December 9, 2009 - 11:22am
May Sourdough starters be stored in the fridge using screwtop quart-size Mason Jars?
I am planning on starting my sourdough education this winter. Have enjoyed happy baking of yeast breads and pastry for about 30 years or so but sourdough will be a new journey. I am very grateful for this site.
May I store my starters in the fridge in mason jars-quart size with screw on lids ?
Thank you all for your willingness to answer a sour-newbie's question.
Junebug
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Mason jars will work just fine but you do not want to refrigerate your sourdough culture until it is well established and active.
I only hope that you don't get caught up in all the hype about how difficult sourdough is. It isn't.
Flour, water, and patience are all the ingredients you'll need.
Have fun on the journey.
I myself use pint wide-mouth jars. I got some one-piece mason plastic lids at the grocery store. Also, in the Winter I bake more often and keep the starter out of the refrigerator.
They are perfect for what you are going to use them for.
I too use quart wide mouth mason jars. I typically keep about 200 grams in the jar. That gives me enough room to take 100 grams to begin the bread making process and feed the rest 100 (50/50 water/flour) and it won't overflow the jar when it grows.
I find I feed weekly and switch to a new jar about once a month to six weeks.
More than you asked for but...perhaps helpful.
Good luck on your journey!
Jay
I prefer the metal two piece lids--be sure you don't tighten it down all the way so that there is some room for gas produced by the culture to escape. That way you won't have any surprises from an over-active culture (or one you leave in the fridge too long!). I usually leave about 1 or 2 millimeters of "play" in the lid.
It came with my mentor's Christmas bread and butter pickles last year... and well, I kept "forgetting" to give the jar back to him.
I've been using the same jar since I first raised my starter. Every once in a while (a few months?) I place it in a separate container, feed it, and use hot water (no soap) to scrub out all of the bits that have dried in the jar. Then, I let the jar cool down and dry before putting my now fed starter back into its cleaned home.