FAQs
Refreshing (feeding) your sourdough starter daily can lead to excess starter. My favorite thing with excess starter discard is making pancakes, waffles, or banana bread—they're all delicious and can be made with little notice. And there are so many more ways to use your sourdough starter discard!
What can I do with my extra sourdough starter? ›
10 ways to use up sourdough starter
- Sourdough crumpets. Add your sourdough starter to crumpet batter for a super light and airy texture. ...
- Sourdough crackers. ...
- Sourdough pancakes. ...
- Sourdough pizza.
- Sourdough scones. ...
- Sourdough focaccia. ...
- Sourdough toad-in-the-hole. ...
- Sourdough hot cross buns.
What to do when you have too much sourdough starter? ›
You can also make Sourdough Dumplings with extra starter and it will turn any soup into a warm, comforting meal. Don't waste your sourdough starter, put it to good use!
What if I need more sourdough starter? ›
You can use the 1:1:1 ratio in many situations when scaling your sourdough starter. Even if you only had 10g of starter and you wanted 200g of starter, you'd just have to feed it at 1:10:10 which would mean adding 100g of flour and 100g of water to that 10g of sourdough starter.
What if I don't discard sourdough starter? ›
If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain.
Do you discard every time you feed sourdough starter? ›
It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.
What to do with sourdough starter when not using? ›
Storing: Crumble Into Dry Flour
Crumbling live sourdough starter (unfed) into dry flour. This is by far my preferred method for long-term sourdough starter storage.
Does sourdough starter get better with age? ›
For most bakers, the answer is a clear no. Maurizio Leo, author of the award-winning bread cookbook The Perfect Loaf, still uses the first starter he ever made; it's now 12 years old. And while he's sentimental about that starter, he says its age doesn't really impact his bread.
Can you overfeed your sourdough starter? ›
Yes, you can overfeed your sourdough starter. Audrey explains: “Every time you add more flour and water, you are depleting the existing population of natural bacteria and yeast.” If you keep adding more and more, eventually you'll dilute the starter so much that you'll just have flour and water.
Is it OK to feed sourdough starter twice a day? ›
Discard a portion of the starter and feed it with fresh flour and water every 24 hours. Twice-Daily Feeding: In warmer environments or if you prefer a faster fermentation process, you can feed your starter twice a day, approximately every 12 hours. This helps maintain a more active and vigorous starter.
How to increase a starter. If your recipe calls for more than 227g (about 1 cup) of starter, feed it without discarding until you've reached the amount you need (plus 113g to keep and feed again).
Should I stir my sourdough starter before feeding? ›
No you do not have to stir sourdough starter before you use it. You measure the sourdough starter by weight, not volume, so stirring it or not makes absolutely no difference. What does "fed" sourdough starter mean? Fed sourdough starter refers to a starter that has been fed flour and water (preferably by weight).
Can I use active sourdough instead of discard? ›
Absolutely you can! Active starter can be used in the same way as sourdough discard in sweet or savory baking. You can add active sourdough starter to any recipe you would add discard to following the same calculation.
How do you store extra sourdough starter? ›
Sourdough starter can be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator. "If you're someone who bakes sourdough bread more than a couple of times a week, keep your starter in a cool, dry place. If you don't bake every week, keep it in the refrigerator," Pellegrinelli explains.
What to do with sourdough starter after it doubles? ›
Cover with either a tea towel or a glass lid. I like using a glass lid, because a towel tends to get really messy. Allow to sit of for 4-12 hours before using in a recipe, once it has about doubled in volume. If not using for baking, feed about 12-24 hours after last feeding or place in the fridge.
What can I do with day 2 sourdough starter? ›
Day 2: Check for bubbles
Just leave it in a warmish place for another 24 hours. If a dark, smelly liquid has built up on the top of your starter (this is called hooch), don't worry. You'll pour this out tomorrow, but for now leave it as it is.
Can you reuse discarded sourdough starter? ›
CAN SOURDOUGH DISCARD BE USED TO MAKE A NEW STARTER? Yes! The amount you pour off can be fed in a separate bowl to create a new starter or “levain.”