Maintaining and baking an einkorn sourdough starter
Hello. I am an amateur at this. It's been one week since I have established my einkorn sourdough based on Jovial's 10 day of beginning an einkorn sourdough process. However, I find myself confused about their process as they said "i would never have to discard any more sourdough." They have recommended amounts of sourdough to keep at each feeding, so you won't be using large amount of einkorn flour just to maintain the starter. So here is my questions:
1. After I have established my sourdough, and no longer discard it and it grows a bit larger than 10g-20g (bigger than the refresh amounts recommended for refreshing)? I suppose that would be the point where once a week where I need to take the extra (the amount of sourdough making the dough weigh more than 10g or 20g) and using it to bake or throw away.
Example:
88 grams of sourdough present in a jar after one week.
I can't feed the whole 88 grams the traditional 48g of whole grain einkorn and 30g of warm water for the recommended 10g or 20 g of starter and stick it back in the fridge.
I would have to split my starter into two parts by first taking only 10 or 20 grams in order to feed it and ensure the life of my starter is the impression I am getting.
The extra (78 or 68 grams of starter I am left with after the split) could then be fed separately to refresh and make a levian, or discarded. How would I fresh that large amount though for baking( what amounts of flour and water)?
Does this make any sense? I would assume I would want to more than just the minimum amount (in order to make bread and have enough to start with next week), but what I have a hard time understanding is what to feed the whole sourdough I am taking out once a week if it won't be a consistent weight of 10-20 grams.
2. Someone told me that they do this though: "If I need to use a starter that’s kept in the fridge for a recipe, I remove it from the fridge, feed it, then when it becomes active – I take what’s needed for a recipe; feed the ongoing starter and put it back into the fridge." They basically do the opposite. They feed the whole starter and make it active for baking, then after taking a portion of the refreshed starter, they apparently feed it again!! ???? I didn't know anything about feeding a starter twice.
Like I said, I am new to this. Could someone give me exact instructions to help me with this? I would like to go the easiest route, but apparently either way, I will be feeding my starter twice is the impression I am getting even if I separate the starter to refresh and maintain and then refresh the larger piece for baking (question 1) or refresh the whole starter, use some of it, and then feed it again?
If anyone can provide clear instructions with good measurements of what I should do from the minute I take it out of the fridge to refresh and I either decide to bake with it (refresh starter again??) or discard to the moment I stick back in the fridge, to help me with this, I would appreciate it as I am very lost at the moment. I hope I made sense and please let me know if I need to clarify
Basically there's no one way to keep a starter. 3 bakers, 4 opinions.
I find it easiest to keep the starter in the fridge. Take little off each time to build preferments with. Then when the starter in the fridge runs low I'll feed it then return it to the fridge.
No need to keep too much at any one time as you're building preferments.
there are some recipes where I won't need to use a levain, so I would still need to feed the starter right?
and also, wouldn't i have to make the sourdough active by feeding it in order to make a levain?
for my whole rye starter.
Feed the starter and only allow it to bubble up by 1/4-1/2 (so it'll have reserves) then put it in the fridge. This way it can go for a while between feeds so i'm not slave to my starter. When it comes to baking the night before i'll take a little off and build however much I need for the following day. When the starter in the fridge runs low i'll take it out, feed it, allow it to bubble up by 1/4-1/2 then return it to the fridge. And the process starts again.
You don't wish to build too much mother starter (the starter that lives in the fridge) at any one time. Find a balance of building enough to keep you going for a little while but not too much where you find it needs feeding before running low (no less than 1 tablespoon) so that you find yourself building too much and not using it up quicker.
I keep a whole rye starter that can go for longer between feeds than other flours. I find that whole rye starters need less TLC than wheat grain starters. SO I can keep it in the fridge this way for a few weeks. You will probably find that einkorn needs more TLC and regular feedings. If you run low or it starts to develop hooch then it needs a feed. You might find it can go for a week or even two between feeds but you'll have to see how well it maintains this way. If it starts to get hooch then it is hungry.
Just an example....
You bake sourdoughs twice a week. So build 90g and place in the fridge. Take 30g off to build a preferment (which will become the starter you use in the bread and it'll be freshly fed and mature too) each time. The after the second bake you'll be left with 30g of mother starter in the fridge. So take it out, top it back up with flour and water, allow it to bubble up by 1/4-1/2 then return it to the fridge.
I keep my whole rye starter at 100% hydration as it's just easier with the maths and when it comes to feeding. I'm not so strict about building exactly a certain amount of mother starter or anything like that. I see it needs feeding so I feed it and equal amount of flour and water by weight. Eyeballing it so I know I have enough for however long etc.
The advantage of doing it this way is you can build to different requirements all the while keeping your mother starter 100% einkorn if you wish. Safer as you won't by mistake use all of it in a recipe. More manageable etc.
When you take some off to build with the night before and leave it to bubble up overnight it will be active. You don't have to make it active to feed it to make it active (If you see what I mean). Once your starter is viable you can use it.
Some recipe do call for active levain. This means fed and bubbled up. The recipe has been designed for an active levain and timings worked out accordingly. Plus, it'll have an effect on the flavour etc. So if a recipe calls for it then follow the recipe and build your active levain by taking some starter from the fridge and feeding it so you have enough to use.
But once your starter is viable then you can even take some straight from the fridge to use in a recipe. Think of it as the dough is it's feed. It'll take longer as at this stage it wasn't "recently" matured and active but it'll work.
Which brings to mind another reason to use active starter... to make sure it is healthy. Doing a preferment or a starter feed ensures your starter is good and healthy to make bread. But one can use starter from the fridge that was matured a few days ago. Might change the taste of the bread as the starter itself is more tangy and because it takes longer to bulk ferment the dough it makes for a more tangy final loaf. But it works that way too.
Sunday just gone I did a last minute loaf with left over flour I wished to use up and hadn't built a preferment so just took some starter from the fridge and left it to bulk ferment for longer and it worked very well. But of course if you're following a recipe with time guidelines it'll be best to use a mature starter if asked for.
There is no one true way of keeping, maintaining and using a starter. There are many ways which work. You've got to find one way that suits your needs. You might follow my way at first but then go off on your own tangent or take ideas from everyone here and find a balance that you like. Only way is to try ideas and see what works. The more you use it the more it'll become second nature.