King Arthur Flour – Sourdough Starter Tips 2

(Continued) How to Feed & Care for Your Sourdough Starter:

“Keeping a sourdough starter is somewhat like having a pet because it
needs to be fed and cared for. But its requirements are simple and
not time consuming. Baking with sourdough is also a simple process.
All it takes is a little planning and timing. The results are so
satisfying, you’ll grow to treasure your invisible pet the way our
ancestors did.”

“When you receive your starter, refrigerate it if you don’t intend to
feed it immediately (at any rate, starter should be fed as soon as
possible after you receive it). To feed it for the first time, snip
off a corner of the plastic bag and squeeze the starter into a glass
or ceramic bowl (not metal). Stir in 3 cups of lukewarm water (what
feels comfortable on your wrist) and 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose
flour. Mix until it’s well blended and the consistency of pancake
batter. Let the replenished starter sit at room temperature for at
least 12 hours to give the yeast a chance to multiply and become
active before you put it in the refrigerator. Ordinarily you would
feed your starter when you remove some to bake with it. A good rule
of thumb is to replenish it every two weeks or so, preferably because
you made a wonderful loaf of sourdough bread, a stack of pancakes or
a delicious sourdough cake.” (This previous paragraph is for those
people who have ordered King Arthur’s Sourdough Starter from their
catalog.)

“During the time the starter is stored in the refrigerator, it becomes
relatively dormant which is why it can survive so long with so little
attention. You’ll find that a clear, amber colored liquid will
accumulate on the surface of the starter. This liquid contains 12% to
14% alcohol.”

“When yeast is in contact with air, it produces carbon dioxide; when
it’s not, it produces alcohol. When you blend the alcohol back into
the starter, it helps produce the unique flavor you find in good
sourdough breads. For milder flavor, you can pour off some of the
alcohol if you wish although this will thicken the starter requiring
a bit more liquid to return it to its “pancake batter” consistency.
(To “sweeten” a starter in another way, see Troubleshooting which
follows.) The alcohol itself dissipates during the baking process.”
(Continued)

~—06/30 08:58 pm LORELI Loafing and Laughing in OcL
FOOD AND WINE BB TOPIC: BREADS BY MACHINE TIME: 06/30 9:08 PM