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Questions tagged [sourdough-starter]

Culture of yeast and lactobacilli in a flour/water mixture, used to leaven bread (also known as levain)

A sourdough starter, or levain, is a fermented mixture of flour and water. This resident colony of microorganisms (yeast and lactobacilli) produce leavening for bread or other baked goods.

Questions may include how to:

  • start
  • feed or maintain
  • use
  • troubleshoot problems
112 questions
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Do Recipes Typically Account for Starters/Preferments when Reporting Dough Hydration?

I know there have been a couple of questions here before about what "counts" toward computing dough hydration % (honey, milk, etc.) but I always thought it was a no-brainer that starters and preferments (poolish, etc.) would be taken into account in…
Peter Moore
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Is it okay to feed milk powder to sourdough starter?

I'm still new to bread making and I was wondering if adding some milk powder when I feed my starter would have a negative impact since milk is slightly more acidic than flour.
Liz
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How do I modify my sourdough rising/proofing time to account for not using enough starter?

This is my first time trying to bake sourdough bread after feeding a mature AP/wheat starter I got from a friend. I fed the starter a 1:1:1 mixture with AP flour and let it rise in a very warm room(~84F) for a few hours. It nearly tripled in size,…
Lane
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Effect of ethanol concentration on bread flavor

What is the effect of ethanol concentration on bread flavor? According to this stackexchange post the majority of the ethanol produced by yeast evaporates during baking, so in theory the ethanol shouldn't contribute to bread flavor at the…
lerner
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Sourdough Starter: Very fast rise (doubles in an hour)

I started a sourdough culture a week back and have some questions about rising time. I did not add any yeast to the culture. I am using regular whole wheat flour. The temperature at my place is 30*C(at 1 pm) Day 1-6 I used 10 Gram Flour. Day 6 I…
vijayvithal
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How is mixing time influenced when using a sourdough starter?

I am new to producing and using a sourdough starter at home. While mixing a dough that incorporates a starter using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, I have observed the resulting dough looking much less smooth than a standard yeast dough.…
Adam Mazzarella
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Capturing wild yeast for sourdough: Is this healthy yeast or contamination?

I'm trying to capture wild yeast to make my own sourdough bread. I put prunes, water and some sugar in a sterilized glass jar and aired it daily. After a few days I get a white, fuzzy layer. The smell is sweet and alcoholic. However I don't get any…
tiftik
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Can you use coffee or tea instead of water in a sourdough starter?

Can I use coffee or tea instead of water when making a sourdough starter?
Dennis Windsor
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From regular fresh yeast to sourdough

I know that there are formulas for switching from and to sourdough and or preferments, but even though my library grows I haven't found such a formula. I have a general idea of the fact that a sourdough bread usually requires around 40% of sourdough…
Lolman
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Which sourdough starter should i keep?

I decided to make 2 sourdough starters, to see if one would come out better. I only want to keep one and I dont know which one to choose. One has formed a hooch, while the other has not but otherwise they are identical in size, consistency, and…
user84026
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Sourdough Bread Starter Smell?

My sourdough starter smells buttery, is this ok, or should I start over with my starter? I have made the starter with organic whole wheat flour and water. It is approximately 3 weeks old and I’ve made several batches of bread. It is just starting…
Lorna Von Talge
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How long should I let my new sourdough starter ferment until I can use it?

I am making my first sourdough starter (and bread of course). I started it 2 days ago, and it looked quite good while in the fermentation process. I only made a small quantity with approx. 1/4 cup of all purpose flour (as I didn't have any Rye…
Michael Ben David
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Is buttermilk preferred for sourdough starter?

Is buttermilk a preferred milk for sour dough starter?
Hope Roccasalva
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Yeasted rye starter immediately doubles!

I'm making a yeasted sourdough starter per the directions in my bread-machine book, but with rye flour instead of whole wheat. It's supposed to sit for 2-5 days, but it doubled almost immediately and is doubling again in my largest bowl! I can stir…
Patricia Greenspan
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Different sourdough starter behavior based on starter composition?

In general, what are the different "behaviours" of sourdough starter, based on their composition, all other things being equal?For instance a 100% white flour starter vs. 100% wholewheat flour starter vs. a white/wholewheat combination starter, all…
user73192
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