Cultivating Your Own Sourdough Culture

Cultivating Your Own Sourdough Culture

The Art of Bread Pets

Words by Sue Burns

What is it about sourdough bread that beckons novice and seasoned bakers alike to become part of a tradition thousands of years in the baking industry? It’s home cooking at its most basic, requiring just flour, water, and patience to create one of the most satisfying and comforting foods on the planet. The art of the process is enticing too: different ingredients, different shapes (boules, mini-boules, batards and sandwich loaves); different patterns of scoring, and add-ins make every loaf unique.

How do we get started with sourdough? With a sourdough starter, of course! Sourdough starter has its own allure, with bakers bestowing “punny” names-think Brigitte Bardough or Bready Mercury-on their starters and sharing tips and lessons learned from each bake with other bakers. Once created, it can be used and shared endlessly (San Francisco’s Boudin Bakery has been using essentially the same starter since its founding in 1849).

Sourdough starter is a living community, where wild yeast and good bacteria keep each other alive and flourishing. Flour and water are fed to the starter, enabling the yeast and bacteria to create a process of fermentation, making carbon dioxide gas bubbles that produce more yeast, and sugar for the yeast to create the acids that contribute to sourdough’s signature flavor.

The many different species of bacteria and yeast found in every kitchen and in the products used by every baker, as well as their methods of feeding and baking, make every sourdough starter, and thus every loaf, distinctive. And therein lies the beauty of sourdough: although it seems that there are many rules to be strictly followed, in the end it is what works for every baker, in their own kitchen, to suit their own tastes, on their own time.

How do I get started?

You can make your own sourdough starter, or to ask a friend to share some with you, (you’ll know you’re getting an active, healthy starter). Starter can also be purchased from reputable sources, which will ship it with instructions on how to maintain it.

What should I feed my starter?

All-purpose or bread flour and filtered or purified water are best. Rye flour can be substituted for 25% of the flour you’re using to strengthen the starter. Many bakers discourage using tap water because of the presence of chlorine and other chemicals that can affect starter; filling a container with tap water and allowing it to sit for 24 hours will help the chlorine evaporate.

Must I keep my starter on the counter and feed it every day?

If you’re not baking with your starter daily, you can keep it (covered) in the refrigerator and feed it every 7-10 days. It can be fed less often, but may take longer to achieve full strength when you’re ready to use it.

Is my starter healthy? What’s that liquid on top?

A layer of thin, tan-to-gray colored liquid on your starter is called “hooch”, and it means your starter is very hungry. The starter is safe to use; hooch can be poured off before feeding, or stirred back in for a more pronounced sour flavor.

Sourdough starter is incredibly resilient! BUT, if you see: color other than cream or amber (pink, orange, blue, or green); mold; white fuzzy spots or black patches; rippling growth or black liquid on the surface; or notice a bad smell (like acetone or nail polish remover), throw your starter away and start over.

What is “discard” and what should I do with it?

Many sourdough recipes instruct to remove (discard) some starter before feeding; thus, discard is actually unfed starter. It can be tossed; fed to create a new starter; diluted with water and used in the garden for a boost of good bacteria and microbes; or refrigerated for fun recipes like sourdough pancakes!

Keep learning!

Endless resources can inform your sourdough journey. Books and websites; online and in person classes; videos and advice from other sourdough aficionados will keep your curiosity, creativity and culinary aptitude growing!