Thank you for the clear and thorough explanation. For someone starting on sourdough journey, is really helpful. Really appreciate you taking the pains to illustrate how to identify finer details like over developed starter and active starter. Can you help further by: (1) Slowing down a little when you speak, (2) do a video explaining the different types of starter and how to prep them e.g. what is cold, hot, stiff starter (3) Do a video explaining key glossary terms that are commonly used in sourdough/bread baking that beginning bakers might be trying to figure out e.g. laminate, inoculate. Thank you very much.
Real talk on maintaining starters, Matthew! As folks get into warmer weather, one way to help lengthen the feeding periods is to mix the starter more like a dough rather than a pancake batter. There are all sorts of variables to play with.
I’m watching your playlist today making sure to like each one. Thank you for all the great tips. I find re-watching helps to keep the tips fresh. Have a great day!
@@matthewjamesduffy Thank you for answering so quickly. I actually created a pumpernickel sourdough a few months ago by researching a few different recipes for my brother in law as it’s his favourite. I would love to see you do it on a home scale amount. I made mine sandwich style but I bet you could figure out boules. Safe travels on your trip. I’ll send you what I came up with so far for recipe on Instagram. There are not a lot of easy recipes for pumpernickel but it’s tasty.
I'm just getting started with sourdough and I've been watching tons of video's but feeding video's are not a lot that do a job as well as you. Thank you for this information.
Wow this is amazing. The best video I've seen. You actually know what the hell you're talking about and know the little things to look out for to make a good starter! So helpful
Do you ever look at youtube how-to videos where the narrator explaining doesnt seem to have an understanding of what he/she is talking about? For me that is all the time, maybe 3 out of 5 "helpful" videos. Not the case here. Mr. Duffy clearly knows his doughs. Thanks.
No way. I really appreciate your video, subscribed too. I still have not perfected my bread, after a couple years, but I am into the science. Did not think about the acid levels affecting leavening. Just got bread flour and pure gluten to try and get more rise. After your video I checked the temp of my starter and I could have sworn I have some rye flour but no... Struggling with sticky dough and over proofing, piles of spent starter i just cannot stand tossing.... Life is good.
@@rookhoatzin one of the best things about baking bread is you can always be learning. I’m sure those pain points will pass and I’m happy I was able to help your journey!
Hi Matthew, I love your video and great explanations. I'm very new to raising starter and baking sourdough. I am sure mine is over fermented. How do I fix it? Can I take a small amount of it to create a less fermented starter? Or should I start over? I LOVE sourdough as sour as possible and hoping to find a way to obtain that while still making a fluffy bread. My first attempts made dense loaves that didn't rise enough, I guess. I know I said a lot here. Can you just let me know about getting my starter going from starter that is over fermented? Thanks! PS I'll be watching more of you videos. This is the first one I found.
Thank so much for the helpful tips. Really appreciated showing us the difference under fermented dough and over fermented. I've been struggling with my starter since winter has arrived and it's too cold. Looking at my starter though, mine appears to be over fermented. What do I do with that?
Thats totally fine you just need to give it a feed. Its also possible to make bread with slightly over-fermented starter it changes the PH/aciditiy and fermentation a bit. I prefer to use Ripe Active but there's many ways to do it.
I have a healthy active sourdough starter that I've been baking with for about a month now (started over the holidays -- thank you for your instructions!). I'm using stone ground high altitude Hungarian flour and Einkorn flour (10 gms of each) to feed it (20 gms of starter and 55 gms of water at each feeding). My third loaf turned out awesome. I'm curious does it significantly change the biodiversity of the yeast culture if I introduce a different kind of flour into the starter? And how much effect on the quality or flavor or complexity of the bread I produce will a change like that really have?
This was helpful! I'm a beginner and I'm working on whole spelt sourdough bread and have made 5 so far (don't laugh), each one just a bit better. My goal is to switch over to einkorn sourdough bread once I have more skill. I'd love videos on that flour for sourdough bread making!
Thank you Vanilla. Would never laugh, everyone starts with 1 loaf. I just got a large bag of Einkorn and will be doing some breads with it. I also have einkorn pancake and waffle recipes on my blog.
Great video. Very helpful. There seems to be a gap in my knowledge. I understand how to make the starter. I understand how to feed the starter. My current starter, which was given to me and I am baking with successfully, I am discarding so much starter and I really dislike that. I have just started day 1 of your starter. Mainly because you incorporate rye and I want to try something new. You said you don’t discard your starter. What do you do with it? You take 10 grams from your starter what do you do with what is left over? Could you close the gap for me please and perhaps others? I feel as though there is a whole process going on in between. Thank you in advance.
Thanks for watching! I do create some discard from time to time and I have a bunch of recipes on my website + more in my upcoming book on how to use it. I try ti maintain as little as possible and only build the exact amount I need to mix a dough. Whenever I have any leftover I put it in a container in the fridge then continue to add to it.
Thank you! The white Globe mixer is 8qt and the Sunmix spiral is 15kg. I don't really use the Globe much for mixing dough so im not exactly sure the max capacity.
I'm looking for a good timeline of feeding and baking. I was up til 3am as I was afraid it would fail if I didn't keep going thru all the steps. Please help.......
I send out a lot of info like this in my newsletter as well as this video and a guide on my site. All my recipes have suggested timelines but you can change the way you do it to accommodate your schedule.
Hey Matthew, if you were not going to bake for a couple days or a week, would you cut the quantities down to say 1g / 10g/ 10 grams to minimize the waste, or would you just keep the starter in the fridge?
If I didn't want to use the fridge i'd do something really low and feed it once a day. Otherwise I would do the normal feed then place it into the fridge. Before using the starter I would take it out and give it 1-2 feeds. Hope that helps!
I started my first ever sourdough starter more than a week ago and it's still not looking ready for twice a day feedings even though I've fed it nightly. SE NC coast so did I chose the wrong time of year? I feel like maybe it's not warm enough in my house maybe for the fermentation? So want to make a sourdough focacchia!
What did you do with rest of the sourdough starter do you throw it or return to fridge and use it when you need a new starter ? And can you share please a video how to start the starter
I usually put it into the fridge or compost but I try not to have much extra. I don't have a video on creating a new starter but I will make one in June and I have a written guide how to do it on my site. Thanks for watching.
@@matthewjamesduffyso you put your starter in the fridge. Do you bring it to room temp before you feed it? How many feeds does a refrigerated starter need before it is ready to bake? Thanks a bunch!
After you created that to feed, do you pour that back into your main jar? I get so confused about all of this. I got some starter from a friend. About 100g. She just fed it so she said it's good. But when I need to feed it, do I take some out, add the water/flour and then pour that all back? If yes, then when? And when I was at her house, it was bubbly. The next day at my house it's flat. What happened?
So with the leftover starter you didn’t add to the feeding do you just toss out each time? I’m not understanding the process of feeding. Seems like you have discard each time?
When starting a starter should you cover with cheesecloth or a solid lid as you did in the video? Also, during the first week, do I have to wait until the starter falls before feeding again or discard and feed while it's grown to the top or even over the top of the jar? Thank you
Hi, i am doing a weekly bake and keep my starter on the kitchen counter instead of the fridge. Question is can I feed my starter once a week? This means that I will only feed it after each weekly use? Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi there! Great question! Since you’re keeping your starter on the counter, feeding it just once a week might not give it the strength it needs to stay healthy and active long-term. Starters thrive on regular feedings to stay happy, so here’s what I’d suggest: If you're baking weekly, you can absolutely store your starter in the fridge to slow things down. That way, it won’t need constant attention, and you can get away with feeding it once before baking. Here’s a simple routine that works well: The night before you want to mix your dough: Take the starter out of the fridge and give it a feed. The morning of dough mixing: Feed it again so it’s nice and active when it’s time to bake. This two-feed approach ensures your starter is in peak condition, bubbly, and ready to leaven your dough. Alternatively, if you prefer to keep your starter on the counter, you can tweak things by decreasing the inoculation (amount of starter you use in your feed) and keeping it at a cooler temperature. This slows down fermentation and lets the starter rise slowly, meaning it won’t require daily feedings. The key here is balance: if you’re feeding less frequently, keep an eye on how it smells and looks-if it gets too acidic or watery (hooch forms), it’s a sign it needs a refresh. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes-I’d love to hear how your weekly bakes turn out! 😊
@ , appreciate your prompt response. One follow up question - I should assume that I will need to feed again the starter immediately after I use some for my bake before restoring it back to the fridge for next week?
@@jennifertan-sue-een5249 What I would do is build the levain for the mix just over what you need. At the end of the mix day id feed the starter with a lower innoculation then place it into the fridge the next morning when its risen.
Great question! The float test (where you drop a small bit of levain in water to see if it floats) is a common way to check if your levain is ready, but it’s not always 100% reliable. Here's why: Levain floats when enough CO₂ (carbon dioxide), produced by yeast activity during fermentation, is trapped inside the dough, creating a light and airy structure. If it floats, it usually means the levain is active and well-aerated, ready to be used for baking. However, if it sinks, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s not ready to work. Here are a few reasons why it might sink even if it’s technically ready: Hydration level: If your levain is lower in hydration (thicker or stiffer), it might not trap as much CO₂, so it can sink even when it’s ready. Timing: If your levain was active but has gone slightly past its peak (when yeast activity starts to slow and CO₂ begins escaping), it might not float as well, but it can still leaven your dough effectively. Density: Sometimes, a portion of levain might sink if it’s not well-mixed or if it has uneven fermentation, meaning the CO₂ distribution isn’t uniform. Temperature: A cold levain (for example, one that has been resting in a cooler spot) might be dense and sink, even though it’s active. In short, if your levain sinks but looks bubbly, smells pleasant and tangy, and passes the usual visual cues for readiness (like doubling in size and showing a domed top), it’s likely still good to go. The float test is a helpful tool, but don’t rely on it alone-trust your senses! Hope that clears things up! Let me know how your bake turns out!
Do you stir your original starter before adding it to the feeding jar? I have a little bit of liquid at the bottom of my starter and don't know if I should mix it in. It's only 3 days old.
1. Clean jar on your scale 2. Zero the scale 3. Add 50 gm water, zero the scale 4. Add 50 gm rye or wh wheat flour 5. Remove from scale, stir thoroughly, cover loosely, let it sit Now you have made starter. There are lots of TH-cam’s to learn about feeding your starter. Good luck.
I created an 100% rye starter about 10 days ago. It consistently doubles in volume at 12 hours. I keep it at about 80F so pretty warm. I do 1:1:1 feeds. Is there anyway to make it double quicker at like 4-6 hours? Will it naturally double quicker over time as it matures? I had a starter years ago that always doubled at 4 hours. This one seems to take a lot longer. Thanks Side note I’ve been doing 1 feeding per day.
IM still confused.... so many words, not enough direction (for me) - after I mix my 1-10-10, do I put it back into the original starter container or do I forever have a new container? HELP MEEE
Thank you for making me feel confident as I am a very amateur baker lol. If I store my starter I’m in the fridge, when I’m planning to bake, how long should I take to take out from fridge and re feed? Thank you again 🫶🏽💪🏽
Also I just started a batch of new starter from rye and white and I use a proofer at 85F. My day 2 was getting double rise and stuck to the spatula. Is it ready to go?
I’m sure I overthink this process. My 4 loaves of bread have been real tasty. My Question….I’ve been feeding my starter by just adding 50 g of unbleached flour and 50 g of purified water ( mixing) and then adding to my existing starter. It sounds like you are taking 50 g of existing starter and mixing it in with the 50 g of flour and 50 g of water and then adding that back into the existing starter? Which is correct? My starter never seems to be the thicker consistency. I do the float test and it floats
I’m a little confused on if you just feed your starter once before use, or should I feed it every day for a few days to make it stronger before I use it? I’ve been feeding it every day for 3 days before use and leaving it on the counter (not the frig) - sounds like I don’t need to do all that? Thank you.
Hey Nikki, thanks for watching and for your question! 😊 For the most part, I do feed my starter daily-but that’s because I’m baking a lot. If I know I won’t be baking for a few days, I’ll usually pop my starter in the fridge to slow it down. Then, when I’m ready to bake, I just take it out, feed it, and let it get active before using it. Sounds like you’re doing great with feeding it every day if you’re leaving it at room temp and baking regularly! Hope this helps!
Waittt a second, you have your starter, THEN you say you feed your starter -a combo of 10% starter, 100gr water, 100gr flour) but what do you do with the ORIGINAL starter? That's just taking a small % of it out to feed it, but what about the original starter mix?
Hi Matthew, I’m a new to that world of sourdough and let me tell you it’s something 😅. May I ask, you take some of your starter to be able to bake but what do you do with the rest of the starter, you feed it or discard ? Or you keep a certain amount of levain that become your new starter? Just need to know what are the next step with the starter … I usually bake 2 to 4 breads/week what would you recommend to keep as starter and maintaining schedule/ratio. Hello from Ottawa 😉
Have you tried it yet? It takes a few months to develop some skill but once you do there's no going back to store bought.. unless you can afford the fine bakeries!
Work backwards. Figure out the total Levain you need (let’s say 10x900g for 9kg of dough) then work back. For 9kg of dough you’d prob need about 800-1100g Levain depending on your inoculation/formula. Feed in the PM so you have the right amount + extra in am then feed the am so by PM you have enough for the next build.
1:10:10 for example - 10 grams of starter, 100 flour, 100 water. Lots of bakers and bakeries do it. What part of it is strange to you, I can try to explain it.
@@matthewjamesduffy Feeding 1:1:1 is very common, I've seen people switching up to 1:2:2 and even 1:3:3, but never beyond that and I've watched a LOT of sourdough videos, the 1:10:10 is off the scales and it would appear that you are over feeding it which a lot of bakers have said is a waste of flour and ineffective, but what do I know, I'm a complete beginner!
@@harrybond007 It's not overfeeding at all its simply going to prolong the time to reach maturity. If you pick up Jefferey Hammelmans book, all the levain builds are done overnight and at 1:1:1 or even 1:3:3, this would be well over fermented in 10-12 hours. The only waste of flour is if you create discard from your starter. When you do an overnight build the goal is to mix your dough in the AM using all (except the seed) of your levain and essentially creating no waste. Many commercial or larger Artisan bakeries do overnight build as it is a much better time management practice to have the levain ripe and ready first thing to be mixed when the mixing shift starts. This is based on over 15 years of BOTH home and professional baking experience but there are MANY ways to do it, I am just sharing my method. Hope that clarifies for you.
Is there something wrong if it’s gloopy? Example mind sticks to my spatula but I need to use my finger to get some of it off because it’s quite sticky. Also the smell from mine is sooo strong, it doubles in volume and I can see lots of bubbles on the side of the jar, but still not sure if it would work.
What a blessing for your daughter to grow up in a wonderful household eating sourdough since birth!
Today she was making all the different breads out of playdough 😂
Thank you for the clear and thorough explanation. For someone starting on sourdough journey, is really helpful. Really appreciate you taking the pains to illustrate how to identify finer details like over developed starter and active starter. Can you help further by: (1) Slowing down a little when you speak, (2) do a video explaining the different types of starter and how to prep them e.g. what is cold, hot, stiff starter (3) Do a video explaining key glossary terms that are commonly used in sourdough/bread baking that beginning bakers might be trying to figure out e.g. laminate, inoculate. Thank you very much.
You can click the playback speed and play it at .75 or .5 if you cannot keep up.
Real talk on maintaining starters, Matthew! As folks get into warmer weather, one way to help lengthen the feeding periods is to mix the starter more like a dough rather than a pancake batter. There are all sorts of variables to play with.
hamelman is the man. He taught me how to make sourdough
I didn't know that the sourdough has to be fed when it's at it's pic ! Great information for me, you have a new fan😊 !
I’m watching your playlist today making sure to like each one. Thank you for all the great tips. I find re-watching helps to keep the tips fresh. Have a great day!
Thanks for your kind words and support. I’m about to take a long flight and will be doing some planning. Anything you’d like to see on the channel?
@@matthewjamesduffy Thank you for answering so quickly. I actually created a pumpernickel sourdough a few months ago by researching a few different recipes for my brother in law as it’s his favourite. I would love to see you do it on a home scale amount. I made mine sandwich style but I bet you could figure out boules. Safe travels on your trip. I’ll send you what I came up with so far for recipe on Instagram. There are not a lot of easy recipes for pumpernickel but it’s tasty.
I'm just getting started with sourdough and I've been watching tons of video's but feeding video's are not a lot that do a job as well as you. Thank you for this information.
Thank you! 🎉🎉 I have been struggling trying to get into baking.
Wow this is amazing. The best video I've seen. You actually know what the hell you're talking about and know the little things to look out for to make a good starter! So helpful
Hah thanks for your kind words. ❤
Do you ever look at youtube how-to videos where the narrator explaining doesnt seem to have an understanding of what he/she is talking about? For me that is all the time, maybe 3 out of 5 "helpful" videos. Not the case here. Mr. Duffy clearly knows his doughs. Thanks.
Hah thanks, For a moment there I thought you were about to roast me 😹
No way. I really appreciate your video, subscribed too. I still have not perfected my bread, after a couple years, but I am into the science. Did not think about the acid levels affecting leavening. Just got bread flour and pure gluten to try and get more rise. After your video I checked the temp of my starter and I could have sworn I have some rye flour but no... Struggling with sticky dough and over proofing, piles of spent starter i just cannot stand tossing.... Life is good.
@@rookhoatzin one of the best things about baking bread is you can always be learning. I’m sure those pain points will pass and I’m happy I was able to help your journey!
I am impressed with your podcast and glad to learn so much! I just struggle with how fast you speak!
Hi Matthew, I love your video and great explanations. I'm very new to raising starter and baking sourdough. I am sure mine is over fermented. How do I fix it? Can I take a small amount of it to create a less fermented starter? Or should I start over? I LOVE sourdough as sour as possible and hoping to find a way to obtain that while still making a fluffy bread. My first attempts made dense loaves that didn't rise enough, I guess. I know I said a lot here. Can you just let me know about getting my starter going from starter that is over fermented? Thanks!
PS I'll be watching more of you videos. This is the first one I found.
Thank so much for the helpful tips. Really appreciated showing us the difference under fermented dough and over fermented. I've been struggling with my starter since winter has arrived and it's too cold. Looking at my starter though, mine appears to be over fermented. What do I do with that?
Thats totally fine you just need to give it a feed. Its also possible to make bread with slightly over-fermented starter it changes the PH/aciditiy and fermentation a bit. I prefer to use Ripe Active but there's many ways to do it.
I have a healthy active sourdough starter that I've been baking with for about a month now (started over the holidays -- thank you for your instructions!). I'm using stone ground high altitude Hungarian flour and Einkorn flour (10 gms of each) to feed it (20 gms of starter and 55 gms of water at each feeding). My third loaf turned out awesome.
I'm curious does it significantly change the biodiversity of the yeast culture if I introduce a different kind of flour into the starter? And how much effect on the quality or flavor or complexity of the bread I produce will a change like that really have?
This was helpful! I'm a beginner and I'm working on whole spelt sourdough bread and have made 5 so far (don't laugh), each one just a bit better. My goal is to switch over to einkorn sourdough bread once I have more skill. I'd love videos on that flour for sourdough bread making!
Thank you Vanilla. Would never laugh, everyone starts with 1 loaf. I just got a large bag of Einkorn and will be doing some breads with it. I also have einkorn pancake and waffle recipes on my blog.
Dont be embarrassed, that's fine more than I've made!!!
I've made the switch and I'm on a roll, even getting decent oven spring!!
Great video. Very helpful. There seems to be a gap in my knowledge. I understand how to make the starter. I understand how to feed the starter. My current starter, which was given to me and I am baking with successfully, I am discarding so much starter and I really dislike that. I have just started day 1 of your starter. Mainly because you incorporate rye and I want to try something new. You said you don’t discard your starter. What do you do with it? You take 10 grams from your starter what do you do with what is left over? Could you close the gap for me please and perhaps others? I feel as though there is a whole process going on in between. Thank you in advance.
Thanks for watching! I do create some discard from time to time and I have a bunch of recipes on my website + more in my upcoming book on how to use it. I try ti maintain as little as possible and only build the exact amount I need to mix a dough. Whenever I have any leftover I put it in a container in the fridge then continue to add to it.
informative, to the point, thanks
Cheers Carolyn, thanks for watching.
Great video!
What sizes are the 2 mixers behind you (L). And how much total grams can fit into each?
Thank you! The white Globe mixer is 8qt and the Sunmix spiral is 15kg. I don't really use the Globe much for mixing dough so im not exactly sure the max capacity.
I mainly use rye sourdough, but I also have LM and yeast water 😊
I'm looking for a good timeline of feeding and baking. I was up til 3am as I was afraid it would fail if I didn't keep going thru all the steps. Please help.......
I send out a lot of info like this in my newsletter as well as this video and a guide on my site. All my recipes have suggested timelines but you can change the way you do it to accommodate your schedule.
@@matthewjamesduffy Thank you so much. I’ll happily visit your website and join your newsletter! Appreciate your taking the time! 😃
Hey Matthew, if you were not going to bake for a couple days or a week, would you cut the quantities down to say 1g / 10g/ 10 grams to minimize the waste, or would you just keep the starter in the fridge?
If I didn't want to use the fridge i'd do something really low and feed it once a day. Otherwise I would do the normal feed then place it into the fridge. Before using the starter I would take it out and give it 1-2 feeds. Hope that helps!
@@matthewjamesduffy Thanks for the great vids, and your quick feedback... Your professional validation is much appreciated!
I started my first ever sourdough starter more than a week ago and it's still not looking ready for twice a day feedings even though I've fed it nightly. SE NC coast so did I chose the wrong time of year? I feel like maybe it's not warm enough in my house maybe for the fermentation? So want to make a sourdough focacchia!
What did you do with rest of the sourdough starter do you throw it or return to fridge and use it when you need a new starter ?
And can you share please a video how to start the starter
I usually put it into the fridge or compost but I try not to have much extra. I don't have a video on creating a new starter but I will make one in June and I have a written guide how to do it on my site. Thanks for watching.
@@matthewjamesduffyso you put your starter in the fridge. Do you bring it to room temp before you feed it? How many feeds does a refrigerated starter need before it is ready to bake? Thanks a bunch!
@@janicespears2187 I normally feed it right out of the fridge with warm water 35-40°C. Usually 1-2 but it depends on how long you refrigerate it for.
So you have a video on how to avoid discard??
After you created that to feed, do you pour that back into your main jar? I get so confused about all of this. I got some starter from a friend. About 100g. She just fed it so she said it's good. But when I need to feed it, do I take some out, add the water/flour and then pour that all back? If yes, then when? And when I was at her house, it was bubbly. The next day at my house it's flat. What happened?
You can remove some and place it in a new jar then add flour and water. The old stuff you can reserve for discard recipes or compost it.
So with the leftover starter you didn’t add to the feeding do you just toss out each time? I’m not understanding the process of feeding. Seems like you have discard each time?
When starting a starter should you cover with cheesecloth or a solid lid as you did in the video?
Also, during the first week, do I have to wait until the starter falls before feeding again or discard and feed while it's grown to the top or even over the top of the jar?
Thank you
I prefer a loose lid cheese cloth tends to develop a skin but both work. You don’t have to wait if you don’t want.
How do you feed your rye starter if you bake once a week?
I would keep in the fridge or feed low innoculation every other day. You can also use the sourdough home set to 7-10c and let it go for 3-5 days
Hi, i am doing a weekly bake and keep my starter on the kitchen counter instead of the fridge. Question is can I feed my starter once a week? This means that I will only feed it after each weekly use? Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi there!
Great question! Since you’re keeping your starter on the counter, feeding it just once a week might not give it the strength it needs to stay healthy and active long-term. Starters thrive on regular feedings to stay happy, so here’s what I’d suggest:
If you're baking weekly, you can absolutely store your starter in the fridge to slow things down. That way, it won’t need constant attention, and you can get away with feeding it once before baking. Here’s a simple routine that works well:
The night before you want to mix your dough: Take the starter out of the fridge and give it a feed.
The morning of dough mixing: Feed it again so it’s nice and active when it’s time to bake.
This two-feed approach ensures your starter is in peak condition, bubbly, and ready to leaven your dough.
Alternatively, if you prefer to keep your starter on the counter, you can tweak things by decreasing the inoculation (amount of starter you use in your feed) and keeping it at a cooler temperature. This slows down fermentation and lets the starter rise slowly, meaning it won’t require daily feedings. The key here is balance: if you’re feeding less frequently, keep an eye on how it smells and looks-if it gets too acidic or watery (hooch forms), it’s a sign it needs a refresh.
Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes-I’d love to hear how your weekly bakes turn out! 😊
@ , appreciate your prompt response. One follow up question - I should assume that I will need to feed again the starter immediately after I use some for my bake before restoring it back to the fridge for next week?
@@jennifertan-sue-een5249 What I would do is build the levain for the mix just over what you need. At the end of the mix day id feed the starter with a lower innoculation then place it into the fridge the next morning when its risen.
@@matthewjamesduffy , super. Thanks again for your guidance. Will let you know how it turns out 🙂
If it's too runny how do you fix it?
Can you fix over fermented starter?
Not really, you can use it as discard or feed on a shorter warm feed. It’s possible to make bread with it but I usually don’t.
@matthewjamesduffy Thank you for your reply. I'll try to make some bread to see what happens.
If my levain sinks in water it is IS or is NOT ready correct? please explain. Mine just did both
Great question! The float test (where you drop a small bit of levain in water to see if it floats) is a common way to check if your levain is ready, but it’s not always 100% reliable. Here's why:
Levain floats when enough CO₂ (carbon dioxide), produced by yeast activity during fermentation, is trapped inside the dough, creating a light and airy structure. If it floats, it usually means the levain is active and well-aerated, ready to be used for baking.
However, if it sinks, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s not ready to work. Here are a few reasons why it might sink even if it’s technically ready:
Hydration level: If your levain is lower in hydration (thicker or stiffer), it might not trap as much CO₂, so it can sink even when it’s ready.
Timing: If your levain was active but has gone slightly past its peak (when yeast activity starts to slow and CO₂ begins escaping), it might not float as well, but it can still leaven your dough effectively.
Density: Sometimes, a portion of levain might sink if it’s not well-mixed or if it has uneven fermentation, meaning the CO₂ distribution isn’t uniform.
Temperature: A cold levain (for example, one that has been resting in a cooler spot) might be dense and sink, even though it’s active.
In short, if your levain sinks but looks bubbly, smells pleasant and tangy, and passes the usual visual cues for readiness (like doubling in size and showing a domed top), it’s likely still good to go. The float test is a helpful tool, but don’t rely on it alone-trust your senses!
Hope that clears things up! Let me know how your bake turns out!
Your Container Looks Like it’s airtight. Does the jar be airtight? Or you need Oxygen, Like tiny holes on the lid?
Do you stir your original starter before adding it to the feeding jar? I have a little bit of liquid at the bottom of my starter and don't know if I should mix it in. It's only 3 days old.
@@ShelbyStewart-l4c I usually pour off any liquid if there is any.
Where do I find the process for creating a starter ?
1. Clean jar on your scale
2. Zero the scale
3. Add 50 gm water, zero the scale
4. Add 50 gm rye or wh wheat flour
5. Remove from scale, stir thoroughly, cover loosely, let it sit
Now you have made starter. There are lots of TH-cam’s to learn about feeding your starter. Good luck.
I keep killing my starter I can't seem to get pass that 7 day mark 😪
I created an 100% rye starter about 10 days ago. It consistently doubles in volume at 12 hours. I keep it at about 80F so pretty warm. I do 1:1:1 feeds. Is there anyway to make it double quicker at like 4-6 hours? Will it naturally double quicker over time as it matures? I had a starter years ago that always doubled at 4 hours. This one seems to take a lot longer. Thanks
Side note I’ve been doing 1 feeding per day.
IM still confused.... so many words, not enough direction (for me) - after I mix my 1-10-10, do I put it back into the original starter container or do I forever have a new container? HELP MEEE
It doesn’t matter you can do either. I prefer a new container.
Thank you for making me feel confident as I am a very amateur baker lol. If I store my starter I’m in the fridge, when I’m planning to bake, how long should I take to take out from fridge and re feed? Thank you again 🫶🏽💪🏽
At the end you use olny 10 grams of starter..what do you do with the leftover starter
Put into fridge for discard recipes.
@@matthewjamesduffy thank you
Also I just started a batch of new starter from rye and white and I use a proofer at 85F. My day 2 was getting double rise and stuck to the spatula. Is it ready to go?
If it’s only 2 days old I would wait but you can def try it if you’d like!
I’m sure I overthink this process. My 4 loaves of bread have been real tasty. My Question….I’ve been feeding my starter by just adding 50 g of unbleached flour and 50 g of purified water ( mixing) and then adding to my existing starter. It sounds like you are taking 50 g of existing starter and mixing it in with the 50 g of flour and 50 g of water and then adding that back into the existing starter? Which is correct? My starter never seems to be the thicker consistency. I do the float test and it floats
can I use AP flour instead of bread flour?
@@lucaashman4546 yes
My bread is gummy what I done wrong
I’m a little confused on if you just feed your starter once before use, or should I feed it every day for a few days to make it stronger before I use it? I’ve been feeding it every day for 3 days before use and leaving it on the counter (not the frig) - sounds like I don’t need to do all that? Thank you.
Hey Nikki, thanks for watching and for your question! 😊 For the most part, I do feed my starter daily-but that’s because I’m baking a lot. If I know I won’t be baking for a few days, I’ll usually pop my starter in the fridge to slow it down. Then, when I’m ready to bake, I just take it out, feed it, and let it get active before using it.
Sounds like you’re doing great with feeding it every day if you’re leaving it at room temp and baking regularly! Hope this helps!
Waittt a second, you have your starter, THEN you say you feed your starter -a combo of 10% starter, 100gr water, 100gr flour) but what do you do with the ORIGINAL starter? That's just taking a small % of it out to feed it, but what about the original starter mix?
It's for the bucket. Or for those hundreds of 'discard recipes' that nobody uses. 😊
Hi Matthew, I’m a new to that world of sourdough and let me tell you it’s something 😅. May I ask, you take some of your starter to be able to bake but what do you do with the rest of the starter, you feed it or discard ? Or you keep a certain amount of levain that become your new starter? Just need to know what are the next step with the starter … I usually bake 2 to 4 breads/week what would you recommend to keep as starter and maintaining schedule/ratio.
Hello from Ottawa 😉
With the rest I usually feed, compost or keep for discard depending on how much it is.
Lmao, when you realise you made the starter too watery
Have you tried it yet? It takes a few months to develop some skill but once you do there's no going back to store bought.. unless you can afford the fine bakeries!
FB sourdough groups say it should be consistency of Pancake batter
What if someone wanted to bake like 10 loaves a day how would you make enough to do this
Work backwards. Figure out the total Levain you need (let’s say 10x900g for 9kg of dough) then work back. For 9kg of dough you’d prob need about 800-1100g Levain depending on your inoculation/formula. Feed in the PM so you have the right amount + extra in am then feed the am so by PM you have enough for the next build.
@@matthewjamesduffy thank you
@@BNN079 I can tell you the exact feeds I would do if you tell me what % Levain you use.
Let's Go!
What does 1 to 1 to 1 mean 😭
@@carnicavegirl7214 equal parts
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Please TURKISH translation plz
I don't understand the 1 to 10 feeding, don't see anybody else doing this, seems a bit strange
1:10:10 for example - 10 grams of starter, 100 flour, 100 water. Lots of bakers and bakeries do it. What part of it is strange to you, I can try to explain it.
@@matthewjamesduffy Feeding 1:1:1 is very common, I've seen people switching up to 1:2:2 and even 1:3:3, but never beyond that and I've watched a LOT of sourdough videos, the 1:10:10 is off the scales and it would appear that you are over feeding it which a lot of bakers have said is a waste of flour and ineffective, but what do I know, I'm a complete beginner!
@@harrybond007 It's not overfeeding at all its simply going to prolong the time to reach maturity. If you pick up Jefferey Hammelmans book, all the levain builds are done overnight and at 1:1:1 or even 1:3:3, this would be well over fermented in 10-12 hours. The only waste of flour is if you create discard from
your starter. When you do an overnight build the goal is to mix your dough in the AM using all (except the seed) of your levain and essentially creating no waste. Many commercial or larger Artisan bakeries do overnight build as it is a much better time management practice to have the levain ripe and ready first thing to be mixed when the mixing shift starts. This is based on over 15 years of BOTH home and professional baking experience but there are MANY ways to do it, I am just sharing my method. Hope that clarifies for you.
@@matthewjamesduffy Yes it does, there's many ways to skin a cat, I have a lot to learn! - thank you
@@harrybond007 we are all learning, there are so many ways to do it!
Is there something wrong if it’s gloopy? Example mind sticks to my spatula but I need to use my finger to get some of it off because it’s quite sticky. Also the smell from mine is sooo strong, it doubles in volume and I can see lots of bubbles on the side of the jar, but still not sure if it would work.