Stop throwing away Sourdough Starter

[@pekkajohannesvirkkula7473]

In Finland, women have traditionally inherited bread dough bowls from their mothers, and they are from the generation before them. Those wooden bowls traditionally are not ever washed. Only the edges are scraped. Finnish rye bread is wonderfully sour and aromatic. Thanks to the old tradition and wood-burning stoves in the homes.

[@Random_hero47]

I have a very old one I inherited from my mother. Sima (mead) is made in a similar fashion.

[@kyou42]

Sadly the vast majority of people in Finland eat factory made bread and real bakeries are extremely rare.

[@Random_hero47]

@@kyou42 I couldn’t disagree more. Not sure where you came up with that

[@cosmicmuffin322]

That's so cool

[@kyou42]

​@@Random_hero47 by living in Finland? Most people buy supermarket rye bread. This part is anecdotal but I don't know anyone who goes and buys fresh bread every day or every other day like one would in for example France. And what's not anecdotal and a fact is that the "bakeries" in Finland whether in supermarkets or outside have their dough made in factories and delivered just to be baked at the premise, but most of them just get ready baked bread. How many bakeries do you know that make their own dough? In Helsinki I can think of 2: Way and Layers. Finns have abandoned the good bread for the cheap and convenient type. The only times I've eaten "artisanal" rye bread has been when I've gone fine dining. This is one of the reasons I'm learning to bake.

[@lynardok6654]

Finally someone with some common sense about sourdough! The throwing away 1/2 is so Wasteful and extremely costly. This makes so much more sense. Thank you!

[@Grace-love79]

If it made no sense to you to waste it, then why would you follow that advice? It’s your kitchen, save it or make more bread, pancakes or muffins. Sometimes people just follow what they were taught.

[@jackiewalker5240]

You are suppose to use it. That's why there are so many discard recipies.

[@Nico-rl1vq]

For over 6 thousand years people have made all types of fermented foods with grains, flours, beans, milk products, vegetables, etc. They never used electronic scales; never discarded ingredients; never had super sterile conditions and containers; never had ideally controlled temperature settings; blah, blah, bla… This guy gets it. He and a FEW others get what others have known and done for millennia.

[@Dremth]

Wait, what? Who was telling you to throw any of it away? And for what reason?

[@actualbusinessman8658]

Ok, but this isn't common sense... This is an arguably little-know fact related to a relatively niche baking practice. Niche at least from a general public perspective.

[@thatrandomswedishperson]

I actually work in a bakery and this is EXACTLY how we do it there! I would highly recommend.

[@MichaelRei99]

Nope that is dumb. Wasting valuable time scraping down the bottom and the sides and if you worked in a real bakery your starter would be used daily and would always be at the ready!

[@thatrandomswedishperson]

@@MichaelRei99 Starters are ready every day, but not all of them. We have different sized containers (small, medium, large) depending on how much a recipe needs. If we need A LOT of sourdough, the small sourdough starter doesnt need to be used. So we dont feed it for that day, just leave it scraped out like this and it waits in the fridge for when we need to use it for a smaller recipe.

[@janellemarina]

​@@thatrandomswedishpersonwill this not reduce the sourness of the dough?

[@thatrandomswedishperson]

@@janellemarina To be fully honest I have no idea, but that is how we do it in multiple bakeries Ive worked at. I'm not educated enough to know all the ways this impacts the bread, other than it works and tastes delicious.

[@soooooyoungk]

I was struggling so much to refresh & feeling bad to throw away what I couldn’t eat any more, until I saw this like 4 years ago in your channel. My starter has been happy and lean since then. Makes SO MUCH sense.

[@felipemenanteau]

He is completely right! As Jack says, the whole concept in bonkers! I've been using this method for 3+ years. I was hesitant to do sourdough bread because of the waste. I bake once a week.

[@Jonodrew1286]

Yep - Starve it, feed it, use it, keep it - but remember to love it once in a while

[@billthomas6592]

How long is once in a while? And if you forget to use them and feed them, how do you know if they go bad?

[@Jonodrew1286]

@ If it smells like acetone - its hungry and usually has a honey coloured liqueur at the top - I usually use it - feed it every 7- 10 days with 60g flour a little warm water until consistency is like batter mix - I have a pot I keep in the fridge there’s usually no more than 80g looks like a 1” llayer so when mixed with new flour and water ends up being 3” later then leave it - after a few hours it will be foamy and sometime s a test if you catch it right - is it float on top of tepid water - If it is black on top or mouldy do not use or at least use a teaspoons worth from the very bottom

[@ritapacheco8059]

I put aside the idea of making sourdough because of the whole feeding and discarding method. It's wasteful and, let's face it... I'll just forget to feed it. So knowing this just makes me excited about sourdough starter again. Thank you!!

[@megano.6808]

Yes! Me too! So wasteful. But now I don't have any starter. Anyone have a good recipe for a small starter?

[@General_Maximus]

​@@megano.6808flour and water.

[@mastaL91]

Don't let the term discard confuse ya! Sourdough "discard" is still useful in discard recipes! It's just not active and can't be used to help things rise. So we've got a jar of active in the fridge and a jar of discard. Not wasteful at all!!

[@oliviahillkupquake2912]

@@megano.6808Jack (the guy making this video) has a blog, Im pretty sure linked in his bio, where he has a recipe for the starter and bread, super super simple.

[@roseannamcbain]

Discard makes amazing muffins (I bake them almost daily 😅)

[@flotaylor8170]

My husband does this for our pizza dough. I never really understood what he was doing, but thanks to you, now I do. My husband is amazing! ❤

[@jayjolley9258]

High iq plays from your guy 😂

[@AppalachianChaplin]

I mean you can always take interest in your husband more than a random guy online and actually ask him why he's doing it...he is YOUR husband, and us men really enjoy when our women take genuine interest into what we do. Means a lot to us.

[@ajax8079]

@@AppalachianChaplin She neglects the poor guy.

[@pittbier7597]

Perhaps you should talk to him once in a while lol

[@Pensnmusic]

​@pittbier7597 yall are being weird You don't know anything about this person, lmao

[@michelemickle2153]

I hated making sourdough because of the waste. I’m so happy to now try the scrapping method

[@jonslg240]

How long is a fartnight? For me it's 8 hours. A fortnight is 0 minutes because you'll never find me in any fort besides a pillow fort, and even then YOU'LL NEVER FIND ME IN THE 64 CUBIC FERT OF MY PILLOW FORT (yeah I make better pillow forts than you, SO WHAT?!?) 😂😂

[@SusieQ3]

​@@jonslg240a fortnight is approximately 2 weeks.

[@Unsensitive]

I stopped following sourdough instructions a long time ago. I leave mine for long periods at room temp, under feed it, save the "hooch" on top for a protective layer, etc Once well established, I left it on the counter for 2 months unfed and ignored. The top dried out but the acidity of it prevented contamination or growth of anything. It formed a hard protective layer without molding, which I later removed, fed it, and it was up and running again in a few days. I also add more water than needed, making more of a batter, which I then partly save in the fridge to make amazing sourdough pancakes anytime I like.

[@The_Gallowglass]

I never ever threw anything out. As long as it doesn't smell bad it's good.

[@ohokay2013]

​@@SusieQ3did you really just answer him sincerely

[@AnnM223]

The feeding and throwing the starter made me abandon the whole sourdough baking thing Thanks! Will try again 😊

[@Ron-Ayres]

The 'leftovers' also make lovely savoury pancakes. Spring onions (scallions) and good French butter - delicious. 😋

[@GodsHerbalRemedies]

Me too! I will have to try this!

[@Nico-rl1vq]

For over 6 thousand years people have made all types of fermented foods with grains, flours, beans, milk products, vegetables, etc. They never used electronic scales; never discarded ingredients; never had super sterile conditions and containers; never had ideally controlled temperature settings; blah, blah, bla… This guy gets it. He and a FEW others get what others have known and done for millennia.

[@jessicaroth7439]

Same. After a week of dealing with making a starter, it went bad and I gave up.

[@SusieQ3]

I love sourdough pancakes!

[@dawnzerleelight]

Testimonial: it works!! I have left my starter at the back of the fridge for months at a time before (not a fan of using the oven during the summer, and wasn’t in the mood for griddle bakes). Even then I’ve been able to revive it with a couple feedings at room temp. There is a reason some people have starters with centuries-old lineage- the same starter through countless wars and natural disasters- sourdough starter is very resilient.

[@loriwallace4078]

I have also found this to be true! 😊

[@mightymidas2021]

I was wondering how long you can actually keep a starter for as I don't eat much bread at all , and due to this couldn't be bothered to make a starter whenever I want bread .

[@Mattle_lutra]

Ive had mine for years too, even kept some dried flakes and rehydrated them after a year. Sure enough in 2 days of feeding I had a happy sourdough ready to bake after a year's hiatus! 🎉

[@marisapollock4703]

​@@Mattle_lutraThis is good to know, I often go a long time between baking, but I love sourdough!

[@vc6478]

This method works, but if you leave the starter in the fridge for months without feeding and you think a few feedings at room temp revived it you are wrong, you just made a new starter. If you aren't using it, you need to feed your starter every few week at least in the fridge. People have had starters for ages because they used it, that's why they didnt need to "feed" it.

[@despinachristakis1050]

I remember at my village in the 1950’s when they were baking bread, not anymore, the women would borrow the sourdough starter from their neighbours. The starter was quite dry and usually they kept a piece of the dough from their bread dough as the starter.

[@theresamilea2963]

And that's the only reason i haven't 'started" a "starter"! Thank you....i love making.. Banking bread but haven't done a sour dough yet. I will now! Thank you!

[@RDHMonterey]

😮Me too 😢. Im so thrilled to know this! 🙏

[@RestlessPilgrim]

Me three! My sentiments exactly! 👍🏻 🍞🥖

[@BlessedBeByHisGrace]

Me 4 😂

[@lifeofatruckerswife]

I NEVER understood the reasoning behind throwing half away.. Thanks for the advice ❤

[@yodasoja2011]

This is the correct method. I have been following this method from Jack ever since i started my sourdough journey in 2020. It has always worked!

[@tommacdonald2291]

While I'm sure this works, it might not be as defensive to other bacteria. The larger the yeast colony the more defensive it can be to outside contamination. To combat this, I just feed it after using it and then put it in the fridge. It will last up to two weeks like this. Then the night before feed it, and then maybe again in the morning. Reduces waste but makes it more "ready" to go.

[@clairressagoad2789]

I’ve been following you for a while…your way of thinking really resonates with me and I have gratitude for you and your channel…

[@candywalker483]

I started using this method a few years ago, primarily based on your recommendations and so simple. And no waste. ❤

[@fabiennemitchell2371]

I never discard flour as I with minute quantities.

[@melansaloon]

Do you store the scrapings covered or uncovered?

[@melansaloon]

Do you store the scrapings covered or uncovered?

[@misskita4601]

This is what I do. Take my 1-2 Tbsp of starter out of the fridge, give it water and flour right in the jar, wait 3-6 hrs and then make my dough, and put the nearly empty jar back in the fridge. Works great!

[@fifimahi9060]

How about a beginner How do I get my first starter?

[@ednaoldebeken3853]

I think I messed mine up. 😢

[@Frozander]

@@fifimahi9060 you can just google that there are tons of sites showing you how to get a starter

[@jonl4899]

@@fifimahi9060my brother in-law and I made our own starter about 6 weeks ago. You can find guides online that will give you specifics but the gist of it is that you're really just cultivating the yeast that is naturally in flour. Rye flour makes it a lot easier. Note: a lot of the guides will tell you to throw away your excess while trying to make a starter, but you can totally use it to either make more starter or you can drop it in an oil filled pan and fry it up with salt, chives and other savory flavors and eat the discarded starter.

[@melansaloon]

Do you store it in the fridge covered or uncovered?

[@dexterne]

Mine is going strong about 5 years now, essentially the same method. I also brew beer and snuck a tbsp of barm out of each monthly brew to add complexity during the first year. Once it got established it's pretty invincible. I keep mine a bit more liquid than this and my feeding ritual is 1tbsp brown sugar, 1tbsp rye flour, 3tbsp bread flour and 5tbsp water. It will sit in the back of the fridge 3 months or more at a stretch and leap back to life when fed. (but I use it every week or two usually)

[@alsaunders7805]

I am a homebrewer also and will occasionally mix or crossbreed my cultures for bread, beer, cider. 🤔🤓🍻

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

I’ve had my starter since about 1972. ;)

[@dexterne]

@MarySanchez-qk3hp wow, your starter is older than I am!

[@soulrobotics]

Excellent advice! I used to do it, but out of laziness of having to wash the jar every time... well, every now and then I transfer it to another clean jar, but without knowing it, the breads came out better and better, as if the generations of bacteria and yeasts were improving each time! Thank you very much!!!

[@buttoot]

I started making sourdough a couple of years ago and used the scrapping method since the start, its a winner !

[@haltersweb]

I use a stiff starter. When I have too much starter or I’m not going to be making bread for a few months I freeze it into 25g servings. Then when I’m ready to use it I will wake it up by mixing it with 25g water and 30g wheat flour and setting it in a warm place for a few days, mixing it twice a day to work in the natural yeast in the air. This will give me 80g starter. Once it doubles I will start using it by mixing it with 50g water, 50g bread flour and once that doubles (maybe 1 more day) I’ll add it to the balance of my flour and water (minus the 50g each from the day before) along with salt and finish my bread making.

[@honestly1970]

this is brilliant. i'm now a lot less afraid to buy the starter I was looking at. I wasn't ready to commit to the process. Thank you.

[@bodyofhope]

Are you buying a starter or making it yourself? I hope you're making your own starter. You can do it!

[@swankshire6939]

Make your own starter. It's super easy. You don't need to buy special yeast or anything.

[@gogmorgoaway]

If you start with an organic flour there's generally more than enough yeast already in it. It might take a few days to a week to get a nice strong colony going, but it generally works. Once you've got a good enough starter to use it, you can use whatever flour you want.

[@Kate1427]

I’ve been baking sourdough for over three years and found your video about using scrapings instead of feeding it continuously or using excess flour and storing, both were not ideal. The scrapings method is perfect and easy. Thank you for a fantastic tip!

[@johanna8206]

Saw you share this years ago- it forever changed my bread making and helped save my sanity! Also stretch and fold. I cannot thank you enough! ❤🍞

[@Bakewithjack]

🤗🤗🤗

[@farkasmactavish]

I only ever take out 150g of discard before feeding it 100g flour and 50g water. And then I fry off the discard like a pancake. Usually studding it with chopped garlic or cherry tomatoes before flipping.

[@fatal510]

That’s very far off from the usual 1:1:1 ratio. Why so little water?

[@farkasmactavish]

@@fatal510 It was recommended to me on r/sourdough, and I believe the rationale was that it gives the yeast and bacteria a ton of food. It works really well and I don’t have to feed it every day, even at room temp.

[@marktaylorp]

Or take some out spread out on wax paper let dry break up store pieces in freezer- no jar.. take pieces out when you want bread and add water to dissolve add flour boom active again

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

You can also dry it out, put it totally dried in a clean cotton sock and store it to revive later, for instance if you go in a vacation.

[@InfernoWoods]

Iv always wanted to make sourdough bread but was intimidated by all the contastant steps. Thank you for this info it has really helped

[@BLiveMediaTV]

You only discard for a couple of days when you are starting a "brand new SD culture" because the good bacteria you want for your starter has not developed yet. That's it. After that you do not need to discard. AND ... you can literally start a new sourdough culture with a teaspoon of flour and a teaspoon of water. So there really is very minimal "wasting" of flour while your culture matures.

[@Arcticpagan]

You can also dry the sourdough rehydrare and feed day before.

[@StephenHutchison]

The "create starter" has the feed-discard cycle in order to make sure you have actual yeast not toxic crap with some yeast nearby. After you have good guaranteed yeast (up to a week) then you can safely use the scraping method to keep it going.

[@annguy5563]

It’s the same thing in aquarium hobby, you don’t clean out the whole tank when you change the water, there are important bacteria live on the filter, substrate and decors that can break down fish waist.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

***. WASTE. Waist is where your oants belt is.

[@stevedimartino683]

You are so right, I never throw sourdough starter out and I keep my sourdough for months in the refrigerator and it’s always perfect

[@Anthonyand101]

In my family, we've used this method for generations.

[@karoliyer4860]

OMG!!!!! I’ve been throwing away such volumes of starters over the years……THANK YOU Jack❤

[@tiffcat1100]

If you have a decent quantity of starter you want to get rid of, or if you think it’s about to get hoochy, just fry or airfry it with a little oil or butter & add frozen berries & sugar for sweet or cheese/tomatoes/herbs/spices/seasonings etc for savoury pancake (15 mins on 180° C airfryer & I increase the last 5 mins to the maximum. Nice with butter (or yog/cream etc for the sweet one. You could also go dried fruit, chopped, seeds, nuts, spices, brown sugar for a nice autumnal ‘pancake’ ❤

[@abateel8171]

Tried and true. I left one of my starters in the fridge for 7-8 months and it even developed some white mold (couldn’t bake as the kitchen was too warm for the starter to be active). I scraped out the clean bits. After feeding it for 3 days, the starter was good to go and strong as ever.

[@37thFrequency]

How warm is too warm?

[@ml3141]

What possibly happened is the 7 months old starter was completely dead and you just created a new one.

[@abateel8171]

@@ml3141 You are right, perhaps. It was revived within 2 feedings nonetheless.

[@abateel8171]

28C/83F and above. When my kitchen is at that temperature the starter is not active at all (no movement, no bubbles but the fruity smell remains).

[@ml3141]

@@abateel8171 next time try two starters at the same time. One with the that old mother one without.

[@jackiev2797]

I lost my year old starter to mold recently. I needed this video a week ago. Thanks KZbin gods😢

[@cheryl8466]

Thank you for posting this!!!! This makes a lot more sense. I recently got into bread making. I've tried and failed a few times, years ago. But I'm actually doing a pretty good job this time. I wanted to look into sour dough.. but the waste was something I was not about...

[@BLiveMediaTV]

You only discard for a couple of days when you are starting a "brand new SD culture" because the good bacteria you want for your starter has not developed yet. That's it. After that you do not need to discard. AND ... you can literally start a new sourdough culture with a teaspoon of flour and a teaspoon of water. So there really is very minimal "wasting" of flour while your culture matures.

[@SusieQ3]

I've never tossed the discard, but discard tortillas, pancakes, scones or pie crust usually use enough discard to free up room for a refeed.

[@if7060]

I'm so happy I came across this months ago! Made my life so much easier

[@Tulabelle1]

SO glad I saw your video - I pop the jar with scrapings in the fridge and when I need to make more- pull it out - wait an hour to feed and let it do it’s magic and I’m ready to bake! Thanks Jack!!!

[@PaddyMacWorld]

He has risen to the challenge!

[@kelammo]

Punny guy!

[@geekchick4859]

*groan*!!!😂😂😂

[@imajem]

I love your scrapings method. I've used mine for the past 4 years. Thank you for the info!

[@sarahbuttell6367]

Went on a summer vacation. Didn’t feed my starter for 3 months. Came back, and within 2 feedings it was back in business.

[@joshuaharris5605]

Mine usually goes 6-8 months in the fridge between loafs, sometimes I have to feed it 2 days in a row but for the most part it’s ready to go again over night.

[@zeusathena26]

I've never heard of anyone throwing their starter out. Save it! Think of it like a pet, or potted plant that just needs a little TLC.

[@christanice]

Thanks Jack! We keep our sourdough in the fridge. We don't quite get down to scrapings, but get it quite low, and have never had any trouble "waking it up" when we want to make a recipe.

[@Lavender_menace15]

My great grandma would make a sour dough starter at the beginning of the week, use what she needed to make the bread for dinner and feed the starter, every day. Whatever was left at the end of the week she made cinnamon rolls with 😋

[@Ladida386]

We had so called mentrga-a table with the space for making bread. Usually there were always some leftovers of dough and basically there was a table for sour dough.

[@The_Gallowglass]

Best bread I've ever made was from homemade starter. The bread would smell like Cheezits, 'cause of the fermented dough getting baked. Tastiest bread. Best grilled cheeses. Man I need to make moar.

[@glomontero6011]

Oh THANK YOU! I can’t count the times I have thrown out the whole jar bc I have “forgotten “ to feed it! Now I am going to make so much more bread yayyyyyyyy Thanks again

[@sigridscholt9276]

In the 90s in the Netherlands they gave it a way as a chain.. they called it herman

[@tinaday189]

We had Hermann in Norway too!! We had to "take care" of him, before baking and sending him to the next neighbour!

[@sigridscholt9276]

@@tinaday189 yes that. The chain letter bread 😄

[@Shelly-uk9zk]

Uk here, we've had Herman too 😊

[@janbritt903]

US - we had "Herman" here also. I went to visit my mom during that time (80s?) and she had a large note on the refrigerator door that read, "Feed Herman." Quite startling to read that. Hahaha

[@Bakewithjack]

Nice, I had this come around too, made cake with it and passed it on to three others. I’d like to imagine he’s still going ☺️☺️☺️

[@KINGK20092009]

It also helps to do a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar if you want to speed up the process a bit as it gives them more sugars to ferment

[@loris4142]

I thought that was how it always worked...a self-perpetuating bread starter.

[@schuylerjones1099]

A lot of people feed it everyday

[@73Tracker73]

I'm cutting back on my starter, to doing this. I thought it sounded bonkers too, so wasteful. This is fantastic to see and I can't wait to see if it works for me! Thanks!!

[@darkfoxfurre]

One could say that you're leaving those bits in for later. Something like leave-in-ings.

[@ECasteneda2010]

I see - and appreciate - what you did there. :D

[@georgiamoore5640]

I love it! I bought some sourdough starter and some special rising bowls and all that crazy stuff. Been watching other videos that are pretty intimidating and yours makes it seem doable. Thank you.

[@rabidXmexijewX]

Personaly I love feeding my starter i get sourdough waffles everyday also I feel like my fresh starters don't have the depth of flavor as my older ones.

[@geekchick4859]

Um…you’re doing exactly what just he said. 🤦‍♀️

[@sandi-midnight-mueller6550]

Awesome! I will definitely try this! I have never messed with sour dough because of the fuss and waste.

[@trishthehomesteader9873]

Thanks Jack! 🙂 Blessings to you and your family.💜

[@uniqueflowsnake]

my grandma just had a wooden troth with scrapings stuck to it and always made her sourdough in it and it was always fabulous. (finland)

[@SnargleflarpMasetblugp]

Yup, this works. I make bread a few times a year and can always revive my starter in a day or two. Also make crepes with any discard. My kids love them.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

Tortillas, pizza dough, French bread, carta musica, crackers, even bland matzos become interesting.

[@aawwmm]

I finally feel like trying out sourdough bread for the first time thx!

[@anishajoshi6810]

Thank you for actually voicing something that is so obvious, idk why people put 100gm of flour each day to throw it away the next day during the preparation 😅😅😅. Thanks alot

[@sassywithattitude1765]

That is the reason I stopped making sour dough bread. I used what I needed and fed my starter and ended up throwing it away by the jars. Sir, this was very helpful. I might consider making it again. Thank you 😊

[@Kovesy]

I have literally never heard of a different method to this, I thought this was the only way

[@SweetTreatsBakery-CCP]

That makes more sense. I quit making sourdough because it was so much work feeding and using all the time. Thank you

[@veranichole1981]

I saw a German lady use a method where I swear she added flour till it was dry and when she wanted to use it she added liquid. It was dry but also a sourdough starter. So cool and confusing because now I can’t find the video and have no idea how to do it. Well, this one’s getting saved so I don’t lose it. Danke!

[@chantlyrique3996]

Her channel's name is "This Gabled Home" or "Our Gabled Home" or something close. The video was called something along the lines of "My no discard sourdough method"

[@Em.powered.woman.speaks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZmqhYNsjtCFsMksi=df3aLlXjEkt2N4ER

[@gertrude137]

Also you can use the discard for many things.. I love adding it to pancakes and other baked goods for example.

[@Mars_architects_bali]

Finally .. someone makes sense abt starters ❤

[@haakonkarlsen4065]

I mix in my jar of sourdough, ferment dough for 18-24 hours (i time it so i spend 5 minutes mixing the dough the night before, and has is ready at a practical time next day). Take off a spoon before baking, mixing with water and rye flour, back in the jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks until next time. No waste (time or dough)

[@djtblizzle]

Exactly! The whole feed and discard thing is wackadoodle

[@Sierra-bw4gm]

It keeps the starter more active, and have a better balance of acidity. The method Jack uses can result in the end loaf being overlying acidic, and have less volume.

[@ugsvciwa]

I’ve been doing a modified scraping method for a few years now. It’s incredible! Sourdough is easy.

[@meercatt]

I did this method for several years successfully. However I would get black mold looking stuff on top and had to take extreme measures to save it several times. I finally let it go too long and just pitched it. Got any remedies for that in case I decide to do it again?😊

[@kendesmarais9018]

Before I started using the scrapings method my starter was getting weak, but since using the scrapings method my starter got so much stronger! That’s my method of choice now.

[@ShireGanj]

By adding the flour, you’re feeding it, Regardless of how much is left. You can slightly vary the sourness by feeding different quantities of leftover starter.

[@geekchick4859]

I think the point is that you don’t need the garbage of feeding and discarding g half all the time. You clearly kissed the point. 🤦‍♀️

[@ShireGanj]

@@geekchick4859 I would never discard half. Ask a baker, not a social media chef how to use and keep starter. The whole point of keeping a starter is to have a continual source of yeast. If you’re a bakery and you bake a specific amount product, you use 1/2 the starter to make your dough and replace the amount of flour and water you just took. If you do that regularly you will have a consistent sour product that has a consistent flavour. I’ve never known a bakery to use their entire starter or throw any out. 🤦🏼right back at you.

[@NorthThird]

@@ShireGanj Bakeries have a completely different workflow for an entirely different goal (to sell lots of bread). Home bakers have the same goal as people who have been making bread since the dawn of the agricultural age: to make bread while conserving resources. I'll take 10,000 years of human history over the advice of a commercial baker with a 500 liter levian tank/fermenter at their disposal.

[@Joyful-Heart777]

Finally some wisdom about the sourdough starter. Thank you so much!!

[@lolkage3136]

Makes sense to me. Same idea used to make cultures for yogurt.

[@c.a.3358]

Thank you. I think the whole throwing out and feeding is bonkers too. Although I've wanted to make sourdough, it's way too much work. I love your method and I will definitely try it. 😊

[@NotEasyButSimple]

This was my exact question. I want to learn how to make sourdough bread and have been confused at why everyone is throwing away dough before refeeding. Is this some sourdough ritual? 😅 or what's the reason why people do it? I need to understand the "why" when I'm learning something. This is refreshing. I really hate when thngs don't make sense, I was about to not even do down this road. Question: For you who don't feed, how long do you typically leave the dough before it's ready for use? Can we leave it longer than overnight for more fermentation and not feed it?

[@meganrae2508]

Ooh, I’ve always avoided getting into sourdough anything because I wasn’t keen on the maintenance, especially because of my work travel schedule taking me away for weeks at a time. But this! I can do this!

[@BLiveMediaTV]

You only discard for a couple of days when you are starting a "brand new SD culture" because the good bacteria you want for your starter has not developed yet. That's it. After that you do not need to discard. AND ... you can literally start a new sourdough culture with a teaspoon of flour and a teaspoon of water. So there really is very minimal "wasting" of flour while your culture matures.

[@BLiveMediaTV]

Once your starter is established, it is really a breeze. I live with chronic pain, so life is up and down and I am no baker per se. But, I love the flexibility of sourdough and how easily i can manage life around it. An established starter is very resilient and easy to work around and once you get going, you will see how addictive it becomes. The process is therapeutic and your gut will love you for it.

[@thatisjustwhatisaid]

Probably thanks to one of my foremothers slowly introducing it to colder and colder storage environments, mine is happy to wait in the freezer for a month or even longer until I bake the next batch. Takes 3-10 days for it to be ready for baking again afterwards and doesn't require throwing any away. Afaik any starter should be completely fine in the fridge, though, slowing its functions enough so you only need to feed it about once a week to keep the yeast culture dominating any bacteria.

[@jbb8261]

I actually feed it straightaway and then use it cold. So I never have to wait for it to rise right before baking, I just let it rise after my dough is done and then it’s ready for later. Discard is necessary when building a starter though. I composted mine since I find most discard recipes to be unappealing.

[@mgm2008]

WOW! This is a game changer!!! I let mine die cuz I got tired of maintaining it!! Thank you for sharing this 😊

[@markharrisllb]

I've been doing this since ‘79. I also use high protein flour (15%). It takes about 24 hours to come to the ideal fermentation but will stay there for much longer than lower proteins. So if I decide to bake later in the day my fermentation is still at its peak.

[@has6954]

Thank you so much! I’m a beginner I feel so confused and frustrated! And my SD bread still not very good at all, but i will keep trying! Thank you again this very good advice. Appreciate you.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

There are also KZbins from King Arthur Flour,’s bakers, Martin and Jeffrey. They did them during Covid, both sourdough and other breads. I found them very useful even though I’d been making breads since the 70s. I’d never even heard of glass bread before! And I’d never used a baker’s percentage before. My breadmaking skills have grown and my product is more perfect now, thanks to them.

[@michaelElerch]

OMG! THANK YOU! Somebody finally said it!!! The whole process of “building up a strong starter” & “throw away the “waste”, don’t use it” has always seemed like complete bs to me.

[@Voltikz95]

Bloody hell mate I think you've just pushed me to making my own proper starter now. A huge problem I had with it was the idea of maintaining and dumping half away. I make bread like once maybe twice a week so this'll be a god send!

[@brucetidwell7715]

Wow! A rare 'hack' that really is a game changer. Thank you! I may actually give sourdough a try now. I always knew that I didn't have the discipline to maintain a jar of starter.

[@JPRobinso]

when I started my sourdough, the 1/2 thrown away bit, was added to milk and eggs and made into pancakes. I keep it in the fridge, I get it out, add 200ml water and 200g flour, leave out on side till bubbling, then use 400g to make bread which replaces 200ml of water and 200g of flour. the leftover I put back in the fridge till next time. sometimes the water rises to the top and goes black - I just stir it all back in. I've had this sourdough going for about 6 years.

[@draniki1352]

thank you! my mom really likes sourdough bread and has been wanting to make some but she always frets about taking care of the starter.

[@simmonds6063]

We do the same, but we go ahead and feed it before we put it in the fridge. Then we just set it out on the counter the night before we want a loaf. Might as well feed it while you have everything out mixing a loaf. It won't rise till you set it out, preferably once a week or more.

[@tobiasjahejdu]

Amen! I've left mine for 1½-2 month in the fridge... still alive and well after first feed +5 years.. and yes.. it becomes crazy resilient over time.. I still get amazed, when it comes alive in hours after basically neglecting it :-)

[@MegF142857]

I've done this basically with Kefir. I have had it go 5 months in the refrigerator before reviving & feeding. Some of it survived & resparks.

[@kuhvacako]

People think Im bonkers for already doing this. There are Some people who are completely Gate keepery about how they make bread, they have the best and only way. Bread making at home is mostly figuring out what works best for you and your home

[@shirleysparks1148]

I have resisted trying to start one . 1 because of the waste and 2 we are diabetic so we love bread but we don't eat it every day . Thank you for sharing.

[@MandyConner-vg2ux]

I have kept my SD starter in the fridge for years. I literally pull it out ice cold, and make bread with it. Feed what little is left and straight back into the fridge. It works way better than any other starter I’ve used.

[@jewelssylva3738]

The whole reason that I didn't continue making my own sourdough is I don't remember to feed the starter. I am so glad to hear this I'll be trying his method.

[@phil20_20]

I four big jars of it in the fridge. I just it as liquid in the recipe if I have too much.

[@kkpetreedfest]

Depends on the strain, some are ok with this method and some need more babying

[@dagmarfrerking2235]

Throwing out half each day is only recommended for the first two weeks or so of a newly started sourdough, as it is not yet strong enough to leaven anything, much less bread. To get it strong enough, it needs to be fed at least daily and it would grow exponentially if not reduced in size. However, it does not need to be thrown out, it can be added to other doughs as long as they're leavened in another way. If you're not baking daily, it can also be put in the compost, as long as the amounts are small. The working young sourdough can be used for lighter doughs than bread, such as cake (try sourdough chocolate cake!), pizza dough, pancakes... until it is strong enough for bread. Then it can be kept in the fridge between baking days.