When is sourdough ready

NOTE: The level at which the flour raises and deflates will differ depending on what type of flour is used. Wholegrain flours and ancient grains will not rise as much as hard white wheat which you can expect to reach double its height.

How often the sourdough starter is fed can determine how active it is. A starter that is fed more regularly will generally be more active. Whenever my starter starts to look a little sleepy, I increase my feeding schedule to twice, sometimes even three times a day.

This increases its activity and revives it to a really active level. A final check, is when the starter was fed. This is why it is recommended to wait between 4 and 12 hours before using the starter in your bread recipe. It will take at least a few hours to see some of those bubbles and rising levels I mentioned earlier. Look out for those other signals in addition to how long it has been since you last fed your starter.

QUICK TIP: You may find that your starter will be ready much earlier than usual on a really hot day, as the warmth will help the starter to feed more quickly. If those things are in place, your starter is probably ready to use, but there is an additional test that you can do to make sure….

The float test is a way of checking if your sourdough starter is light and airy enough to make your bread rise. Now that we have an idea of when the sourdough starter is at its peak, is this actually the best time to use it for making sourdough bread? After all, when it reaches its peak, it is at its strongest right? Actually, the answer is not so obvious. That is actually the only real prerequisite to making sure it will ferment your dough! But understanding what stage your starter is at, will help you have more control over how your bread turns out.

Adding it your bread recipe at this stage will cause the dough to ferment quicker. When you handle the dough after its bulk fermentation, it will feel quite different to when you first handled it. This is the point at which it is done and ready to shape. This test can be done once the dough has had some time to ferment. Poke your finger into the dough about a half inch deep. It will feel alive by being a little stubborn in the shape it wants to be. You will find that it has developed stretchiness and elasticity.

Whereas before the proofing, the dough would have been quite flat and easy to manipulate rather like play dough , once the dough has proofed enough, the dough will be more elastic and resist being overly stretched.

This is a sign that it is ready to be shaped. Once the dough has proven for enough time, it will look different. Look out for the following signs:. This is a pretty big misconception that can confuse beginner bakers. The dough does not necessarily have to double in size.

It would completely depend on the type of flour you are using. If the answer is yes to these two questions, I would go ahead and shape the dough and leave it to proof for the next stage. As I mentioned earlier, it will take some experience to understand your dough, but looking out for these characteristics will help. There is of course a limit to how long you can proof your sourdough for.

When reviving a starter in this condition , I will pour off the clear liquid, mix the remaining, and refresh as usual. There have been times when my kitchen heated up unexpectedly, or I couldn't get home before this had happened, and I mixed up my starter per usual, and it was just fine, but I try to avoid this scenario as much as possible.

But to be clear: don't panic if you forget to refresh your starter for a day or two! It will be just fine with a few timely refreshments and some attention. See my sourdough starter frequently asked questions post for a long list of common issues, but here are a few tips that will prove helpful:. Above all, take a few seconds each time you refresh your starter to sit back and assess how things look, smell, and even taste I don't typically taste my starter, but many bakers do.

Through constant observation and attention to small details, we can maximize fermentation in our sourdough starter maintenance routine. I recently changed my stirring apparatus from an old Pyrex spatula to this newer Oxo spatula , and wow… So much wasted time cleaning that old multi-piece thing.

Highly recommended. Aside from the new spatula, I still use the same Weck jars , dark rye flour , and all-purpose flour. There you have it, a day in the life of my starter and my sourdough starter maintenance routine.

I hope this visual guide has helped convey the visual cues and aromas I look for at various points through the microevolution of my starter. The same signs shown above are also present when I build a levain when making bread. Remember the methods we have to impact fermentation rate: temperature of the water, inoculation percentage amount of ripe starter left in the jar , flour selection whole grain flours increase fermentation , and ambient temperature.

If your starter is sluggish, increase these to speed things up or decrease them to slow things down. After a few days of experimentation, you'll discover the right mix of each for your unique starter.

Now that your starter is on a regular maintenance schedule don't forget you can use the daily starter discard in many delicious things in the kitchen! Buon appetite! For more sourdough starter guides, check out my sourdough starter guide roundup. If you find the baking instruction I provide here valuable, please consider joining the community—thank you! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Youtube. TPL Membership Log in. Sourdough Starter Maintenance Routine. Sourdough Guides , Sourdough Starter.

With this post, I'm hoping to help you answer the following questions: What is feeding I usually call it refreshing a sourdough starter? How soon after feeding refreshing a sourdough starter can I use it? What does feeding my sourdough starter once or twice a day look like?

Become a TPL Member. Click here to download it for FREE! Have you tried baking sourdough bread time and time again… only to end up with small, dense, hard loaves that won't rise? Maybe your starter just wasn't ready. Here are some sourdough troubleshooting tips, and how to know when your starter is strong enough for bread-baking! Here's everything you need to know about baking with a young sourdough starter — how soon is too soon, the signs of readiness, and great discard recipes for a starter that isn't mature enough for baking bread yet!

Traditional sourdough has been used by people for centuries as a way to leaven their bread. Then, when my husband and I were first married, I tried my hand at making a starter.

I mistakenly used a method that called for store-bought yeast and feedings only every 3 days. After learning how sourdough breaks down the phytic acid in the grain , makes bread and flour easier to digest so we get more of their nutrients, and is a way of creating your own yeast without having to buy it at the store, I became determined to create my own starter again. Thankfully, I gained a bit of wisdom and persistence with age and learned how to make a sourdough starter the RIGHT way , and have been baking up delicious sourdough bread ever since.

Hi, Wardee- After listening to your podcasts and watching your YouTube videos on sourdough, I've decided to try my hand at it again. And yes, I've been removing half of the starter before feeding it each day. I've wiped down the outside of the jar and shaken the jar a little to knock down the starter. Am I doing something wrong?

It can't be that my starter is strong enough to bake with, right? It's only three days old. I've just never had starter react and grow and become bubbly that fast… I'd love any insight or idea have for me. Our team will be in contact with you so you can choose which one you'd like! A sourdough starter might be quite lively in the early days, especially when using rye flour. It might also dip in activity after a few days as the organism's balance shifts, and then get active again.

If it's active and bubbly on day 5, even if it went through a lull, then use it in sourdough recipes that are not dependent on strong leavening. This time, I fed my starter twice a day, kept it warm, but not too warm, and was rewarded with bubbles and an active starter by the third feeding! And yes, it definitely reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with the perfect temp. I was faithful with my feedings, and after a few weeks and several batches of delicious sourdough pancakes , I was ready to try my hand at bread!

I mixed all the ingredients, noted the time, and eagerly checked on my dough for signs of rising after a few hours. Hmmm, not really much going on. I continued faithfully feeding it and making other items with my starter — sourdough pizza , sourdough waffles , delicious sourdough coconut muffins , and the easiest no rolling sourdough tortillas.