Sourdough secrets

When I was learning about sourdough I was literally so confused. One person said this and the other said that. It was wild because everyone has a different opinion and idea of how to create and master sourdough making. Needless to say I almost quit because I was so confused. BUT I don’t want that for you. What I learned on my journey is that it really is as simple as water and flour. There isn’t a perfect way of doing it and it can be a total blast.

So, here are some of my tips and secrets to keeping and maintaining your sourdough starter and loafs. Things I wish someone told me!

Cutting your loaf

When I tell people to not cut into their loaves until they are fully cooled, I get laughed at. But really, wait. If you don’t your loaf to be gummy inside give it time to cool. My first time I was so ready to try it and cut into it out of the oven and boom, gummy! I thought I ruined my loaf but in reality, I just needed to let the loaf cool down.

Warm water

Yes, warm water. I only use warm tap water to add to my starter and recipes. For some reason if I use cold water it just don’t do the trick.

Feed your starter

Totally obvious I know but what I mean is try not to skip a day. If you are not feeding it twice a day at least feed it before bed! I had a reminder on my phone every night to feed my starter and now it is habit. And if you are feeding your starter from the fridge, make sure to set a reminder every week to feed her. She gets hungry!

If you miss a day though, do not worry! Once your starter is mature and strong it is kinda hard to kill it.

Switching flours

I don’t suggest this. Once your starter is used to something I say keep it on the same diet. If you want to create a whole wheat or rye starter, I suggest taking some starter you have and making another jar for this! That way you don’t ruin your perfectly perfect starter!

Temperature and weather

Depending on the time of year where you live your starter and dough will adjust. So, in the summer months expect to watch your dough rise. And in the winter months expect your dough to rise a bit slower.

Smell

What is it supposed to smell like? Well, it depends! Everyone’s starter is going to have a different smell. The only thing I can say is that if it smells rotten or has red or green in it throw it out. It is bad.

For reference my current starter smells like sweet apples. Another I have smells like nail polish remover.

Discarding starter, why?

It’s the way the world works (insert Nick Miller voice)! If you don’t like wasting the starter, put it in a separate jar and keep in the fridge. There are so many sourdough discard recipes out there, so bake baby bake!

Changing your starter jar

You totally can! Just scrape into a clean container and wash. I rotate mine every few weeks because part of the sides near the top turn into literal cement. But you don’t have to. As long as you are maintaining and scraping everything to incorporate each other you really never have to worry about it.