You have received an established sourdough starter, now what?

Everyone's sourdough journey looks different. Some folks are gifted an established sourdough starter that has been passed down through the generations, or maybe your husband found a dehydrated 200-year old San Francisco sourdough starter that he gave you for Christmas (me), maybe a friend gave you some discard from their own starter, or possibly you started one from scratch. No matter where it comes from, once it is established & active, you can maintain it in your own home and be baking bread to share (or not 😊) with family and friends in no time!

• When you receive your starter it usually comes in a glass jar with a metal lid. Most starters will come with directions, either written down or word of mouth. The below information is meant to be a guideline if you do not have directions or if you have struggled to maintain your gift!

Supplies

• Established sourdough starter

• AP Unbleached bread flour

• Filtered water

• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula

• Clean glass jar, not necessary but I like to change jars every few days

• Scale, not necessary but VERY helpful

• Rubber band or marker to mark the height of the starter to observe its rise and fall

When you receive your starter you will want to bring it into your home and sit it somewhere in the kitchen in a warm, dry place, this will allow it to acclimate to its new environment. When you get the starter make sure to find out when it is "due for its feeding" and maintain that schedule for a few days. You can adjust this later to meet your needs best, but to help it thrive as it transitions, try sticking to its current schedule.

Daily Steps (once every 24-hrs)

• Observe where the top of the starter is

• Move the rubber band to that mark

• Discard "half" of the starter into either a discard jar (stored in the fridge) or you can discard into the trash.

• Check the discard recipes if you aren't sure what to do with your discard and just can't bear to waste it into the trash!

• Using your scale add 60-grams AP unbleached flour and 60-grams filtered water

• Stir, stir, stir

• Cover lightly with the lid, cheese cloth, or coffee filter. You want it covered but air needs to be able to circulate and you will see in my videos that I change up my covering depending on the temperature & humidity in my kitchen, find which works best in your home!

• Use the rubberband or marker to mark the current height of the sourdough starter and sit in a warm, dry place

• Using the Sourdough Tracker linked ⬇️ https://delightfullybaked.wixsite.com/delightfullybaked/post/sourdough-tracker document the time of the feeding and if possible the temperature and any notes

• Then observe for the next 24-hrs

• The goal is to see it double in size, using the rubberband as the guide, you want to see the starter become bubbly & active, rising above the marked level.

• Your starter is ready to bake with when it is consistently doubling in size 4-6 hours after it's feeding. Be sure to mark the peak rise time on your tracker, this will be important when baking time comes. Peak rise is when the starter still appears "domed" it has hit its peak when you notice it looks "concave" or is starting to "fall". This is much easier to see in a clean jar!

Tips

• Flour brand doesnt matter but I prefer King Arthur's Flours which are readily available in most grocery markets or bulk food stores.

• If you don't have filtered water, use tap water that has sat on the counter in a glass jar, uncovered overnight

• Use room temperature, to warm water

• Use the tracker as you are getting started

• If you don't have a scale use 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. I know we use 60/60, when using the scale but flour & water measure and weigh differently, which is why a scale is helpful when getting started.

• Be patient and give yourself grace. You are growing your own harvest of wild yeast and healthy bacteria and this takes time. But also remember to have fun, it is just flour and water and can be restarted at any time! So play, practice and experiment to see what works for you best!