Sourdough Baking FAQs

QUESTIONS

Science & Health

What is sourdough starter?
How does sourdough starter work?
What are the benefits of sourdough?
Is all sourdough made correctly? What about store-bought sourdough products?

Feeding, Care & Use of Sourdough Starter

Can I make my own sourdough starter?
What type of flour is best for feeding sourdough starter?
I don’t want to be bothered with a scale, can I just feed the starter by volume?
I accidentally over-fed my sourdough starter? What should I do?
Did I kill it? How do I know if my sourdough starter is dead?
What’s that funny looking liquid on top of my starter?
Can I use the sourdough starter cold, right out of the fridge?
How much sourdough starter should I keep on hand?
How do I get maximum "rise" when making loaves of sourdough bread?
In sourdough recipes I see the terms “Fed within previous 12 hours” and “Recently fed and active”, what does that mean?

ANSWERS

Science & Health

What is sourdough starter?
"A sourdough starter is a symbiotic culture of "wild" yeasts and lactic acid-producing bacteria living in a mixture of flour and water. The yeast and bacteria share available nutrients rather than compete for them." Bakers have been using sourdough starter for genreations to give rise to breads.

How does sourdough starter work?
The friendly lactic acid bacteria in sourdough eats the carbohydrates and proteins in the dough, producing acids and CO2 which bubbles throughout the bread dough giving it rise. Lactic acid along with other acids in the bread changes the pH of the sourdough creating an environment that pathogenic harmful bacteria can’t live in. Lactic acid goes a step further in that it also acts as a natural preservative keeping the sourdough baked goods fresh longer than if they were made with baker’s yeast. That great lactic acid is also what gives sourdough its tangy sour taste.

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What are the benefits of sourdough?
The lactic acid produced during the sourdough culturing period allows four great benefits to happen.

Softening of tough cellular wall of carbohydrates (grains) allowing for more nutrients to be digested. Usually 2 times as much as un-cultured grains.
Great reduction or elimination of gluten in the grain, the sourdough culture eats gluten as food – can be gluten free if cultured long enough.
Large reduction in phytic acid found in all grains which acts as an anti-nutrient blocking the absorption of many minerals.
Culturing process of sourdough creates natural CO2 which acts as a rising agent for the bread product.

Is all sourdough made correctly? What about store-bought sourdough products?
Sadly most sourdough products available in the store or at your local market are not made correctly. These items are either: 1) not allowed to culture for the time needed OR 2) the sourdough starter is not cutlured with the complete dough mix, to get the four great benefits described above. We call these breads "sourdough flavored". If you are unsure if the prepare the sourdough correctly at your local market sipmle ask them "How long do you culture the sourdough with the complete dough mix?" Based on their answer you’ll know if you have an imposter.

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Feeding, Care & Use of Sourdough Starter

Can I make my own sourdough starter?
While yes it is possible, we do not recommend it for sourdough beginners since it can be a hit or miss effort. It is good to get your hands wet, so-to-speak, with a reliable sourdough starter before diving into making one from scratch. To explain why here is an outline of how a sourdough starter is made:

A mixture of flour and water is placed into a jar and allowed to sit out open to the air over a period of time.
The "wild yeasts" in the air will hopefully deposit into the flour/water mixture and start growing.
This starter is fed everyday for a period of 1 week or more.
The starter is then used in a bread recipe to see if it rose well and tasted good.

We’ve heard from many students who attempted to make a sourdough starter before coming to one of our classes that they did not have good results. The sourdough starter either did not work or more often than not tasted absolutely awful! Now it makes a lot of sense why once our ancestors got a good sourdough starter going they took great care of it. This is why it is common to have starters passed from one generation to the next.

What type of flour is best for feeding sourdough starter?
Sourdough starter will happily eat any flour that contains gluten. The type of flour that you feed your starter has a BIG effect on how your baked goods will taste. Because the taste of the flour becomes “highly concentrated” inside the starter. Overtime using a whole wheat flour to feed your starter can result in a very "wheaty" tasting baked good. This could overpower the taste of the flour used in the recipe and make your rye bread lose its rye taste or that chocolate cake taste like essence of whole wheat. Not at good thing. For this reason it is preferred to feed your sourdough starter Unbleached All-purpose White Flour (organic if possible), this will give a neutral taste to the starter, so all your baked goods taste like they should.

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I don’t want to be bothered with a scale, can I just feed the starter by volume?
For dependability, sourdough starter is fed based on weight, NOT volume. Feeding by weight will ensure the starter is getting the amount of food it needs to keep it alive and thriving, while also keeping the consistency (thickness) of the starter the same. This allows your sourdough starter to always perform as expected in baking time after time. Feeding your starter by weight is key to maintaining a healthy well performing starter. Often starter issues can be traced back to inconsistent or improper feeding of the sourdough starter.

I accidentally over-fed my sourdough starter? What should I do?
Sourdough starter is very resilient. An occassional over feeding is usually no problem. Your starter may be a little sluggish for a few hours or may not even skip a beat. Just let the starter rest for bit and see. Feed the starter at its next feeding time with the proper amount of flour and water.

Did I kill it? How do I know if my sourdough starter is dead?
A strong sourdough starter that is cared for is very resilient, and thus hard to kill. Though, we know things can happen from time to time.

If your starter ever develops mold, do not try to scrape it off, throw it out.
If after feeding the starter it does not show some activity (bubbles and rising) within a few hours, it is most-likely dead and should be tossed.

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What’s That Funny Looking Liquid On Top of My Starter?
A sourdough starter left too long between feedings may develop a grayish-black liquid on the surface. This liquid is called hooch, which in simple terms is "alcohol", a by-product of the fermentation process. Hooch is harmless and may be stirred back into your starter or may be poured off (if pouring off, be sure to stir a little filtered water into the starter to compensate). Please note that pouring off the hooch may overtime lessen the ability of the starter to produce "sour" tasting baked goods.

Can I use the sourdough starter cold, right out of the fridge?
It is important to take the starter out of the fridge and wait until room temp before using, about 3 to 4 hours. This allows the sourdough starter to "warm up" and get active before getting to work.

How much sourdough starter should I keep on hand?
We’ve found that 4 to 8 ounces of sourdough starter stored in the fridge will provide an adequate amount of starter for most recipes with just a single feeding.

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How do I get maximum "rise" when making loaves of sourdough bread?
For maximum rise in bread making, feed the starter 3 times immediately before use, each feeding 8 to 12 hrs. apart.

In sourdough recipes I see the terms “Fed within previous 12 hours” and “Recently fed and active”, what does that mean?
These two terms explain how active the starter needs to be to perform well in the recipe. Please see the definition of each term below.

Fed within previous 12 hours: The starter was fed within the previous 12 hours of usin in a recipe. The recipes that call for this starter do not require it to be highly active as in most crackers, muffins, or cakes.
Recently fed and active: The starter was fed recently and is in its highly active state. Usually about 3 to 4 hours after a feeding. Signs of a highly active starter are bubbling, many air pockets or holes throughout, and a slight doming at the top layer of starter. Recipes that call for this type of starter are mostly breads or other items that require the starter to be at its peak to allow for maximum rise.

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