Introduction - Feeding the Flock 23

 

I've recently come across this new obsession of cooking with sourdough starter.  My friend, Kathy gave me the starter back in December. At first I was keeping it on the counter, feeding it daily and using it every other day.  After the holidays, I started storing it in the fridge and using it on the weekends.  I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting and have come up with quite a few yummy recipes.  A lot of my posts  for the A-Z challenge , as I mentioned in the theme reveal will incorporate the dough starter. 

I’ve yet to try building my own sourdough starter; perhaps April 22^nd with the letter S.  Once you successfully create your own sourdough starter, you will want to keep it healthy with regular feedings.  If you bake a lot you may choose to keep it on the counter at room temperature and feed it twice a day.  If you don’t bake a lot, then you would want to keep it in the refrigerator and only will feed it once a week.

 

Instructions for keeping your sourdough starter healthy.

 

Keeping dough at room temperature

½ cup sourdough starter

1 scant cup

½ cup lukewarm water

 

Stir the starter.  Spoon ½ cup into a bowl, discard or use remaining starter. Add 1 scant cup flour and ½ cup warm water to the ½ cup starter dough, mix until smooth, return to the jar/crock and cover with cheesecloth.

Repeat this process every 12 hours, feeding twice a day.  Remove the starter to bake with as soon as it is expanded and bubbly, then feed the ½ cup and revert to the normal 12-hour schedule.

Keeping dough in the refrigerator

Keeping dough at room temperature

½ cup sourdough starter

1 scant cup

½ cup lukewarm water

 

Take the starter out of the fridge.  There may be a bit of liquid (it’s a byproduct from the yeast fermenting) on top. Stir it into the starter.  Spoon ½ cup into a bowl, discard or use remaining starter. Add 1 scant cup flour and ½ cup warm water to the ½ cup starter dough, mix until smooth, return to the jar/crock and cover with cheesecloth.

Let the starter rest at room temperature for about two hours, this gives the yeast a chance to warm up and get feeding.  Then return to fridge and repeat this process at least once a week.

Cheers