Day 10 Starter is is bubbling...now what?
Hello,
It looks like there are a few of us on this post that are wondering how to proceed with their new starters! Mine is a second attempt - the ABCD didn't work, so I switched over to Debra Wink's method of starting out with 2 TB organic rye + 2 TB pineapple juice.
When I switched to AP flour and water on Day 4 (ratio 2:1:1) my starter was stalling for a few days, so I added a little rye in my next feeding on Day 6. My culture started expanding, and for the last few days I've been feeding it on 12 hour schedules: 2 oz original starter + 1 oz AP flour + 1 oz bottled water.
I fed it last night and this morning, it's risen from 4 oz to 8 oz. It's finally bubbling on top.
Now what? Should I feed it now? Even though it's only been 8 hours since last feed? Or should I feed it when 12 hours have passed?
And is it now ready to use? Or can I now put in in the refrigerator and only feed it 3 times a week?
If I wanted to use it today or tomorrow to bake bread, how do I build up enough? My hydration is 100%. It seems that some of the recipes I've read have stiffer starters; for example, one of my recipes for sourdough bread requires 1 cup of mother starter. But it looks as if that mother starter is much stiffer than mine, because it started with 2:1 ration for flour/water. (It's an old book from my MIL, titled "Great Breads" by Martha Rose Shulman. Her levan started with 2 cups AP to 1 cup water. Very different from my start of 2 TB rye/2 TB pineapple juice). So if I wanted to try this recipe, how would I convert my starter to the same ratio?
I'm sorry, I know my questions are all over the map. I'm happy to have a bubbling starter, I just don't want to screw it up, or waste it all on one recipe. I'm reading as much as I can but I've come across different methods and am still trying to lmake sense of the math behind it all.
thank you,
Mira
It's coming up on 12 hours so I'm going to feed my starter the same ration: discard and keep 2 oz starter, mix with 1 oz water and 1 oz AP flour.
Since my morning's posting, I've googled some more and cleaned most of my house. I've found an old posting here on converting 100% to 125% starter. Useful if your recipe calls for starter in weight (grams or ounces). Alas, mine doesn't;(
But I've found a sourdough bread recipe with 100% starter hydration that I'd like to try. It calls for 8 oz starter, so I need to build up my starter. (BTW, is that 8 oz stirred down starter or 8 oz at peak?).
Since I've been discarding and only leaving 2 oz of old starter, I'd like to this time keep 4 oz old starter. To keep to my 2:1:1 ration, that means I'd add 2 oz AP flour and 2 oz water. Theoretically, my starter would then double to 16 oz in 12 hours. Would this be okay to use in a recipe? Or does it need to be potent, by feeding at this larger weight for a few days? (Or, does my question about potency just reveal my ignorance?!)
Please...looking forward to hearing from somebody....
Mira
First of all, you should be feeding your starter at a higher ratio. The feeding should always equal double or more than the amount of original saved starter. For instance, 1:2:2 or 2:4:4. More is okay--less is not. If you need more starter, then just give it a larger feeding to build bulk. When measuring the starter, 8 oz. is 8 oz. whether it is stirred down or not (we are talking weighing here, not measuring out to the 8 oz. mark on a liquid measuring cup).
I would recommend that you feed your starter at least twice a day now and continue to keep it at room temperature for another week to build strength. You can probably successfully use it to make bread now but its flavor and strength will continue to improve over the next few weeks. Once you move it to the fridge, a weekly maintenance feeding will suffice.
Hi SourdoLady,
Thank you for your response and for clearing up my confusion. I have read about feeding one's starter by doubling its weight, but that wasn't clear to me on all the posts so thanks for the clarification.
Mira