July 16, 2009 - 8:53pm
Throwing away half of starter
I admit, I'm a dunce with all things breadmaking, but I'm finally working up the guts to ask this burning question. . .
Why is it necessary to toss half the starter before feeding when you're starting a, uh, starter? I have a sourdough starter that is almost two months old. I started it, literally, with a couple of tablespoons of flour and water so I wouldn't have a lot of excess. Now that it is mature, not to mention big, I use the excess in various recipes. I suppose this makes my question a moot point, but I'd still like to know. Did I do something wrong because I built slow and small and didn't throw out half?