The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Managing a Long-Term Starter

MmeZeeZee's picture
MmeZeeZee

Managing a Long-Term Starter

There's a great thread on starting starters.  What about managing them?

I bake three to four times a week out of necessity.  I have two children under the age of four and a husband in the military.  I'm not really able to cultivate three or four different starters, so I'll let you in on a secret: I'm actually hacking a starter.  I made one according to Lepard's instructions and it worked like a charm.  Since then, I've been refreshing six days a week or so with whatever flour I'm using at the moment.  I'm guessing it's 50% whole wheat, 40% white, and 10% rye at the moment.

Today, I used a liquid starter when I really should have used a stiff starter.  Honestly, the difference in hydration is so minor for the whole loaf, I thought... really?  We won't eat bread for two days because it's not stiff enough now?

How do you maintain your starters?  Do you maintain multiple starters (and have children and tomato plants and a husband)?  If you don't, how many refreshings do you do before you consider it good to go?  Etc.

 

JessicaT's picture
JessicaT (not verified)

I manage 3 jars of starter, and a big thing of discards which get turned into various edible goods, or I'll just feed it to the dog from time to time. I try to keep them at 50% hydration since I only bake once a month or so. I also leave them in the fridge, since there is no need to feed them often. 

Postal Grunt's picture
Postal Grunt

While it's summertime here in Kansas, my starter is vigorous and needs little tenderness to maintain its voracious habit. I build it to around 200-210g at about 85% hydration give or take a few points and refrigerate it at peak. 100g will leaven a loaf of 450g of flour easily. I should try 75g before summer is over.

Anyways, I'm just refreshing as the starter gets close to around 50g. I use KAF organic AP right now because it was on sale at $3.75/5#. If I'm baking anything really out of the ordinary, I know I can build up a special one use starter easily. This works well for my usual schedule of two loaves and a Friday night pizza each week. I need some time for my four tomato plants, four pepper plants, cucumbers, herbs, watermelons, and the garlic that is ready to harvest this week.

My starter and I seem to be getting along very well.

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

wow, where are you that you are so lucky to get kaf organic ap on sale for such an awesome prcie?

green with envy and very happy for you!

christina

Postal Grunt's picture
Postal Grunt

Unfortunately, the local Kroger Supermarkets affiliate, Dillon's, was closing out the stock of KAF organics. They just weren't selling well at all. I found sell by dates of November 2010 on the two bags I bought. They might have been sitting on the shelf or in a warehouse for quite a while.

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

My local Kroger(ATL) did the same on some KAF. Bought the last bag of OAP for $3 even. Had about the same sell date.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I have 2 or 3 small jars of starter in the refrigerator. I used to pull the whole jar out on Wednesday,build it up a bit  and use it on Saturday,then put it back in the refrig. It was clumsy and sometimes it was forgotten and not put back in the refrig. I lost a few starters that way.

Nowadays,1-2 days before a planned bake, I take a few tablespoons out of the refirgerated jar and put it in a taller jar on the counter and feed it 2-3 times (every 8-12hrs) to build to a desired volume. I need anywhere from 1/2-1 cup per loaf, depending on the recipe being baked that week. If its warmer in the kitchen, it activiates pretty quickly. If its cooler, I might need to plan an extra day to build the volume to where I need (gets quite cold here). I feed it whatever is currently available and cheapest (usually AP unbleached) and keep it at a thick batter consistency. If I was scaling up or down, I'd measure the flour/water and know the hydration but my recipes are very forgiving. I adjust the dough consistency on the mixing end with AP flour, if my starter proves to be more/less hydrated when used.

If I don't bake that week,I discard the starter I'd normally remove from the master starter.

Since I keep about 1/2 c (ideally) in a jar in the refrigerator, I add a few tablespoons of flour and some water to it when the volume gets down,leave it out for about an hour and then put it back in the refrigerator-usually weekly but sometimes every other week. A few times a year, I'll discard the refrigerated master culture and replace it with some of tthe activated starter I'd built for a bake. I put about 1/4 cup in a clean jar and discard the "old" starter in the refrigerator.

Do whatever works. I do use hybrid recipes because of time constraints-I add some instant yeast-to decrease rise times. I also mix a double loaf recipe of whole wheat dough in the evening and immediately put it in a large,oiled plastic container overnight for a bake the next day. It rises almost double overnight.I take it out for about 2 hours to warm up.shape it/pan it,proof and bake.Helps hydrate the bran so you don't get a crumbly loaf.

proth5's picture
proth5

have neither husband nor children, but I do have tomato plants and a pond full of koi.  Also, in my "normal" life I depart my house on Monday am for the airport and do not return until Friday PM.

You may have heard elsewhere that I currently am staying away from home somewhat longer as I travel internationally.

I can't compare my life to having children, but some would consider me to be pretty busy.

And yet, I maintain a starter.  I have had it for 10 years.  But only one. 

The way I use it, is to create a "build" - I take whatever flour I wish to pre ferment and add a certain weight of starter and let that mature.  I have a "large" amount of storage starter and except for the amount added to the build, it is fed spearately.If I need a rye starter, start with a little dab of my wheat starter and feed it with rye.  It is a liquid starter and if a formula calls for a firm starter, I do a conversion (I have a little spreadsheet to do this) but in general, you are correct - the hydration difference is not (always) as critical as some would make it out to be.

The same house sitter who feeds the cat and fish feeds the starter (daily) when I am away.  I don't refrigerate it unless I really need to. I don't worry about the discard - it is discarded.  Some people will post that I "waste" flour feeding a starter.  Post away.  We all have our little indulgences and keeping the starter always "bake ready" (so during the brief times I am at home I can bake with it on a very short timeline) is mine.

Your maintnence routine sounds just great to me.  Feed the thing daily.  Bake often.

Happy Baking.

MmeZeeZee's picture
MmeZeeZee

Thanks for all the comments.  It's great to read how different people maintain their starters with varying degrees and depths of business.

I somehow doubt a pond full of koi has the same, shall we say, whirlwind of urgency as two toddlers, but just reading about your life relaxed me, LOL!

EvaGal's picture
EvaGal

HI Mme ZeeZee,

I too keep only one starter, do not discard, but bake every other day.  If I see a long stretch without baking upcoming, I pop the starter in the Fridge, but it seems to take about 24 hours to recover from the chill.  I have found that rye flour is much slower to spoil.  Also, starter here at my house seems to be hungrier in the warmer months. Since I don't keep close track of measuring the flour and water I feed with, the thickness varies.  If it is too thin when I'm ready to bake, I just use more flour when mixing the dough.

I admire you for maintaining tomatoes and toddlers.  Even though mine are teenagers, I can't even keep houseplants going!

Proth 5's idea for a starter sitter reminded me that I should add it to the list of tasks for the farm/house sitter when we get away this summer. I wonder how much extra I should pay?

EvaGal