Ben - THANK YOU. I bought a 100 yr old starter I was just abt to throw it away because I thought I'd killed it! I think I got some Divine guidance to fnd your video today. ❤
Mr Starr you are a gentleman and a scholar. I can’t begin to adequately express my gratitude for your very clear and thorough explanations and ridiculously simple sourdough starter care method. I was gifted a starter which originated in Wales hundreds of years ago. I, a newbie sourdough bread maker, am now producing bakery quality boules each time with extraordinarily little effort. All I can say is…..you are a Rock Starr sir! 😎
Why, thank you! Your greeting is one I've been using my whole life, and I've been fortunate to meet MANY gentlemen scholars. What an exceptional gift you received! I am covetous.
Hi Ben, love your sourdough videos! I had starter that was eight months old in my fridge with the hooch liquid on top. I said what the heck, let's feed these guys and see if we can get them out of their coma. Nothing was happening after 8 hrs, thought they were dead and I was going to have to start over again. Later that evening the bubbles just exploded! They're Alive! Listen to this man he knows what he is talking about. Salute Ben Star
Ben is correct! Started following his method in October and made a loaf from my three week old started and it was good. Then I spent the next 6 weeks in the hospital and later recovering from Covid without any attention to the starter and the next loaf was great. Now I only feed my starter if Im getting low after making bread and let it stay on the counter for an hour or two before refrigerating it. Every loaf now has been perfect!
Travis, I'm SO GLAD to hear you recovered from Covid in the hospital. And glad you knew that your starter was patiently waiting for you to get home, not needing any special care during that time.
The most common sense explanation I've heard. I've had all of these questions about sourdough and starter that you have answered. I'm new to the craft and appreciate the explanation.
This is the first video about sourdough that actually makes sense. Thank you for actually thinking about stuff independent of what is said by everyone else :)
I have spent decades trying to conquer sourdough bread/starter. Not until stumbling upon your "Sourdough for Lazy People" video, and your other videos as well, did I ever have success. Thank you for sharing your information and thought processes. I like the "Sciency" parts you include. Now I make Pancakes, Biscuits, Artisan loaves, Sandwich loaves, Sub Buns and English muffins all with sourdough anytime I need/want them without any worries. I never have discard now and ALWAYS have starter ready to go. Once again, Thank You for sharing. :o)
The 'for Lazy People' caught my attention, and I'm so glad I found you! I wanted to start baking again and try sourdough, but was REALLY put off with the idea of feeding a starter every day and discarding...so much waste! Now I have no reservations and can't wait to bake gorgeous loafs of sourdough your way!
I always found the current methods of feeding a starter just before baking confusingly and illogical! Your method just makes so much more sense! I’m glad I found your channel!
I discovered just how forgiving sourdough is. I accidentally "tared" my scale while I was adding flour and had no idea how much flour I put in. I ended up putting in too much water. I added some more starter because my dough had quite a bit more volume than recipe called for. Long story short, I ended up with a very high water content of water, a very loose sticky dough. I also had too much for my loaf pan. I used 2 slightly smaller aluminum foil loaf pans. They cooked up just fine! Nice sour taste and a little denser than usual but everyone agreed the bread was delicious. You are the one who inspired me to not sweat the details and push through. Glad I did!
Not lazy. Time efficient! With excellence! And without compromising on quality. In fact, increasing quality! Thank you so much Ben! You make so much wonderful content! I am totally addicted now!
This makes so much more sense to me! I was actually shocked when others told me to discard so much started. It was to the point where I reconsidered sourdough all together because it seems like you're literally throwing away money. At that point, why not just buy the $5 loaf from a store? I'm so glad I found this video! I'm going to definitely apply this method and start baking sourdough this week!
Good grief. This makes so much more sense. I want terrific sourdough flavor more than anything. The fact that you can do it with so much less effort is the cherry on top. I cringe at being controlled by the process instead of vice versa. Man, you’re the best!
It makes a lot of sense. When I was young we had very little money and nothing was wasted. So the idea of feeding a starter every day and disposing of or using the discard all the time really put me off. So I thank you kindly for this video.
Thank you with all my heart. i had the starter but was giving up after 3 bad breads....until i watched your video. now i bake sourdough once a week, you have been a life-changer.
I can’t begin to imagine how much money I have wasted throwing away cast offs. Why is this practice so prevalent? Thank you Ben, I am a new subscriber. I hope this is the video that explains how to fix my starter back to 100% hydration. I followed a stupid TH-camr by adding a cup of flour to a cup of water thinking it would be 100% hydration, wrong. I found you just in time.
The precedent began in the era before refrigeration, when starters needed frequent feedings to keep them alive and robust, and no one wanted to carry around a gallon of starter. Starters were kept in small containers and fed daily, so SOME of it had to be removed, either to bake with or discard, so the container didn't get over-full. That habit perpetuated once refrigeration was invented, but the practice was no longer needed, because refrigerated starters only need feeding every few months.
@@ultimatefoodgeek thank you for your reply. That was very informative. I’m glad things changed. But would you be able to tell me how to bring a starter back to 100% hydration?
@@ultimatefoodgeek just something interesting I read about how people used to preserve their starter without refrigeration. They either kept a piece of mixed dough that contained the mother or the mother itself by stirring lots of flour into it and placing it into a bag of flour, which dehydrated it. And to revive it they added water to the consistency needed. Of course they were pros at this and knew what it should look and feel like. Thank you for your explanations! I learned a lot. No more waste for me!
Same! It's never made sense to me. I'm a busy mum, I don't have time for all of that. I'm trying this today and I'm excited and relieved at finding a way that works for me and makes sense to me :)
Oh, how I missed German bread or even all the great bread you can buy daily on every corner in Europe. Till now! Your method of sourdough is doable & I am grateful to you for the recipe..❤
I make your lazy sourdough bread once a week! It works every time and the bread is delicious! Thank you so much ! People, try this bread! It is amazing ! I found our camping cast iron Dutch oven. It has an incorporated iron handle, and makes the best bread!
I so appreciate your approach to sourdough. I've only had my starter for a few weeks, and thanks to your channel (and your recipe) my first loaf was delicious. I've since shared my starter with two friends, and I tell them to ONLY watch your channel......cause its all you need to know!!! Both have successfully mastered the lazy way of making sourdough bread. Love a friend who listens to good sound advice. LOL
Ben, Great Video. I do use my discard all the time and never throw it out. I use it for the best waffles, and flat breads. But its nice to know I can take my starter and feed it, wait an hour or two and place in the frig and forget about it for awhile. I already have a backup starter in the frig resting for the last few days. There are so many opinions on sourdough it makes my head spin. You keep it simple and back it up with science so even I can understand...
Thank you, this is by far the most perfect lesson ever on the use and care of sourdough. I have discarded all the previously saved videos on sourdough, this one is the only one I really needed.
When I started making sourdough I just didn’t feel right about the discard method and couldn’t even understand why people would do that. I watched other videos and learned that you don’t have to discard at all. I stopped discarding it and feeding it everyday too. Now it sits in my fridge until I’m ready to bake with it. I still fed it right before I baked though. You make sense and I’ll have to try this out. I have some older starter in my fridge and I’ll have to do your way with it and see how the bread tastes. The only thing is, is I get sooo much joy watching how much my starter grows. I don’t know why I do but that’s the best part for me 😂 so that would be hard to let go.
I had a 1 year old starter that never seemed to ever make a good loaf. So, I got rid of it and actually started over. I started one with rye flour and ginger bug. Then fed rye and water. WOW, it's going great. If I end up incorporating ap flour or it gets sluggish I think I will just give a little drink of ginger bug.
Hello Ben Well I have watched your Lazy Peoples Sour Dough and Starter videos many times. Having enjoyed your science and logic behind the successful sour dough bakes I think you should rename the Videos. Instead of Lazy I would re title them "Smart Peoples Sour Dough" or "Time Precious Sour Dough" or to use my term "Tried and Tested Sour Dough" - more than a philosophy. (your method and science are spot on. ) This is taken from my own statement "Tried and Tested" - more than a philosophy. L A Horton 2014. The best part was improving my starter and not feeding it before baking. I cook in a gas oven and use steam for 20 minutes. My bread is very much like your 5 month old starter example. Very nice. Before this my sour dough would rise nicely but was heavy. Starter too wet. Now my starter has toughened up. Great work Ben Starr
I think we should just start calling you The Rock! I have been struggling with making sourdough bread since the pandemic and finally gotten tired of all the hoops to jump through and just quit! After seeing your videos, I’m motivated to try again and feel confident I can make it easier and get better results! ❤ Thanks so much! I’m enjoying binge watching you!
Hello, I have just recently come across your channel, oh my, what an eye opener! I could listen to you all day long. You give such knowledgeable talks about the various subjects but also the backgrounds into their exitance. Its like being back in the classroom , listening to your favourite teacher discussing your favourite subject. I am from the United Kingdom and may I say that you speak so clearly, without using ridiculously inappropriate words, which a lot of Americans use these days, not wishing to cause offense, you make your audience really think about what they are doing with the foods they are handling. You truly are inspirational, and I hope you continue with your wonderful work, I for one will definitely be trying your recipe for sourdough and blackeye beans recipes. Your enthusiasm shines through each and every time. Well done I am a fan of yours from across the "pond", so to speak!
Another one of your fun and very useful lessons! I am totally devoted to the method now and will never ever buy industrially made yeast any more. Furthermore I have successfully used my starter for making Swedish saffron rolls for Xmas, focaccia and ciabatte etc in my Italian home and everything comes out just great! Now I will ignore caring for my starter even more - for a good cause, thankyou very much Ben!
OMG mate! You have changed my life. I was throwing starter out madly! Thank you for your generous sharing of your knowledge here Free. Im teaching my 9 yr old grandson how to cook Bread! Here goes!
What I was thinking -- correct me if I'm mistaken -- was that mixing the starter with flour to make dough is really the same as feeding it. If it's hungry (not fed recently), there will be more net activity from the yeast to develop a good dough than you would get from well-fed starter, because it's HUNGRY. Just like when I dig into a pizza for lunch after missing breakfast that day. (But I usually don't have sex just afterwards, that's where the analogy ends. Sorray.) But whatever the case, this starter I made from your sourdough starter video series really upped my sourdough game. I think we're finally getting to taste real sourdough for the first time. And I love not having to chuck away so much "discard" to keep my starter happy. So glad I found your channel.
Kate, you are partially correct. Taking hungry starter and making a loaf of bread IS giving it a large feeding. But that loaf isn't as active as a loaf made from robust starter, which has exponentially more yeast cells that are already in a feeding frenzy. For the first few hours of the long rise, the yeast are waking up and concentrating on multiplying. (When you're hungry, you get hAngry, and you attack a pizza the instant one is placed in front of you. When they're hungry, they go into a coma, and it takes awhile to come out of it.) This gives the flour time to hydrate, and the enzymatic process knows as autolysis takes place...where natural enzymes in the flour go to work breaking down complex starches into simple sugars (which would otherwise be destined to feed the baby wheat plant upon germination). When you add robust starter to flour and water, the yeast immediately binge on the complex starches, which are harder for them to digest, but that's all that's available for them to eat. With the "starving method," autolysis is given several hours' head start, while the yeast are still waking up and slowly begin to multiply, so by the time we have a healthy colony of yeast in the dough, most of the complex starches are converted into simple sugars, which is easy for the yeast to eat...and produces more flavorful byproducts in the resulting loaf.
About a year ago I tried to make sourdough starter with very expensive Einkorn flour… that didn’t work at all, even though I followed a you tube video carefully. I wasted so much flour over several tries. Very discouraged. Then I found you, Ben Starr. So thankful. I changed flour & now have a great starter. I’m sure there is a way to use Einkorn flour but I will hold off any more experimentation until I master your method. My first loaf of Sourdough bread following your method was great.
When working with white Einkorn (all purpose), you shouldn't need to tweak the recipe very much at all. If you're using whole grain Einkorn, you can't sub more than about 8 oz of the regular AP flour without the recipe failing. And you'll need an extra ounce of water if using 8oz of whole grain einkorn.
I just found this wonderful discussion of sour dough. -Two days ago I took the big pear shaped glass container of sourdough starter/discard out of the fridge, it is quite a few years old. It has been many months since it had had any attention. There was black liquid on top , blacker than I'd seen before, and there was a lot of starter or discard in there. I took it to my compost pile and dumped out the liquid and all the starter that had black on it and then I took about 1/2 cup of clean looking starter from what was left put it in a clean jar and dumped the rest onto the compost pile. I added two tablespoons of flour and two Tblspoons of water and stirred it up, the next day it was bubbly but thin. This morning I added two tblspn flour and 1 of water. I just looked at it, its bubbly , still a little thin so I added a tblspoon of flour and no water and stirred it up. So, I didnt stir the black liquid back in, I didnt at least double it at feeding, I didnt weigh the flour or water.. I will begin these practices now but I think this backward starter is going to be OK to bake with.
You're correct in that it will leaven dough. However, you've screwed up the hydration, so there's no telling what hydration you're at now. If your first loaf turns out very sticky, you'll need to continue this stiff feeding concept until it's closer to 100% hydration. Please stop feeding by volume...feed by weight. Weigh the amount of starter that you have. Then double the weight (or more) by feeding equal weights of flour and water. Two Tablespoons of flour is approximately 0.6oz starter, while 2 Tablespoons of water is 1 ounce. So every time you feed it that way, you're overhydrating. My Troubleshooting Simple Sourdough video will tell you how to correct your hydration back toward 100%.
@@ultimatefoodgeek Thank you for the input. This is the first time I have encountered the feed by weight concept. I was taught to feed by volume, but, by weight makes sense. You are right, the hydration is screwed up and I am slowly trying to bring it back into balance. It bubbles but it doesnt rise yet. It may be OK to bake with but if not I'll just start over and do it as you say.
You are the best!! Thank you for this common sense approach. I was at the point of giving up. This is so incredibly sensible and I don't understand why others make this so ridiculously complicated.
After 5 batches of Artisan Style bread I tried your no fuss way of feeding my starter without worrying about temperature of water. Completed the feeding with filtered water and was shocked at how well it worked. Thanks doesn’t seem like enough. No fuss I love that.
This was so helpful! I am just starting out on this sourdough journey and am on Day 3 of creating my starter and was so confused by all the information I was reading on how to keep it going once I got to the end of this process. This makes so much sense and has kept me from throwing it all in the trash and just buying my bread. I feel like I can really do this!
Wow, I had no idea. Here I panicked if I didn't feed my starter once a week. You video was great and I will follow your recommendations. Love how you put a human spin when describing the yeast.
This makes so much more sense to me....I was wondering why we have to do all two days of activating when we would be adding it to a giant bowl of water and flour.
Four questions (just got my first starter today): 1. Does the starter have to be up to room temperature before you feed it? 2.Once you feed it, you only have to leave it on the counter for one hour before you put it back in fridge - you don’t have to wait for it to double in size? 3.How long do you wait after feeding before you bake a loaf? 4. Does the starter have to come to room temperature before you start adding the ingredients for dough and baking?
The starter NEVER needs to come to room temperature before feeding or baking. I typically leave my starter on the counter for a few hours after feeding...until it's bubbly. I don't worry about doubling. I have used my starter for baking as soon as an hour after feeding.
Ben Thank you for ALL of your videos and clear instructions! You have helped me with dreaming of learning how to make sourdough bread to actually making it. I am so thankful I found your videos!
Great video! I'm trying your recipe for a second time. My wife and daughter liked the first loaf, but I made the mistake of feeding my starter and preheating my oven. Your method is a stroke of genius and a win/win. Thanks for sharing!
You are absolutely delightful! And I so love your method! The old way always seemed so wasteful to me too and extremely labor-intensive. So now I’m going to be trying your way, and I am excited to do so. Thank you very much❤️
I knew there has to be a better way!!! Thank you Ben! I will me baking my first bread tomorrow. Can’t wait for the taste of home ❤(long long time ago in Poland 😊)
Thank you so much. I built a starter from scratch using other methods and I have a really fast starter that overproofs everything, And I have been disappointed and tossing loaves for the last few weeks. Something always happens during the folding and "bulk fermentation" or something that throws off the timing. I saw your video a couple weeks ago and last weekend I took cold, unfed starter, used your recipe and technique and made a really fantastic loaf. It's not only easy, but it is also very consistent. I have been going crazy this week and have made four great loaves in a row. I don't even have bannetons, I use colander and towel set up. But I have confidence enough now that I can throw it in fridge if I need extra time or I can put it in oven with light on to make it go faster if I need to. It really is a liberating idea. I am still going to try the other way to see of I can even taste the difference, but I haven't even been successful enough the other way to even taste test them. Thanks again. Ps. I also love the history and science lessons.
oh my gosh I am sorry you suffered so badly with Covid. Super happy you recovered and Thank you you so much for your comments!! I agree completely and am so relieved that we all can make stress free bread 😉😋when we want to and more importantly without wasting precious food ! Thank you☺️ BEN STARR!!
Oh my gosh! You just completely obliterated all my reservations about making sourdough! I’ve wanted to do it but it all just sounded too complicated and like too much commitment! Like taking care of a BABY!!! I think I can do it this way! Thank you Ben!
I just started, literally yesterday with some starter my friend gave me. I’ve seen so many videos since, that I’m a bit overwhelmed as everyone seems to have their method; yours has been my favorite! Looove that I don’t have to babysit the starter. Still confused on what to do if want to bake but just fed it, how long to wait before mixing for bread? I’ll keep watching your videos and reading the comments. Thank you for your recipe for lazy people, that’s usually the name of all my cooking recipes!
If you're not on a DAILY feeding schedule, you can bake a few hours after a feeding. Just let the starter get bubbly on the countertop, then pull off the required amount and start a loaf.
Hi Ben, Just caught your videos ..great advice. I dried out my starter adding flour as suggested. Made six loaves. Added water to my pot as i lidded them ..one with 8oz wholemeal and other plain . So pleased they both lifted above pie dish. They sat on grease proof paper on pie dish in casserole hhen i could add extra water to hot casserole for steam..especially for wholemeal. I also make kefir and leave the fresh cultured milk in the fridge with the kefir.. till i drain it when needed. Sleepy culturing/ fermenting . Yes! Thank You !
I have never thought of it this way: why the rush when I am not a commercial baker that needs my bread ASAP. Thanks for the insight. I will definitely try directly use my cold lazy starter next time.
Just tried your method. It was a great success. The cold lazy starter doesn't make the bread more sour. Instead because I was not rushing to fit my life to the bread's schedule and let the bread proof with all the time it needed, I got more open crumb even with 25%+ whole wheat flour.
Ok Ben….have to say I love your snark!!! I am super respected now because of my beautiful beautiful bread I am able to produce …you should see the look on peoples faces when I tell them about not feeding the starter repeatedly…also sending them your way! It’s very clear you have put in the time and know your science…..love it thanks
I'm just starting out with my very first starter. I've joined a couple of sourdough FB groups and asked newbie questions and have received like 20 different answers for the same question. Talk about exhausted before I even get started!! Thank you for keeping it simple! I hope you have a video on discard. I would love to make other things like pancakes.
No discard. Ever. Don't feed your starter until you get low and you need to make more. You do not need to feed your starter regularly, in order to make great sourdough. Check out my video entitled "Stop feeding your starter" as a starting place.
@@ultimatefoodgeek thanks Ben! I did watch the other video. I’m just astonished at all the complicated methods. I like easy. I plan on not buying bread anymore.
Such unique and GREAT advice and explanation! Thanks to you I never need to let those ultra time-consuming and complicated methods of making or sustaining starter turn my head again.
This makes maintaining a starter seem so much less annoying. I hated throwing away starter every day or being forced to make something with it to feel like I wasn't wasting it.
Mind totally blown 😮 it makes perfect sense- I’ve only been making sourdough a while and I’ve had a nagging question in my mind about the feeding of the starter a few hours before baking. I kept thinking why do we do it when putting the starter into all that flour and water is a massive feed? This makes sense so I’m giving it a whirl. Also makes sense that I’ve seen ‘discard’ loaf recipes. Unfed starter loaf recipes duh! Thanks for the videos 😊
Ben I’ve discovered my starter loves my counter right next to the back of my fridge to keep cozy and marinate itself. Also, I can’t put it on top as I have cats, and all that comes with their curiosity. Two things I believe: 1. If the earth were flat, cats would’ve already knocked everything off, and... 2. If cats had opposable thumbs they would most certainly rule the world 🤣
Thanks. Your method give me the instructions that I’ve been trying to work out on my own - rather hit and miss. Thank you! I hate wasting the discard and being an eternal babysitter. Looking forward to using your method.
Made my 1st loaf today, I messed up just about every step, it still came one of the best sourdough breads I've had in a long time. Working on my 2nd loaf now. Can't wait to eat it when it's done correctly.
Update: I rewatched your video and I did the 4 ounces of water and 6 ounces of flour to 8 ounces of my starter and then the next day (which is today, 2/20), I made two more loaves of sourdough bread and wow - they worked nicely thus far and right now they are doing their rising (hopefully) and I am a happy camper right now. I hope after the 2nd rise tomorrow, that I can bake them and have two decent loaves of bread...we shall see...thank you Ben for your valuable information!
Love your channel and have started making my starter about 2 and a half weeks ago. Thought it looked about right to create my first two loaves of bread and OMG, what a disaster! My bad as I believe it is the hydration ratio of too much liquid vs the amount of flour. So, today, I will attempt to do what you suggested with going back to the original 8 ounces of starter and then I will put 2 oz of water and 6 oz of flour and see if I can get it to serve me with a decent loaf of bread. i am not giving up and so my overall goal is to know how to bake my family decent loaves of sourdough bread from my own starter. I even just purchased the beautiful larger Dutch Oven pot just like yours and I love it! I will keep updating in the comment section as to my overall progress. Thanks Ben for a fun and very informal channel here.
Subscribed and you earned it as well .... been wanting to start my sourdough journey the longest however wasn’t confident enough to deal with yeast in general. Today I’ll make my first sourdough starter and will keep a journal and share it with you Ben. Truly grateful to have found you. From UK 🇬🇧 with love 😊!
It's weird, back in the day when I kept an Amish friendship-bread starter going for years on end, I think it was not refrigerated, ever. It never got moldy. But, I did have to bake every 10 days. And I did have to let every day air out. It was in baggies; I would let out all the air, then, squeeze out the gas every three days.
Merry Christmas! Thank you for all the sour dough instruction and information! Invaluable for us novices. At one point you mentioned “sour dough discard recipes”. In a future video might I request you delve into that a bit farther? I’d love to hear about your recipes and/or ideas. Ps. I’m proud to say I own a scale (which I avidly use) but now also have a forever buttermilk jug in the fridge and sour dough starter started. Cheers!
Because I never discard sourdough starter, I have absolutely no experience with discard recipes! But in 2021, I'll be releasing OTHER simple sourdough recipes like dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.
Thank you so much for sharing this info, it makes total sense! I've enjoyed all your sourdough videos. If I hadn't discovered your sourdough video for lazy people, I would have never started making sourdough.
You should provide the links to your LAZY sourdough method: 1. Creating the starter, 2. Maintaining the starter (this clip), 3. Mixing the dough / baking the bread. It would give the whole picture from start to finish. Good clip. Thanks for the info.
OMGGGG! Thank Goodness I found you 😇😇😇 I am a "Newbie" to this whole Sourdough Frenzy lol. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it was for me and OVERWHELMINGLY difficult some of these videos have made the sourdough process. Whew - I nearly gave up!!! ut then BAM - Ben!!! haha 🤣you're the best!!! 😍
Hi Ben - I've made a few "Athletic Loafs" most of which have come out quite nice. However, after trying with success, the "Lazy Loaf" is a hit in my house. Also, I didn't know any better and tossed the black hootch layer a couple of months ago instead of reincorporating. In fact, I ended up neglecting my starter for 3 months and ended up tossing it figuring it was a goner. Where have you been hiding these secrets, Ben? Thanks for sharing - no more slap/fold/repeat!
I’ve made two batches using your method, but I think I have an issue with my starter. With both batches the dough was sticky. The hydration must be off. I got my starter from a friend so I don’t know its history. I had also been feeding it different flour types so maybe that’s the culprit. I decided I wanted to make my own starter so I watched your video on how to make my own. I used the rye, water, and fruit juice method. Thanks to the explanation in your video I will always be feeding my starter AP flour when it comes time for regular feedings 😊 I’m only on day 1, and I’m excited. I look forward to the day I don’t have to be a slave to my starter 😂
Yes, sounds like you have a higher-than-100% hydration in your starter. My Troubleshooting video will help you correct that. I have a new technique for starter, I just haven't filmed it yet. 4oz flour, 4oz water, countertop for 2 weeks and ignore it. Then feed 4oz flour, 4oz water, and watch for bubbles. If you get them in the first few hours, your starter is mature.
I watched your video on making my own starter. I used the rye, water, and fruit juice method. I can tell it’ll be a robust starter. I found it seemed like it was ready because was it was so active, but when it came to baking a loaf I could tell it wasn’t ready. I’m letting it mature for a full two weeks.
You saved my sanity! Just in time! I almost started my very first sourdough bread today (the hard way!) I bought my first Dutch oven with a proofing basket, bench scraper, and scoring knife, after tirelessly watching several terrifying videos on slapping, pulling, folding, pampering, proofing, and... ya know... more slapping, folding, proofing and I was like, “HOW the HECK does anyone live their lives making one FREAKIN loaf?!” Busy or not, that’s insane! Anyway, I started the process that you showed in other videos on baking and I already have two ziplock bags full of one loaf each on my countertop proofing. YOU SAVED MY SANITY! I only have one technical simple question please... To feed my starter that’s in the fridge... after the feeding... How long do you leave it out on the counter before putting it back into the fridge until you need it again for another baking session? Thank you!
I’ve been gifted with a wonderful and very strong 100 year old starter. Even though it hasn’t been fed for over a week, it’s still very robust. I baked several times this week and every time, my initial and second rises happened very fast! Consequently, my loaves, while delicious, did not have a lot of tang. I’m running low on starter and want to make some more today. Question: is there anything I can do to get my starter to be hungrier faster? For example, can I leave it on the counter for a day or two before putting it in the fridge? I’m planning on making a rather large batch of starter and don’t want to wait a month for it to get really sleepy. On a final note, THANK YOU for developing this method Ben! It has been life changing!!!
There's no need to wait for it to get super sleepy, you can bake with it a few hours after a feeding. Leaving it on the countertop for a day will get it SUPER active. If you're looking to slow down your first rise shortly after a feeding...feed a LOT compared to your residual starter. If you have 4 ounces of starter left, feed a pound of flour and a pound of water. Let it sit for an hour, and then pull off 4 ounces to bake a loaf. The first rise should take quite awhile longer. If your ultimate goal is to have tangy bread...do understand that most of us expect tangy bread because that's what we get when we buy storebought sourdough. And that stuff isn't real. It's commercial yeast bread, with added vinegar or citric acid. The sour breads "of old" are from when starter was kept constantly at room temp because there was no refrigeration. Room-temp kept starters that aren't fed often become very, very acidic. I'm currently experimenting with room-temp kept starters, fed twice a month, to help folks produce those old-fashioned tart loaves, because so many people complain that my method doesn't make very sour sourdough, like they get in the grocery store. BUT...the cheat here is to do exactly what the bakery does. Add acid to your recipe to make the loaf tart. A teaspoon of white vinegar or half a teaspoon of citric acid will make your loaves taste tart. And since this is the way the VAST majority of bakeries that sell tart sourdough do it...I don't see anything wrong with doing it yourself.
@@ultimatefoodgeek Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly. I’m glad to hear that I can use freshly fed starter if I need to! What I’m trying to achieve though, albeit in a quicker way, is some really hungry liquidy starter with some hooch on top, much like yours in your video. In theory, couldn’t I let my starter get seriously active for a period of time, let it use up all its food, and then stick it in the fridge to stay in a hungry state? In other words, could I get it to be like yours without waiting so long? By the way, I agree about store bought sourdough bread - it’s too acidic and I think it tastes artificial. Definitely not what I want! Lol
I am relatively new to sour dough baking and the cinnamon rolls are my favorite>. I see that your starters are in plastic containers endnote glass. I just assumed they had to be in glass. Im guessing not because you have one that is in a rubbermaid/tupperware container???
They do not have to be in glass. The only thing you should avoid is containers made of reactive metals, like aluminum. Plastic, stainless steel, ceramic, and glass are all fine...assuming you don't have an aversion to plastic triggered by all the current press on microplastics.
Ben - THANK YOU. I bought a 100 yr old starter I was just abt to throw it away because I thought I'd killed it! I think I got some Divine guidance to fnd your video today. ❤
Mr Starr you are a gentleman and a scholar. I can’t begin to adequately express my gratitude for your very clear and thorough explanations and ridiculously simple sourdough starter care method. I was gifted a starter which originated in Wales hundreds of years ago. I, a newbie sourdough bread maker, am now producing bakery quality boules each time with extraordinarily little effort. All I can say is…..you are a Rock Starr sir! 😎
Why, thank you! Your greeting is one I've been using my whole life, and I've been fortunate to meet MANY gentlemen scholars. What an exceptional gift you received! I am covetous.
Hi Ben, love your sourdough videos! I had starter that was eight months old in my fridge with the hooch liquid on top. I said what the heck, let's feed these guys and see if we can get them out of their coma. Nothing was happening after 8 hrs, thought they were dead and I was going to have to start over again. Later that evening the
bubbles just exploded! They're Alive! Listen to this man he knows what he is talking about. Salute Ben Star
Ben is correct! Started following his method in October and made a loaf from my three week old started and it was good. Then I spent the next 6 weeks in the hospital and later recovering from Covid without any attention to the starter and the next loaf was great. Now I only feed my starter if Im getting low after making bread and let it stay on the counter for an hour or two before refrigerating it. Every loaf now has been perfect!
Travis, I'm SO GLAD to hear you recovered from Covid in the hospital. And glad you knew that your starter was patiently waiting for you to get home, not needing any special care during that time.
You’ve been through a lot. Wishing you good health and good sourdough from now on.
Im glad you have managed to make a good edible loaf.im still trying.
9:49
The most common sense explanation I've heard. I've had all of these questions about sourdough and starter that you have answered. I'm new to the craft and appreciate the explanation.
This is the first video about sourdough that actually makes sense. Thank you for actually thinking about stuff independent of what is said by everyone else :)
I have spent decades trying to conquer sourdough bread/starter. Not until stumbling upon your "Sourdough for Lazy People" video, and your other videos as well, did I ever have success. Thank you for sharing your information and thought processes. I like the "Sciency" parts you include. Now I make Pancakes, Biscuits, Artisan loaves, Sandwich loaves, Sub Buns and English muffins all with sourdough anytime I need/want them without any worries. I never have discard now and ALWAYS have starter ready to go. Once again, Thank You for sharing. :o)
This makes me SO happy!!
The 'for Lazy People' caught my attention, and I'm so glad I found you! I wanted to start baking again and try sourdough, but was REALLY put off with the idea of feeding a starter every day and discarding...so much waste! Now I have no reservations and can't wait to bake gorgeous loafs of sourdough your way!
I always found the current methods of feeding a starter just before baking confusingly and illogical! Your method just makes so much more sense! I’m glad I found your channel!
I discovered just how forgiving sourdough is. I accidentally "tared" my scale while I was adding flour and had no idea how much flour I put in. I ended up putting in too much water. I added some more starter because my dough had quite a bit more volume than recipe called for. Long story short, I ended up with a very high water content of water, a very loose sticky dough. I also had too much for my loaf pan. I used 2 slightly smaller aluminum foil loaf pans. They cooked up just fine! Nice sour taste and a little denser than usual but everyone agreed the bread was delicious. You are the one who inspired me to not sweat the details and push through. Glad I did!
Not lazy. Time efficient! With excellence! And without compromising on quality. In fact, increasing quality! Thank you so much Ben! You make so much wonderful content! I am totally addicted now!
This makes so much more sense to me! I was actually shocked when others told me to discard so much started. It was to the point where I reconsidered sourdough all together because it seems like you're literally throwing away money. At that point, why not just buy the $5 loaf from a store?
I'm so glad I found this video! I'm going to definitely apply this method and start baking sourdough this week!
Good grief. This makes so much more sense. I want terrific sourdough flavor more than anything. The fact that you can do it with so much less effort is the cherry on top. I cringe at being controlled by the process instead of vice versa. Man, you’re the best!
It makes a lot of sense. When I was young we had very little money and nothing was wasted. So the idea of feeding a starter every day and disposing of or using the discard all the time really put me off. So I thank you kindly for this video.
Thank you with all my heart. i had the starter but was giving up after 3 bad breads....until i watched your video. now i bake sourdough once a week, you have been a life-changer.
I can’t begin to imagine how much money I have wasted throwing away cast offs. Why is this practice so prevalent? Thank you Ben, I am a new subscriber. I hope this is the video that explains how to fix my starter back to 100% hydration. I followed a stupid TH-camr by adding a cup of flour to a cup of water thinking it would be 100% hydration, wrong. I found you just in time.
The precedent began in the era before refrigeration, when starters needed frequent feedings to keep them alive and robust, and no one wanted to carry around a gallon of starter. Starters were kept in small containers and fed daily, so SOME of it had to be removed, either to bake with or discard, so the container didn't get over-full. That habit perpetuated once refrigeration was invented, but the practice was no longer needed, because refrigerated starters only need feeding every few months.
@@ultimatefoodgeek thank you for your reply. That was very informative. I’m glad things changed. But would you be able to tell me how to bring a starter back to 100% hydration?
@@ultimatefoodgeek just something interesting I read about how people used to preserve their starter without refrigeration. They either kept a piece of mixed dough that contained the mother or the mother itself by stirring lots of flour into it and placing it into a bag of flour, which dehydrated it. And to revive it they added water to the consistency needed. Of course they were pros at this and knew what it should look and feel like.
Thank you for your explanations! I learned a lot. No more waste for me!
Thank you, i’ve watched tons of sourdough videos and I thought no way people 1000 years ago were doing all that BS
Same! It's never made sense to me. I'm a busy mum, I don't have time for all of that. I'm trying this today and I'm excited and relieved at finding a way that works for me and makes sense to me :)
Oh, how I missed German bread or even all the great bread you can buy daily on every corner in Europe. Till now! Your method of sourdough is doable & I am grateful to you for the recipe..❤
I make your lazy sourdough bread once a week! It works every time and the bread is delicious! Thank you so much ! People, try this bread! It is amazing ! I found our camping cast iron Dutch oven. It has an incorporated iron handle, and makes the best bread!
I so appreciate your approach to sourdough. I've only had my starter for a few weeks, and thanks to your channel (and your recipe) my first loaf was delicious. I've since shared my starter with two friends, and I tell them to ONLY watch your channel......cause its all you need to know!!! Both have successfully mastered the lazy way of making sourdough bread. Love a friend who listens to good sound advice. LOL
Ben, Great Video. I do use my discard all the time and never throw it out. I use it for the best waffles, and flat breads. But its nice to know I can take my starter and feed it, wait an hour or two and place in the frig and forget about it for awhile. I already have a backup starter in the frig resting for the last few days. There are so many opinions on sourdough it makes my head spin. You keep it simple and back it up with science so even I can understand...
All facts. My bread has such an amazing sour taste to it when I use hungry starter and it tastes like plain/ white bread when I use active starter
Thank you, this is by far the most perfect lesson ever on the use and care of sourdough. I have discarded all the previously saved videos on sourdough, this one is the only one I really needed.
Same here!
When I started making sourdough I just didn’t feel right about the discard method and couldn’t even understand why people would do that. I watched other videos and learned that you don’t have to discard at all. I stopped discarding it and feeding it everyday too. Now it sits in my fridge until I’m ready to bake with it. I still fed it right before I baked though. You make sense and I’ll have to try this out. I have some older starter in my fridge and I’ll have to do your way with it and see how the bread tastes. The only thing is, is I get sooo much joy watching how much my starter grows. I don’t know why I do but that’s the best part for me 😂 so that would be hard to let go.
I had a 1 year old starter that never seemed to ever make a good loaf. So, I got rid of it and actually started over. I started one with rye flour and ginger bug. Then fed rye and water. WOW, it's going great. If I end up incorporating ap flour or it gets sluggish I think I will just give a little drink of ginger bug.
What is Ginger bug
Hello Ben
Well I have watched your Lazy Peoples Sour Dough and Starter videos many times. Having enjoyed your science and logic behind the successful sour dough bakes I think you should rename the Videos. Instead of Lazy I would re title them "Smart Peoples Sour Dough" or "Time Precious Sour Dough" or to use my term "Tried and Tested Sour Dough" - more than a philosophy. (your method and science are spot on. ) This is taken from my own statement "Tried and Tested" - more than a philosophy. L A Horton 2014.
The best part was improving my starter and not feeding it before baking. I cook in a gas oven and use steam for 20 minutes. My bread is very much like your 5 month old starter example. Very nice. Before this my sour dough would rise nicely but was heavy. Starter too wet. Now my starter has toughened up. Great work Ben Starr
I think we should just start calling you The Rock! I have been struggling with making sourdough bread since the pandemic and finally gotten tired of all the hoops to jump through and just quit! After seeing your videos, I’m motivated to try again and feel confident I can make it easier and get better results! ❤ Thanks so much! I’m enjoying binge watching you!
Hello, I have just recently come across your channel, oh my, what an eye opener! I could listen to you all day long. You give such knowledgeable talks about the various subjects but also the backgrounds into their exitance. Its like being back in the classroom , listening to your favourite teacher discussing your favourite subject. I am from the United Kingdom and may I say that you speak so clearly, without using ridiculously inappropriate words, which a lot of Americans use these days, not wishing to cause offense, you make your audience really think about what they are doing with the foods they are handling. You truly are inspirational, and I hope you continue with your wonderful work, I for one will definitely be trying your recipe for sourdough and blackeye beans recipes. Your enthusiasm shines through each and every time. Well done I am a fan of yours from across the "pond", so to speak!
Sociolinguistics fascinates me. Do you consider yourself middle class by chance?
Another one of your fun and very useful lessons! I am totally devoted to the method now and will never ever buy industrially made yeast any more. Furthermore I have successfully used my starter for making Swedish saffron rolls for Xmas, focaccia and ciabatte etc in my Italian home and everything comes out just great! Now I will ignore caring for my starter even more - for a good cause, thankyou very much Ben!
Can I have the recipe for the Swedish Xmas and focaccia?
OMG mate! You have changed my life. I was throwing starter out madly!
Thank you for your generous sharing of your knowledge here Free. Im teaching my 9 yr old grandson how to cook Bread! Here goes!
YOU SIR....are a great teacher!!!
Thankya!
What I was thinking -- correct me if I'm mistaken -- was that mixing the starter with flour to make dough is really the same as feeding it. If it's hungry (not fed recently), there will be more net activity from the yeast to develop a good dough than you would get from well-fed starter, because it's HUNGRY. Just like when I dig into a pizza for lunch after missing breakfast that day. (But I usually don't have sex just afterwards, that's where the analogy ends. Sorray.)
But whatever the case, this starter I made from your sourdough starter video series really upped my sourdough game. I think we're finally getting to taste real sourdough for the first time. And I love not having to chuck away so much "discard" to keep my starter happy. So glad I found your channel.
Kate, you are partially correct. Taking hungry starter and making a loaf of bread IS giving it a large feeding. But that loaf isn't as active as a loaf made from robust starter, which has exponentially more yeast cells that are already in a feeding frenzy. For the first few hours of the long rise, the yeast are waking up and concentrating on multiplying. (When you're hungry, you get hAngry, and you attack a pizza the instant one is placed in front of you. When they're hungry, they go into a coma, and it takes awhile to come out of it.) This gives the flour time to hydrate, and the enzymatic process knows as autolysis takes place...where natural enzymes in the flour go to work breaking down complex starches into simple sugars (which would otherwise be destined to feed the baby wheat plant upon germination). When you add robust starter to flour and water, the yeast immediately binge on the complex starches, which are harder for them to digest, but that's all that's available for them to eat. With the "starving method," autolysis is given several hours' head start, while the yeast are still waking up and slowly begin to multiply, so by the time we have a healthy colony of yeast in the dough, most of the complex starches are converted into simple sugars, which is easy for the yeast to eat...and produces more flavorful byproducts in the resulting loaf.
About a year ago I tried to make sourdough starter with very expensive Einkorn flour… that didn’t work at all, even though I followed a you tube video carefully. I wasted so much flour over several tries. Very discouraged. Then I found you, Ben Starr. So thankful. I changed flour & now have a great starter. I’m sure there is a way to use Einkorn flour but I will hold off any more experimentation until I master your method. My first loaf of Sourdough bread following your method was great.
When working with white Einkorn (all purpose), you shouldn't need to tweak the recipe very much at all. If you're using whole grain Einkorn, you can't sub more than about 8 oz of the regular AP flour without the recipe failing. And you'll need an extra ounce of water if using 8oz of whole grain einkorn.
I just found this wonderful discussion of sour dough. -Two days ago I took the big pear shaped glass container of sourdough starter/discard out of the fridge, it is quite a few years old. It has been many months since it had had any attention. There was black liquid on top , blacker than I'd seen before, and there was a lot of starter or discard in there. I took it to my compost pile and dumped out the liquid and all the starter that had black on it and then I took about 1/2 cup of clean looking starter from what was left put it in a clean jar and dumped the rest onto the compost pile. I added two tablespoons of flour and two Tblspoons of water and stirred it up, the next day it was bubbly but thin. This morning I added two tblspn flour and 1 of water. I just looked at it, its bubbly , still a little thin so I added a tblspoon of flour and no water and stirred it up. So, I didnt stir the black liquid back in, I didnt at least double it at feeding, I didnt weigh the flour or water.. I will begin these practices now but I think this backward starter is going to be OK to bake with.
You're correct in that it will leaven dough. However, you've screwed up the hydration, so there's no telling what hydration you're at now. If your first loaf turns out very sticky, you'll need to continue this stiff feeding concept until it's closer to 100% hydration. Please stop feeding by volume...feed by weight. Weigh the amount of starter that you have. Then double the weight (or more) by feeding equal weights of flour and water. Two Tablespoons of flour is approximately 0.6oz starter, while 2 Tablespoons of water is 1 ounce. So every time you feed it that way, you're overhydrating. My Troubleshooting Simple Sourdough video will tell you how to correct your hydration back toward 100%.
@@ultimatefoodgeek Thank you for the input. This is the first time I have encountered the feed by weight concept. I was taught to feed by volume, but, by weight makes sense. You are right, the hydration is screwed up and I am slowly trying to bring it back into balance. It bubbles but it doesnt rise yet. It may be OK to bake with but if not I'll just start over and do it as you say.
This gentleman is the real deal. Thanks again for this Ben, I now bake fresh bread every week.
You are the best!! Thank you for this common sense approach. I was at the point of giving up. This is so incredibly sensible and I don't understand why others make this so ridiculously complicated.
You and me, both!!
Thank you Ben and Michell for sharing your experience with us.
After 5 batches of Artisan Style bread I tried your no fuss way of feeding my starter without worrying about temperature of water. Completed the feeding with filtered water and was shocked at how well it worked. Thanks doesn’t seem like enough. No fuss I love that.
This was so helpful! I am just starting out on this sourdough journey and am on Day 3 of creating my starter and was so confused by all the information I was reading on how to keep it going once I got to the end of this process. This makes so much sense and has kept me from throwing it all in the trash and just buying my bread. I feel like I can really do this!
How is it going? A year later? I am having a hard time but not giving up. Just gaining weight making treats with discard. 🤣
@@shericreates if you follow Ben's methods you DON'T need to ever have any discard! How are you doing now?
Wow, I had no idea. Here I panicked if I didn't feed my starter once a week. You video was great and I will follow your recommendations. Love how you put a human spin when describing the yeast.
This makes so much more sense to me....I was wondering why we have to do all two days of activating when we would be adding it to a giant bowl of water and flour.
I also appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions! Thank you again!
Four questions (just got my first starter today):
1. Does the starter have to be up to room temperature before you feed it?
2.Once you feed it, you only have to leave it on the counter for one hour before you put it back in fridge - you don’t have to wait for it to double in size?
3.How long do you wait after feeding before you bake a loaf?
4. Does the starter have to come to room temperature before you start adding the ingredients for dough and baking?
The starter NEVER needs to come to room temperature before feeding or baking.
I typically leave my starter on the counter for a few hours after feeding...until it's bubbly. I don't worry about doubling.
I have used my starter for baking as soon as an hour after feeding.
Ben Thank you for ALL of your videos and clear instructions! You have helped me with dreaming of learning how to make sourdough bread to actually making it. I am so thankful I found your videos!
Great video! I'm trying your recipe for a second time. My wife and daughter liked the first loaf, but I made the mistake of feeding my starter and preheating my oven.
Your method is a stroke of genius and a win/win. Thanks for sharing!
My first sourdough loaf. Turned out great! Thanks Ben!
I have share this video so many times. Three friends are now making sourdough bread. Thank you!
You are absolutely delightful! And I so love your method! The old way always seemed so wasteful to me too and extremely labor-intensive. So now I’m going to be trying your way, and I am excited to do so. Thank you very much❤️
I knew there has to be a better way!!! Thank you Ben! I will me baking my first bread tomorrow. Can’t wait for the taste of home ❤(long long time ago in Poland 😊)
Thank you so much. I built a starter from scratch using other methods and I have a really fast starter that overproofs everything, And I have been disappointed and tossing loaves for the last few weeks. Something always happens during the folding and "bulk fermentation" or something that throws off the timing.
I saw your video a couple weeks ago and last weekend I took cold, unfed starter, used your recipe and technique and made a really fantastic loaf. It's not only easy, but it is also very consistent. I have been going crazy this week and have made four great loaves in a row. I don't even have bannetons, I use colander and towel set up. But I have confidence enough now that I can throw it in fridge if I need extra time or I can put it in oven with light on to make it go faster if I need to. It really is a liberating idea.
I am still going to try the other way to see of I can even taste the difference, but I haven't even been successful enough the other way to even taste test them.
Thanks again.
Ps. I also love the history and science lessons.
I'm glad to hear this works for your hyper-active starter!!
oh my gosh I am sorry you suffered so badly with Covid. Super happy you recovered and Thank you you so much for your comments!! I agree completely and am so relieved that we all can make stress free bread 😉😋when we want to and more importantly without wasting precious food ! Thank you☺️ BEN STARR!!
Thanks for your help. After several failed attempts to do build a starter your method worked for me …and I’m on my way …. I’m a fan !
I wasn’t going to bother with sour dough anymore due to the waste involved. Thanks to you, I’m going to give it another try.
Love, love, love your videos!!!! Simple, smart and totally make SO much common SENSE!!!! You are A HERO!!!!!!! ❤❤🥰🥰🥰😁🫡
THANK YOU!!! I was following a FB group and they had us feeding our starter every 12 hours!
Oh my gosh! You just completely obliterated all my reservations about making sourdough! I’ve wanted to do it but it all just sounded too complicated and like too much commitment! Like taking care of a BABY!!! I think I can do it this way! Thank you Ben!
most fun scientific presentation thank you
Wow I wished I would of seen this a couple years ago. Gonna give this another try using your method
I just started, literally yesterday with some starter my friend gave me. I’ve seen so many videos since, that I’m a bit overwhelmed as everyone seems to have their method; yours has been my favorite! Looove that I don’t have to babysit the starter. Still confused on what to do if want to bake but just fed it, how long to wait before mixing for bread?
I’ll keep watching your videos and reading the comments. Thank you for your recipe for lazy people, that’s usually the name of all my cooking recipes!
If you're not on a DAILY feeding schedule, you can bake a few hours after a feeding. Just let the starter get bubbly on the countertop, then pull off the required amount and start a loaf.
Hi Ben, Just caught your videos ..great advice. I dried out my starter adding flour as suggested. Made six loaves. Added water to my pot as i lidded them ..one with 8oz wholemeal and other plain . So pleased they both lifted above pie dish. They sat on grease proof paper on pie dish in casserole hhen i could add extra water to hot casserole for steam..especially for wholemeal. I also make kefir and leave the fresh cultured milk in the fridge with the kefir.. till i drain it when needed. Sleepy culturing/ fermenting . Yes! Thank You !
Excellent!! Thanks for sharing!
I have never thought of it this way: why the rush when I am not a commercial baker that needs my bread ASAP. Thanks for the insight. I will definitely try directly use my cold lazy starter next time.
Just tried your method. It was a great success. The cold lazy starter doesn't make the bread more sour. Instead because I was not rushing to fit my life to the bread's schedule and let the bread proof with all the time it needed, I got more open crumb even with 25%+ whole wheat flour.
Ok Ben….have to say I love your snark!!! I am super respected now because of my beautiful beautiful bread I am able to produce …you should see the look on peoples faces when I tell them about not feeding the starter repeatedly…also sending them your way! It’s very clear you have put in the time and know your science…..love it thanks
I'm just starting out with my very first starter. I've joined a couple of sourdough FB groups and asked newbie questions and have received like 20 different answers for the same question. Talk about exhausted before I even get started!! Thank you for keeping it simple! I hope you have a video on discard. I would love to make other things like pancakes.
No discard. Ever. Don't feed your starter until you get low and you need to make more. You do not need to feed your starter regularly, in order to make great sourdough. Check out my video entitled "Stop feeding your starter" as a starting place.
@@ultimatefoodgeek thanks Ben! I did watch the other video. I’m just astonished at all the complicated methods. I like easy. I plan on not buying bread anymore.
Such unique and GREAT advice and explanation! Thanks to you I never need to let those ultra time-consuming and complicated methods of making or sustaining starter turn my head again.
This makes maintaining a starter seem so much less annoying. I hated throwing away starter every day or being forced to make something with it to feel like I wasn't wasting it.
Mind totally blown 😮 it makes perfect sense- I’ve only been making sourdough a while and I’ve had a nagging question in my mind about the feeding of the starter a few hours before baking. I kept thinking why do we do it when putting the starter into all that flour and water is a massive feed? This makes sense so I’m giving it a whirl. Also makes sense that I’ve seen ‘discard’ loaf recipes. Unfed starter loaf recipes duh! Thanks for the videos 😊
Ben I’ve discovered my starter loves my counter right next to the back of my fridge to keep cozy and marinate itself. Also, I can’t put it on top as I have cats, and all that comes with their curiosity.
Two things I believe:
1. If the earth were flat, cats would’ve already knocked everything off, and...
2. If cats had opposable thumbs they would most certainly rule the world 🤣
😂 I agree, I cannot keep my 2 cats off my worktops for love nor money! My previous cats never went on my worktops though.
Thanks. Your method give me the instructions that I’ve been trying to work out on my own - rather hit and miss. Thank you! I hate wasting the discard and being an eternal babysitter. Looking forward to using your method.
I'm a vocabulary nut and THANK YOU. I never heard 'hooch' used in this context. Great sourdough tips too! 😉
Made my 1st loaf today, I messed up just about every step, it still came one of the best sourdough breads I've had in a long time. Working on my 2nd loaf now. Can't wait to eat it when it's done correctly.
OMG! I’m so glad I found your channel. Not only do you have great content you totally crack me up!
Thank you
Update: I rewatched your video and I did the 4 ounces of water and 6 ounces of flour to 8 ounces of my starter and then the next day (which is today, 2/20), I made two more loaves of sourdough bread and wow - they worked nicely thus far and right now they are doing their rising (hopefully) and I am a happy camper right now. I hope after the 2nd rise tomorrow, that I can bake them and have two decent loaves of bread...we shall see...thank you Ben for your valuable information!
Love your lazy way, I was always concerned I had ruined my starter not feeding it on a regular basis.
Love your channel and have started making my starter about 2 and a half weeks ago. Thought it looked about right to create my first two loaves of bread and OMG, what a disaster! My bad as I believe it is the hydration ratio of too much liquid vs the amount of flour. So, today, I will attempt to do what you suggested with going back to the original 8 ounces of starter and then I will put 2 oz of water and 6 oz of flour and see if I can get it to serve me with a decent loaf of bread. i am not giving up and so my overall goal is to know how to bake my family decent loaves of sourdough bread from my own starter. I even just purchased the beautiful larger Dutch Oven pot just like yours and I love it! I will keep updating in the comment section as to my overall progress. Thanks Ben for a fun and very informal channel here.
I was looking forward to your sourdough pizza dough video... come on! You have the best videos on TH-cam!
Subscribed and you earned it as well .... been wanting to start my sourdough journey the longest however wasn’t confident enough to deal with yeast in general. Today I’ll make my first sourdough starter and will keep a journal and share it with you Ben. Truly grateful to have found you. From UK 🇬🇧 with love 😊!
Cheers!!
You are amazing!!! Thank you for all of this awesome information!!! I’m making some bread tomorrow, just like this!
It's weird, back in the day when I kept an Amish friendship-bread starter going for years on end, I think it was not refrigerated, ever. It never got moldy. But, I did have to bake every 10 days. And I did have to let every day air out. It was in baggies; I would let out all the air, then, squeeze out the gas every three days.
Merry Christmas! Thank you for all the sour dough instruction and information! Invaluable for us novices. At one point you mentioned “sour dough discard recipes”. In a future video might I request you delve into that a bit farther? I’d love to hear about your recipes and/or ideas.
Ps. I’m proud to say I own a scale (which I avidly use) but now also have a forever buttermilk jug in the fridge and sour dough starter started. Cheers!
Because I never discard sourdough starter, I have absolutely no experience with discard recipes! But in 2021, I'll be releasing OTHER simple sourdough recipes like dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.
Thank you so much for sharing this info, it makes total sense! I've enjoyed all your sourdough videos. If I hadn't discovered your sourdough video for lazy people, I would have never started making sourdough.
Thank you Ben that takes the frustration out of baking sour dough bread !!!😊😊😊
Totally agree with you.
Thanks again for the elaborate and comprehensive explanation
You should provide the links to your LAZY sourdough method: 1. Creating the starter, 2. Maintaining the starter (this clip), 3. Mixing the dough / baking the bread. It would give the whole picture from start to finish.
Good clip. Thanks for the info.
Check the video description! The other videos are already linked. :)
OMGGGG! Thank Goodness I found you 😇😇😇 I am a "Newbie" to this whole Sourdough Frenzy lol. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it was for me and OVERWHELMINGLY difficult some of these videos have made the sourdough process. Whew - I nearly gave up!!! ut then BAM - Ben!!! haha 🤣you're the best!!! 😍
Very happy to learn not to throw out the hootch. I've been pouring it off for years and years, based on some erroneous advice I'm sure.
Hi Ben - I've made a few "Athletic Loafs" most of which have come out quite nice. However, after trying with success, the "Lazy Loaf" is a hit in my house. Also, I didn't know any better and tossed the black hootch layer a couple of months ago instead of reincorporating. In fact, I ended up neglecting my starter for 3 months and ended up tossing it figuring it was a goner. Where have you been hiding these secrets, Ben? Thanks for sharing - no more slap/fold/repeat!
Gonna start trying this. It looks really promising! I'll comment later when I see the results.
Thank you!! I has. Started my first starter!!
I’ve made two batches using your method, but I think I have an issue with my starter. With both batches the dough was sticky. The hydration must be off. I got my starter from a friend so I don’t know its history. I had also been feeding it different flour types so maybe that’s the culprit. I decided I wanted to make my own starter so I watched your video on how to make my own. I used the rye, water, and fruit juice method. Thanks to the explanation in your video I will always be feeding my starter AP flour when it comes time for regular feedings 😊 I’m only on day 1, and I’m excited. I look forward to the day I don’t have to be a slave to my starter 😂
Yes, sounds like you have a higher-than-100% hydration in your starter. My Troubleshooting video will help you correct that. I have a new technique for starter, I just haven't filmed it yet. 4oz flour, 4oz water, countertop for 2 weeks and ignore it. Then feed 4oz flour, 4oz water, and watch for bubbles. If you get them in the first few hours, your starter is mature.
I watched your video on making my own starter. I used the rye, water, and fruit juice method. I can tell it’ll be a robust starter. I found it seemed like it was ready because was it was so active, but when it came to baking a loaf I could tell it wasn’t ready. I’m letting it mature for a full two weeks.
You saved my sanity!
Just in time!
I almost started my very first sourdough bread today (the hard way!)
I bought my first Dutch oven with a proofing basket, bench scraper, and scoring knife, after tirelessly watching several terrifying videos on slapping, pulling, folding, pampering, proofing, and... ya know... more slapping, folding, proofing and I was like, “HOW the HECK does anyone live their lives making one FREAKIN loaf?!” Busy or not, that’s insane!
Anyway, I started the process that you showed in other videos on baking and I already have two ziplock bags full of one loaf each on my countertop proofing.
YOU SAVED MY SANITY!
I only have one technical simple question please...
To feed my starter that’s in the fridge...
after the feeding...
How long do you leave it out on the counter before putting it back into the fridge until you need it again for another baking session?
Thank you!
1 hour or so. A little longer won't hurt.
I love your simple method. Thanks
I’ve been gifted with a wonderful and very strong 100 year old starter. Even though it hasn’t been fed for over a week, it’s still very robust. I baked several times this week and every time, my initial and second rises happened very fast! Consequently, my loaves, while delicious, did not have a lot of tang.
I’m running low on starter and want to make some more today. Question: is there anything I can do to get my starter to be hungrier faster? For example, can I leave it on the counter for a day or two before putting it in the fridge? I’m planning on making a rather large batch of starter and don’t want to wait a month for it to get really sleepy.
On a final note, THANK YOU for developing this method Ben! It has been life changing!!!
There's no need to wait for it to get super sleepy, you can bake with it a few hours after a feeding. Leaving it on the countertop for a day will get it SUPER active. If you're looking to slow down your first rise shortly after a feeding...feed a LOT compared to your residual starter. If you have 4 ounces of starter left, feed a pound of flour and a pound of water. Let it sit for an hour, and then pull off 4 ounces to bake a loaf. The first rise should take quite awhile longer.
If your ultimate goal is to have tangy bread...do understand that most of us expect tangy bread because that's what we get when we buy storebought sourdough. And that stuff isn't real. It's commercial yeast bread, with added vinegar or citric acid. The sour breads "of old" are from when starter was kept constantly at room temp because there was no refrigeration. Room-temp kept starters that aren't fed often become very, very acidic. I'm currently experimenting with room-temp kept starters, fed twice a month, to help folks produce those old-fashioned tart loaves, because so many people complain that my method doesn't make very sour sourdough, like they get in the grocery store.
BUT...the cheat here is to do exactly what the bakery does. Add acid to your recipe to make the loaf tart. A teaspoon of white vinegar or half a teaspoon of citric acid will make your loaves taste tart. And since this is the way the VAST majority of bakeries that sell tart sourdough do it...I don't see anything wrong with doing it yourself.
@@ultimatefoodgeek Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly. I’m glad to hear that I can use freshly fed starter if I need to!
What I’m trying to achieve though, albeit in a quicker way, is some really hungry liquidy starter with some hooch on top, much like yours in your video.
In theory, couldn’t I let my starter get seriously active for a period of time, let it use up all its food, and then stick it in the fridge to stay in a hungry state? In other words, could I get it to be like yours without waiting so long?
By the way, I agree about store bought sourdough bread - it’s too acidic and I think it tastes artificial. Definitely not what I want! Lol
I have shared your Videos so many time. I could not have made so much bread without you. Thank you
I learned: When my original SDS is low. Feed it at least double amount. leave out at least l hour Then refrigerator until needed to bake. Thank you
Hello
Well a perfect sour dough came out of our oven. Starter not fed for 5 days. Baked in bread tin.
Looks amazing.
This makes so much sense! Thank you!
Luv your method it has made my life so easy
I am relatively new to sour dough baking and the cinnamon rolls are my favorite>. I see that your starters are in plastic containers endnote glass. I just assumed they had to be in glass. Im guessing not because you have one that is in a rubbermaid/tupperware container???
They do not have to be in glass. The only thing you should avoid is containers made of reactive metals, like aluminum. Plastic, stainless steel, ceramic, and glass are all fine...assuming you don't have an aversion to plastic triggered by all the current press on microplastics.
Great thorough teaching. Thank you. Been baking all my life and love learning from you.
Best Bread I ever made! Makes so much more sense! Only question... when the starter gets really liquid-y, how do you compensate your recipe?
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