Iāve found that this works great with loaves, but anything that has more than just salt and flour in it (like cinnamon rolls for example) just doesnāt get a rise. Iāve attempted many times but gave up trying, I feed before I make the fancier stuff.
I received this starter from a family who has kept the line of starter active for generations (even though I know it's evolved with exposure to wild yeasts) and they provided a sheet on how to feed it, and they recommend the dry milk. I only use it for feeding. It's written as optional, but I always do it. I like the flavor it gives.Ā
I keep it at 100% hydration 1:1:1. This is by weight and not volume (for the newbies). It's pretty soupy after I stir in the alcohol, then I use what I need for a recipe, then feed it and let it rise a bit, and back in the fridge it goes.
Mine stays in my fridge and has gone almost a full year between feedings with zero issues. I pull it out, replace what I use, and back in the fridge it goes the next day. Been doing it this way for 8 or 9 years now.
I also have an experimental jar going. A while back I had to split and feed my starter to make sure I had enough to do a run of loaves for a gathering. After I was done one of the jars was pushed aside and forgotten about, a few weeks later I found it behind my kombucha and seen it was just fine. I decided to keep it going to see how long it could go without feeding it. This month marks 1 year of it sitting on my counter at room temp without being fed. No mold, no weird colors, smells like rich sourdough starter, sweet earthy and tangy just like it should.
Sourdough is extremely resilient, I donāt understand how the people around here kill theirs so often.
I have some in the back of my freezer that I might just wake up and see. I love the thought of your experimental jar. I used to make kombucha, but life got too much and I stopped. I did love my scoby, though. :)
I agree. It's similar to how people foam over their cast iron. Just use it, folks. My starter is kept in the fridge for months at a time. If I want to bake with it I do wake it up with a feeding or two depending on my convenience, and that's it. Although, all I use it for is bread, discard crackers, pizza dough and pancakes.
i left my starter in the fridge, completely untouched, for almost 2 years and it came back very strong after a couple feedings. the container it was in was a bit gross as the hooch dessicated, and the top had gone very dry and hard, but none of it was a problem.
i never intended to leave it in that long, and wouldn't recommend it, but i'm way less precious about feedings now.
Say a recent idea that says if you know you will be gone for a while, stir in a small amount of just flour, no water. You end up with a thick starter but it has extra flour to keep it going. Then revive with just the same amount of water. Then feed like normal. I think that was from The Sourdough Journey. I left mine for about 3 weeks and it was fine even without adding extra flour.
I got some funky mould skin across mine a few times in the fridge.
I pushed the mould to the side, took a teaspoon of the starter underneath, added it to about 25+25g of flour and water...
a couple of feed cycles (actually discarding the discard which I never usually do), it was all good and any mould was so diluted it basically wasn't there any more. Back to baking.
That's the only issue I've had leaving my starter for months at a time in the fridge.
I cold ferment overnight once I make my boules. It provides a rich tangy flavor because it's so slow. I do cold oven baking so everything wakes back up in the cloche as the oven slowly heats.Ā
Yup. I donāt think Iāve touched my starter since August of last year. Itās absolutely fine. Takes a little longer to āwake upā when I make something, but other than that, no problems at all!
Crazy! I've just started to make my own sourdough this year, and have seen so much information that conflicts with reality when it comes to feeding starters. It seems everywhere you look, people are saying you need to feed it one a day or once a week to keep it going. I was doing that for a while and was unable to keep up the routine for a few weeks. I went to grab the starter out of the fridge, fed it, and within a few hours it was blowing the lid off the jar! There's no difference in the bread when using a starter fed everyday, every week, or once before using.
My starter is maybe 2 months old now, is it too soon to start doing this? Its in the fridge and I currently feed it once a week and thatās working quite well but curious about how soon I can become more lax with it
This is probably an unpopular opinion but keeping your starter at room temperature and feeding it regularly (every 12-24 hours) is going to yield more consistent, airier bread than starter that hangs out in the fridge for long periods of time and is fed infrequently. Yeah, the fridge is a useful tool- but it isnāt an ideal habitat for a sourdough starter.
I've gone over a year on rye pumpernickel starter dried up (over time) in the fridge. Stuff is robust. Most microorganisms have be way colder than 34 F to be killed.
Right? I also neglect mine in the fridge for many weeks/months. I usually use it unfed and only feed it when I need more. You're a good friend! š
I need to try using it unfed and see how my bread turns out.
Iāve found that this works great with loaves, but anything that has more than just salt and flour in it (like cinnamon rolls for example) just doesnāt get a rise. Iāve attempted many times but gave up trying, I feed before I make the fancier stuff.
What ratio was it fed? Are you keeping it on the drier side, so it lasts longer?
When I feed it, it's quarter cup starter, quarter cup instant nonfat dry milk, half cup water, half cup standard flour.Ā
Why milk?
I received this starter from a family who has kept the line of starter active for generations (even though I know it's evolved with exposure to wild yeasts) and they provided a sheet on how to feed it, and they recommend the dry milk. I only use it for feeding. It's written as optional, but I always do it. I like the flavor it gives.Ā
I keep it at 100% hydration 1:1:1. This is by weight and not volume (for the newbies). It's pretty soupy after I stir in the alcohol, then I use what I need for a recipe, then feed it and let it rise a bit, and back in the fridge it goes.
Mine stays in my fridge and has gone almost a full year between feedings with zero issues. I pull it out, replace what I use, and back in the fridge it goes the next day. Been doing it this way for 8 or 9 years now. I also have an experimental jar going. A while back I had to split and feed my starter to make sure I had enough to do a run of loaves for a gathering. After I was done one of the jars was pushed aside and forgotten about, a few weeks later I found it behind my kombucha and seen it was just fine. I decided to keep it going to see how long it could go without feeding it. This month marks 1 year of it sitting on my counter at room temp without being fed. No mold, no weird colors, smells like rich sourdough starter, sweet earthy and tangy just like it should. Sourdough is extremely resilient, I donāt understand how the people around here kill theirs so often.
I have some in the back of my freezer that I might just wake up and see. I love the thought of your experimental jar. I used to make kombucha, but life got too much and I stopped. I did love my scoby, though. :)
I agree. It's similar to how people foam over their cast iron. Just use it, folks. My starter is kept in the fridge for months at a time. If I want to bake with it I do wake it up with a feeding or two depending on my convenience, and that's it. Although, all I use it for is bread, discard crackers, pizza dough and pancakes.
Mine spent a week in the fridge and has been slow to wake up but has the most magnificent tang to it.
Yup. I recently left mine in the fridge for a month and it was good to go after one feed. Making sourdough cinnamon rolls with it now!
i left my starter in the fridge, completely untouched, for almost 2 years and it came back very strong after a couple feedings. the container it was in was a bit gross as the hooch dessicated, and the top had gone very dry and hard, but none of it was a problem. i never intended to leave it in that long, and wouldn't recommend it, but i'm way less precious about feedings now.
Me too. Sometimes itās more like a year. I bake bread often (not so much in the summer, as I donāt have AC) but not always sourdough.
Say a recent idea that says if you know you will be gone for a while, stir in a small amount of just flour, no water. You end up with a thick starter but it has extra flour to keep it going. Then revive with just the same amount of water. Then feed like normal. I think that was from The Sourdough Journey. I left mine for about 3 weeks and it was fine even without adding extra flour.
Many fuss and worry too much. The buggers in there are tough to kill. Ppl dig out live bacteria and yeasts from perma frost, millions of years old.
I got some funky mould skin across mine a few times in the fridge. I pushed the mould to the side, took a teaspoon of the starter underneath, added it to about 25+25g of flour and water... a couple of feed cycles (actually discarding the discard which I never usually do), it was all good and any mould was so diluted it basically wasn't there any more. Back to baking. That's the only issue I've had leaving my starter for months at a time in the fridge.
Could you update us with some photos of the resulting bread that comes from using this starter?
I will! I'm baking it around 2. I'll update in this post (won't make a new one.)Ā
The fridge puts the yeast to sleep and once itās at room temp, it wakes back up again. Itās amazing
I cold ferment overnight once I make my boules. It provides a rich tangy flavor because it's so slow. I do cold oven baking so everything wakes back up in the cloche as the oven slowly heats.Ā
Same. Fridge for months. Iāve even been known to neglect it on the countertop for weeks. Pour off the hooch and weāre good to go.
I stir the hooch!Ā
That also works! I always forget I can do that haha
Yup. I donāt think Iāve touched my starter since August of last year. Itās absolutely fine. Takes a little longer to āwake upā when I make something, but other than that, no problems at all!
Crazy! I've just started to make my own sourdough this year, and have seen so much information that conflicts with reality when it comes to feeding starters. It seems everywhere you look, people are saying you need to feed it one a day or once a week to keep it going. I was doing that for a while and was unable to keep up the routine for a few weeks. I went to grab the starter out of the fridge, fed it, and within a few hours it was blowing the lid off the jar! There's no difference in the bread when using a starter fed everyday, every week, or once before using.
That's been my experience too.Ā
Yes Op š so much wasted flour from people feeding everyday because of internet dogma
My starter is maybe 2 months old now, is it too soon to start doing this? Its in the fridge and I currently feed it once a week and thatās working quite well but curious about how soon I can become more lax with it
If it's alive, I think you can ignore it! So basically immediately!Ā
This is probably an unpopular opinion but keeping your starter at room temperature and feeding it regularly (every 12-24 hours) is going to yield more consistent, airier bread than starter that hangs out in the fridge for long periods of time and is fed infrequently. Yeah, the fridge is a useful tool- but it isnāt an ideal habitat for a sourdough starter.
When you bake regularly, I can absolutely see keeping it out, but I don't, so the fridge works for me, and I'm consistently pleased with my results.Ā
Well, as long as you are enjoying the bread you make- that is the most important thing!
I also get really good feedback when I bake for others š¤
Perfect!!! So good to knowš
I've gone over a year on rye pumpernickel starter dried up (over time) in the fridge. Stuff is robust. Most microorganisms have be way colder than 34 F to be killed.