So I have my sourdough starter- now what?

Here's some info that might be of use to you if you are venturing into the world of sourdough.

Like I said earlier- sourdough was pretty intimidating to me. But I decided to give it a try and not be too hard on myself if it was a total flop, and I was so glad I did. While you do have to take care of your little starter- it will love you back:)

The Basics 

for feeding- you feed it 1 part sourdough starter, 1 part water, 1 part flour (based on weight). I usually weigh it with a digital kitchen scale; add the starter in the jar and weigh it- zero the scale, then add the same amount of water, zero, then add flour).(I also use a funnel because I can make a mess:)

You can also use measuring cups. If that’s the case- use this ratio: ¼ cup starter, ¼ cup water, almost ½ cup flour. (or .5,.5 and <1) I was really worried about being exact on these things at first, but I’ve learned if you are generally there- you’ll be okay.

The directions from cultures for health say to reserve ¼ c. of starter for the fridge. Mine usually ends up being about ½ cup. It just seemed to work a little better for me, and after 1 feeding, I’d have plenty of starter ready for what I was making. There’s a little bit of a learning curve while you figure out how much starter you need for what you want- and when to stop feeding it and stick it in the fridge.  So if it’s feeling overwhelming- put at least ¼ cup of starter in the fridge and take a break.

Also, if you do end up with a lot of starter, you can mix up batches of stuff, let the dough have it’s resting period, and then freeze it for later. Or just make pancakes of waffles.

I usually only take it out of the fridge 1 feeding before I need it. It’s warm here and it bubbles up great. That being said- If I was to make bread or something where I needed a good rise, I’d probably do the 3 feedings before.

If it’s a recipe where you add flour with the starter, there will be a “soaking’ period of around 7-12 hours. It its’ a recipe where it only uses starter (like pancakes or waffles) there’s no soaking period.

*Oh- and you want to keep the starter or soaking dough a fair distance from your other food that is actively culturing. (ex. yogurt, kefir, etc.)

Here's some recipes I've tried that were good:

Sourdough Crackers, Sourdough Waffles, Sourdough English Muffins, Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Tortillas, Sourdough Chocolate Cake, Sourdough Pizza Crust, Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes, Sourdough Banana Bread, or this pizza Crust (This is our favorite- but I use all whole wheat flour)