Starter? Leaven? I'm so confused!
Hi,
So my boyfriend and I have been making sourdough for nearly two months now, have made around 12 batches of bread and have started to iron out the kinks. We're pretty happy with the results since we are fairly new to baking bread.
Up until now we have been using Richard bertinets recipe, with his 50% hydration starter. It goes by the name 'Peter' and we have been feeding him religiously since he was 'born' at the end of February.
I teach cake decorating classes and last week a student gave me two of her starters - a white one and a whole meal one, both of which she got 3 years ago from the E5 Bakehouse in Hackney, London. She's emailed me the recipe for the starters, but they are liquid and require To make a leaven before you use it.
I keep reading about feeding before using, and 100% starters but haven't tried this method before.
I suppose what I'm asking is, what is the difference between Bertinet's stiffer starter that you bake with and/or just refresh every 2/3 days and the liquid starters that I've been given which will keep untouched for 1 month in the fridge (so she told me) and that require you to make a leaven the day before. What are the pros/cons and differences between the two methods and would there be any way to convert the liquid ones to stiffer ones so that I can keep doing what I know? I really don't want to kill these starters that were given to me!
I've attached the recipes she gave me with the starters for reference.
Thank you all in advance!