Sourdough

Sourdough Equipment

This is a list of equipment that makes keeping and using sourdough possible or easier. The links are to examples, anything similar can be used for all of these things. Some are optional but handy, others are for tasks that can be done with other other things.

• Glass Jars - This is where your sourdough starter lives. Make sure to buy 2 so you can make a levain, and tare your scale with the empty one. It should be transparent so you can see what your sourdough is doing. Be sure to remove the rubber seal! Jars
• Kitchen Scale - I recommend one with at least 5kg/10lb capacity so you can tare/zero it out even with a heavy bowl that already has flour and water in it. Make sure it supports grams for units. Scale
• Dough Scraper - Sourdough is sticky, having one of these is very important for folding it and forming it. Scraper
• Lame - Used to cuthttps://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Lame-Slashing-Tool/dp/B07P9KYFJF
• Banneton Basket - For proofing the loaf. Banneton
• Measuring Cups - Any sizes, I usually use 1/4 and 1/3 each time I feed my starter. Cups
• Fiberglass Chopsticks - They are pretty close to indestructible and are excellent for stirring starter or dough. Chopsticks
• Cereal Container - For pre-made flour mix. Container

Sourdough Supplies

This is the list of supplies you'll need to keep your sourdough starter going.

• Bread Flour - High in gluten, makes chewy bread. Bread Flour
• Whole Wheat Flour - Has wheat hulls and typically has more wild yeast and lactic acid producing bacteria than normal flours. Whole Wheat Flour
• Rye Flour - Contains enzymes that break flour down into fool yeast and bacteria like to eat. Rye Flour
• Rice Flour - Used to coat your banneton basket. Because it doesn't contain gluten it makes a good guard against the dough sticking to the basket. Rice Flour

Sourdough Flour

This special mix of flour keeps your sourdough starter healthy and well-fed. I recommend mixing it up ahead of time and storing it in a container such as one used for cereal.

• 70% Bread Flour
• 15% Whole Wheat Flour
• 15% Rye Flour

Example preparation:

1. Put your cereal container on your scale and tare the scale.
2. Add 700g of bread flour to the container. Tare the scale again.
3. Add 150g of whole wheat flour to the container. Tare the scale again.
4. Add 150g of rye flour to the container.
5. Seal the container, and carefully shake it until well mixed.

The Life of Sourdough

Sourdough is a living thing. Stuff comes up, this is how to handle it.

Sourdough Too Small?

You just got some starter from another sourdough baker and need to make it bigger, or you accidentally used too much and need to bulk it up again.

1. Put your empty jar with starter on the scale, and tare the scale.
2. Put your jar with starter on the scale. (It should now show the total amount of starter in the jar, remember this number.)
3. Remove half of the starter and discard.
4. Add Water. An amount equal to the original amount of starter you had.
5. Add Sourdough Flour. An amount equal to the original amount of starter you had.
6. Stir completely.
7. Repeat this roughly every 12 hours until your starter is the size you want.

Example with numbers:

1. Started with 40g of starter.
2. Removed 20g of starter.
3. Added 40g of water.
4. Added 40g of sourdough flour.

Your starter will have increased from 40g to 100g. Next time it will increase from 100g to 250g. You can add LESS flour and water to make the new total any number you want, but you shouldn't add more in one round. Always add the same amount of flour and water.

Need to feed your Sourdough?

I usually keep a 150g starter. This process describes how to feed that, adjust your amounts if you keep a different sized starter.

1. Put your empty jar with starter on the scale, and tare the scale.
2. Put your jar with starter on the scale. (It should now show the total amount of starter in the jar.)
3. Remove starter down to 50g, and tare the scale.
4. Add 50g of Water.
5. Add 50g of Sourdough Flour.
6. Stir completely.

Need to deal with Hooch on your Sourdough?

When you've ignored your starter for too long it will end up with a layer of dark liquid called hooch. It's still OK, it just needs food badly.

1. Without stirring your starter, carefully pour the hooch out of the jar. It's not important that you remove every last drop, but getting rid of as much as is reasonable is good.
2. Put your empty jar with starter on the scale, and tare the scale.
3. Put your jar with starter on the scale. (It should now show the total amount of starter in the jar.)
4. Remove starter down to 50g, and tare the scale.
5. Add 50g of Water.
6. Add 50g of Sourdough Flour.
7. Stir completely.

Where does my sourdough live?

The best place to store your sourdough starter is the refrigerator. This slows it down and that means you can feed it less often. Most people I know don't make sourdough bread more than about once a week.

• If you keep your sourdough in the fridge, you should feed it weekly even if you aren't baking anything with it. Don't forget it's in there!
• If you keep your sourdough on the counter, you should feed it every day. It will be much hungrier.

Is my sourdough healthy?

Let's figure it out. A sourdough starter is a balanced system that actively blocks invasion by things you don't want growing in there. Things can still go sideways, so you should pay attention. The insider secret is that as long as it's not moldy, the solution is almost always to feed it.

Healthy

• A sourdough will usually double in size after feeding it in roughly 4-6 hours while sitting on your counter. Don't panic if yours doesn't!
• Sourdough starter will get puffy slower in colder temperatures.
• If you recently removed it from the fridge, it can take longer as it needs to wake up again.
• If your starter doesn't double by around 10-12 hours, it is probably hungry and you should feed it again.
• If you remove it from the fridge and see a layer of dark colored liquid (hooch), your starter is very hungry, see special instructions to feed it.
• If it smells like green apples, it is slightly too acidic. This smell comes from the yeast working on making alcohol. It should be fed.
• If it smells like acetone (nail polish remover) it is hungry and should be fed.
• If it smells like vomit, it is likely too young to use for bread still. It smells gross but this is a normal phase of making your own starter from scratch and usually lasts 2 to 5 days. This can be repaired by continuing your schedule of regular feedings.

Not Healthy

• If there is mold of ANY color growing on your starter, you have lost it and it should be thrown away. Don't try to save it!
• If you can see mold, the mycelium network has almost certainly spread throughout the entire jar, scraping it off is not an option.
• You can still carefully clean your glass jar after throwing the starter away! (I recommend using the dishwasher for mold removal.)

Glossary

Every hobby has some amusing vocabulary, this is some you may not know for sourdough.

Boule

The classic round shape for a rustic loaf of bread.

Hooch

A layer of dark liquid on your starter that indicates it is very hungry.

Lame

A razor tool for scoring your loaf before you bake it.

Levain

An offshoot of your main sourdough starter created for a single bake.