Feeding a Sourdough Starter
I haven't fed my starter in 4 months. Some of the liquid in the starter has separated from the rest of the starter. This layer of liquid helps preserve the sourness of the starter and is an excellent protection against harmful microorganisms. If you like breads with complex flavours, it is advisable to mix this layer of liquid well with the rest of the starter. Otherwise, it is possible to remove it from the jar. Personally, I never remove it.
Over the next few days, we will feed our sourdough starter several times until it is ready to use. Since lactic and acetic bacteria take longer to multiply than yeast, it is important to allow 24 hours between each Feed. Feeding every 12 hours will allow the yeast to dominate the starter, which will have the effect of making your breads less tasty.
First feeding
I have in my jar:
- 20 g sourdough starter
You should choose a jar that can hold a little more than twice the quantity of the refresh ingredients. By using a jar that is too large, you risk leaving room for the development of harmful microorganisms of red, green, black color. If this happens, you should throw everything away and start the refreshments again with a new portion of sourdough starter.
We add:
- 40 g water
We stir the mixture gently with a fork.
We add:
- 40 g organic all-purpose flour
We mix everything together to provide an oxygen supply to promote the proliferation of microorganisms.
We seal the jar tightly, then place it in a warm place away from light. See you in 24 hours.
Second feeding
I removed 80 g sourdough starter.
So there is 20 g sourdough starter left in the jar.
We add:
- 40 g water
We stir the mixture gently with a fork.
We add:
- 40 g organic all-purpose flour
We mix everything together to provide an oxygen supply to encourage the proliferation of microorganisms.
We seal the jar tightly and place it in a warm place away from light. See you in 24 hours.
Third feeding
I have removed 80 g of sourdough starter.
So there is 20 g sourdough starter left in the jar.
We add:
- 40 g water
We stir the mixture gently with a fork.
We add:
- 40 g organic all-purpose flour
We mix everything together to provide an oxygen supply to encourage the proliferation of microorganisms.
We seal the jar tightly and place it in a warm, dark place. See you in 24 hours.
Fourth feeding
This is the fourth and final feeding.
For this feeding, I will use a ratio of 1:3:3 (i.e. 1 part sourdough starter, 3 parts water and 3 parts flour). With this ratio, the sourdough starter should be ready in 7 hours and 30 minutes.
So, I transferred 25 g sourdough starter to a 500 ml jar.
We add:
- 75 g water
We stir the mixture gently with a fork.
We add:
- 75 g organic all-purpose flour
We mix everything together to provide oxygen to promote the proliferation of microorganisms.
We seal the jar tightly and place it in a warm, dark place. The mature sourdough starter will be ready for use in 7 hours and 30 minutes.