Sourdough Journey
 

I began my sourdough journey about a month ago and it certainly is a journey! There is so much information out there, some of it contradictory. People are passionate about their sourdough.
I have a good starter going and I have made everything from hour-by-hour recipes to no knead recipes. The first was way too much work...I don't want it to be a full-time job....and the latter was easier but the product not as good.
If anyone has a good recipe, I'd appreciate it.
Also, if I am leaving my starter in the fridge, how often do I have to feed it?
Thanks and here's pics of my first attempt.
Watson

What a beautiful loaf! Prior to my going Keto I always kept a sourdough starter, as my downfall is bread of any kind but specifically sourdough. Once established, I kept him in the fridge and fed him every 7-10 days and just a small amount. I highly recommend this site for all things bread, especially sourdough, everyone is so helpful and there is a wealth of information. Have fun!

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/

Your loaf looks fantastic! I love to eat sour dough bread. But I have to admit that I let my starter die after a couple of months last year. I felt guilty doing it. It was just too much work, keeping it going and using it regularly. King Arthur Flour has some good recipes for the stuff you pour off when feeding it, though. I think feeding once a week if you keep it in the fridge is fine.

That looks great Watson! I love Sourdough. My dad made it every morning when he retired. He then went around and delivered hot bread to mom and dad's friends in time for breakfast. It was a great social thing, invariably, someone would see him, invite him in for coffee and they would eat the bread. I never could keep it alive. I would forget about it, then toss the jar. Oh to wake up to the smell of that bread baking. Awesome.

Watson, your bread looks amazing. Look at those holes! That's a hallmark of a great sourdough loaf. I don't have a specific recipe. I just go by my instincts. Most of the time it comes out pretty good...not always...but most of the time. :)

That sure looks delicious! What a beautiful loaf. I could live on just bread :)

Marvelous Watson! Isn't it fun to learn something new? Enjoy your experimenting.

About feeding your sourdough starter:

I know that some people will disagree with me and that's ok. Here's the thing. I never take my sourdough starter out of the fridge just to feed it. Never. I make bread with it probably about twice a month, but I've gone as long 4-6 months without ever touching it. It just stays cold in the fridge, waiting for me to bake again. I use a pint container, which holds enough starter to keep itself happy in my fridge for quite a while.

Every time I use the starter, I'm really making a brand, new batch of starter along with making my bread dough. I pour all of my starter into a big bowl and set the starter jar to the side to be cleaned thoroughly. I add some lukewarm water to the starter in the bowl and enough white flour to make a "batter," similar in looks to thick, pancake batter. Once in awhile I might also add a teaspoon of white sugar to give it s jump start, but I don't do that very often. I stir it up, cover it with a dishcloth and set the bowl in a warm place for 1-2 days. It will start bubbling up...not a lot, but there should be some bubbles forming in it from the yeast activity. Then, I take my clean jar and fill it up with some of the "batter" from the bowl. The "batter" (aka starter,) that is left in the bowl is what I use for my loaf of bread.

When I'm done, the jar of starter goes back into the refrigerator to be used for the next loaf of bread. The yeast will go into hibernation and rest easy in the cool fridge, waiting patiently for you. Don't worry if your starter separates. That's just because the weight of the flour is heavier and settles to the bottom, leaving the watery liquid on top. It's still good. Just stir up, if you feel that you must.

Yeasts are everywhere around you. You really can't kill all of the yeast in your environment, so don't even try. However, molds are another story. You don't want mold in your starter. That's why you always restart it in a clean jar, before you put it back in the fridge. If you do have to start over, it's no biggy. Just mix some flour and water together and set it out in a warm place, in a covered bowl, for a few days. The yeast from the air will find its way to your mixture and start to grow. If you want to go the easy route, add a package of baking yeast to the mixture to guarantee that the commercial yeast will dominate and take over.

This is easy. Not complicated at all. :)

One other note...I always use plain, white, wheat flour for my starter. I don't add anything else other than a rare teaspoon of white sugar. (Yeast loves sugar.) No salt, no whole wheat flour, no other grains, nada. This keeps the starter pure. If there is bran, or other foreign things in there, they can start to disintegrate and possibly rot. You can add other things to your starter AFTER you've saved the pure starter and set it aside. Once it is in the bread bowl, add whatever you like.