Hey guys,
I am currently on day 3 of my brand new starter that I made from scratch.
When feeding I do 1:1:1 and so far as of last night was looking right on track.
I am looking at ways to use my discard as I do not want to waste anything.
What are things I can make with discard??? how long does discards stay in the fridge before I can use it and what is the process????
I am very new and I would like to make as much as I possibly can - no dietary issues.
I am moving to a community that is 8 hours from a main city, so I'd like to make the most of it.
Don't use any discard this soon. It might not be safe, since the nascent starter may not be acidic enough yet to discourage disease organisms (and it might not taste good either). Wait until the starter is well-established.
TomP
thank you,
so do i put the discard in the bin until my starter is well established??
and how do i really know when it would be ready for baking or to start collecting discard?
the discard i have in the fridge at the moment (2 days worth) would that be ok to feed as a starter or best to discard it?? it does loo fine to me as i checked it approx. 3 hours ago.
Don't use or save any discard until the starter can be used for baking. Until then, throw all of it away. You can't be sure what bacteria is growing in it. Once the new starter is working well enough to bake with, it will be acidic enough to suppress undesired bacteria.
Don't worry, you will still end up with plenty of discard.
When your starter is ready, do a TFL search for discard recipes, like this thread.
You asked how do you know when your starter is ready . AI ( which I dislike usually) has a good response.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+know+when+your+sourdough+starter+is+ready&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1149US1149&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile…
The float test isn’t particularly reliable but for certain the doubling and good fragrance are reliable. Good luck
Oh and about discard. You don’t need to ever have discard. Only keep enough starter so that you build what you need and store the bare minimum.
I store 100 g or so , I never measure it, take out 50 g build what you need + 50 g and stir that 50 back into your pot of stored starter. Keeps it fresh and you never have a discard.
If I want to make muffins or pancakes etc I simply build enough fresh levain for that purpose. Easy peasy.
thank you for that.
so do i wait until my starter is more mature?
Are you asking about discard use or starter use in general?
How long have you been working on this starter? Days or ?
After a week or so it’s good to go. Make a 1-2-3 Sourdough loaf with it. There are lots of posts here on TFL. It’s an awesome reliable way to get started with sourdough baking.
I wish more new to SD , new to bread baking would back up and start this way. Make the simplest form available. 1-2-3. It’s impossible to mess up. Most importantly don’t stress . All else fails add 1tsp active dry yeast to a bit of water and add to your dough. Will still taste fantastic with your SD enhancing the flavor. c