderful but it seems to be bubbling and texture seems right.

Kenza, your post was submitted, it's a few posts up! Good to hear everything is going well with the starter. Did you use wheat flour or something else?

I've lost track of what day I'm on but must be over a week now I think?

The hardest part has been keeping it warm so it's not been consistantly up to the ideal temp range but still seems to be working ok and needs feeding every 12 hours.

Smells good...even our grandson, who also works at the sourdough bakery here with his dad thought it looked and smelled good

After that one time where a blob floated briefly all of my attempts to do that have sunk like a stone.....

Onward.........

Judith Browning wrote:After that one time where a blob floated briefly all of my attempts to do that have sunk like a stone.....

Do I recall that you were using home-ground flour in yours?  I'm wondering if that might be affecting the float test?

It's on my list to feed my long-term rye sourdough friends this morning - I'll see how it responds to testing. It's *clearly* hungry and was on yesterday's list, but life!

Judith Browning wrote:
After that one time where a blob floated briefly all of my attempts to do that have sunk like a stone.....

Hnmm. And it has been at peak when you have tested?

Jay Angler wrote:Do I recall that you were using home-ground flour in yours?  I'm wondering if that might be affecting the float test?

It's on my list to feed my long-term rye sourdough friends this morning - I'll see how it responds to testing. It's *clearly* hungry and was on yesterday's list, but life!

It might be the flour, although it did float for a while when tested the first time.. Hmm.

Oh, if I remember correctly, rye starter does not float. I'll double check that and edit the post I talked about the float test - ooooh and I think whole grain was one of those that didn't float either!

But there is another test you can do! Feed the starter 1:1:1 (in weight). If it doubles in 4 hours, it's ready to bake.

Judith, Judith! Your starter might be mature for baking!!!

Thank you Jay and Judith for making me remember! I will edit the post where I wrote about mature starter.

Saana, when my float test worked briefly I was using cold water...since then I have been dropping it into the slightly warmed water I use for the feeding...I wonder if that's why it sinks?

I think it's hungry when I feed it but maybe could go longer?
There is a line of dark liquid halfway down the starter, not on top.  It's quite bubbly but not fallen back yet.

Our house is 55-60F so our filtered water is also.

I've been using the discard in other things but have not tried it without additional leavening yet.
It smells so good!


Jay and Saana, I just ordered some rye berries to grind...does that mean I'll have to keep two starters going if I want to make rye bread?

Judith Browning wrote:Saana, when my float test worked briefly I was using cold water...since then I have been dropping it into the slightly warmed water I use for the feeding...I wonder if that's why it sinks?

It could be that too.. But I’m guessing it’s the flour, whole grain does not like to float. Also it the starter is on the thinner side it will not float, so I would recommend the 4 hour double up test. I can try to take some measurements in volume for 1:1:1 if you don’t have a scale?

I think it's hungry when I feed it but maybe could go longer?
There is a line of dark liquid halfway down the starter

The ”hungry liquid” aka hooch can be in the middle of the starter too. But you can let it sit hungry for longer time. 24 hours between feedings is fine with a mature starter in room temperature (well, even longer if we are talking about your room temperature).

If you put it in the fridge it can survive for a looong time without food(the bacteria will go hibernating under the hooch, waiting and hoping that maybe at some point food magically drops from the sky), although weekly feedings will keep the culture healthier.

Jay and Saana, I just ordered some rye berries to grind...does that mean I'll have to keep two starters going if I want to make rye bread?

Well.. Not necessarily. You can bake different things with the one starter. If you make a rye starter and bake bread with it, the end result will be different than baking with a wheat starter.

Just like my starter would be different from yours even if we used the same flour. The frequency the starter is fed when the yeasts and bacteria are trying to figure out the pecking order (when the culture is being established) will have an effect on who stays and who goes. So does the temperatures. Temperature of the water and the ambient temperature. There are many variables.

Some people actually have multible starters because they are not the same. Two wheat starters can produce a different taste profile in breads baked with the exact same recipe, depending on the bacteria that has settled in when the culture has been established.

If you are planning to bake some kind of really traditional rye sourdough bread, to get the exact result you would probably want to have a rye starter.

If you want to make a rye starter, instead of starting from scratch you can use the old starter to create a rye starter.. But I will write more tomorrow, it’s getting really late and I really have to go to sleep.. Nighty night!

PS. Kenza, Mk, how are your starters doing?

Hi. I used all purpose flour. Should I have been using whole wheat? I’m not quite sure what is supposed to be happening now. It’s been seven days. I’m still feeding once a day. Should it rise and fall during that time?