I discovered a good way to make my active starter really grow and become bubbly after a feeding. What I did is not feed my active starter for two days (48 hours), and then when I did feed it I gave it some good sprouted rye flour. The starter then tripled in height! Starving the starter for a couple of days made it real hungry and when I fed it it really grew. It never happened like that when I fed it every 24 hours. My starter is about 2 months old and I have never refrigerated it , yet. I keep it fed daily with a King Arthur AP flour and when I am ready to make a bread I starve it a couple of days and then give it a sprouted rye feeding in the morning and when it triples in height I make a flour and then refrigerate it after making the dough and folding it a few times over a few hours. The bread is high-hydration and is 30% rye and 70% bread flour.
this was my first time using this recipe and it was damn near perfect! i was so impressed. i tried joshua weissman's beginner sourdough recipe twice and never made anything remotely edible. not sure what i was doing wrong (no shade to him!) but if you've been struggling with sourdough this recipe is a great one to try!
Started my starter last night. I have a decent amount of hooch on top about 16 hour later. This is my first attempt at sourdough so looking forward to doing it!
I was searching for Storing Process of sourdough starter.......but any video didn't help me.......but this video cleared all my doubts...,......thank you sooooo much🙃 Love from West Bengal,India🇮🇳
I’ve been making sourdough bread for several years and my sourdough starter was never very robust. Your 50-50 mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour is tremendous and has really stepped up my starter. Thanks. I’m always learning when it comes to bread making.
Thank you for this. I had trouble finding a video that talked about maintaining your starter. They all seemed to make the starter, and then make bread, but never talked about how to maintain the starter, so I appreciate your tutorial. Now I'm ready!
Your videos are awesome and so straight forward. I have so much starter now I don’t know what to do with it all and hate the idea of just throwing it away!
The Regular Chef thank you for replying! A do have a few questions... 1. How long can it stay in the fridge for? 2. If I’m not using it every day should it stay in the fridge? 3. How often should I be feeding it? Thank you I really appreciate it!
I'd recommend feeding it once per week if you keep it in the fridge, but it can stay in there indefinitely if you're feeding it regularly. It could probably even go quite a bit longer than a week without feeding, but I like to feed it every week to be safe. It's really up to you whether you want to keep it in the fridge or not. Just know that if you keep it at room temp, you have to feed it every day, whereas when you keep it in the fridge you can just feed it once per week.
This is my first time try to do the starter ,although I have looked at many videos before could never understand .I saw your video and I immediately started and I have been looking each day to make yhat I doing it correctly. You did a very good visual explanation 👏 👍 I'm getting through so and I will be trying the bread soon as I am done with the starter. I will be definitely looking at you video to make it . Thanks 😊
Great video! I started my starter yesterday and all I had was enriched all-purpose flour. Idk what "enriched" means and what effect it has, but so far it so far it seems okay. After 24 hours I already had a noticeable layer of water sitting on top. I'm just gonna keep going and hope for the best. I sooo excited to make my first loaf. :)
Over the years I have settled on fermenting organic raisins to start a sourdough...in a few days you have fair bit of wild yeast raisin water. Just start feeding it flour and in a week or two you'll have a potent sourdough.
wonderful video! and thank you for all the links. and the pdf file. and for answering so many of these questions, which was very helpful. much appreciated!
I never understood the grams and scales method and whatnot. I went with my gut feeling and started in small jar with just a TEA spoon of flour and some water. Each day I added another TEAspoon of flour and mixed in some water. Idea is to keep it at sticky dough consistency and after about 10 days i got it ready without any discarded mix, its very simple. After this period you can add as much flour as you need and it will rise like theres no tomorrow.
Good explanation, thank you. My problem is related with what you said in the beginning. At first my starter smelled good and the bread taste was good. Now, even if I start again with a new starter, it smells like vinegar and the bread tastes like vinegar. If I use more water in the starter and/or I put it in the fridge it gets better, but then the activity is very low and I have to feed it two or three times and let it sit at room temperature and use less water, so it become very sour again. I can’t find a point where it works ok with a good smell and flavour. And the smell is changing constantly. I don’t know if it’s the different brand of water, the weather… all of my experiments smell the same at the same time but different than before. 🤷♂️
No problem! If it's too sour, I'd recommend feeding at a lower ratio, so for example try 20g:100g:100g (starter:flour:water), rather than 25g:100g:100g. Keeping it at a lower temperature will actually make it a bit more sour, so I'd recommend keeping it at room temp if you want it to be more mild. I explained this in a bit more detail in my most recent sourdough starter troubleshooting video.
@@TheRegularChef Thank you very much. It's so confusing sometimes. I read something and then just the opossite. And my observations can be different too. I'll try changing the feeding. I'm going to see the other video. Thanks.
My starter started smelling like expired parmesan cheese / sweaty gym socks, and I was going to throw it away but I read a tip to use pineapple juice. I threw away most of it because it was vile, but the remaining 50g or so I fed one more time with pineapple juice from a can of sliced pineapples, and the next day it was smelling like wine! I continued to feed like regular after that and it's stayed nice. I'm still not really getting a good oven rise but my starter smells great now.
Great series! I watched lots of videos about starters and sourdough bread and this was definitely one of the best ones out there. However, I have a few questions that haven't really been clearly answered anywhere. If I do the float test with the light foamy bit at the top of my starter, after it rises, it passes the test. But once I stir the mixture, it becomes dense and sinks to the bottom. Is my starter ready to be used at this point? Or have I ruined it by stirring it? Am I only supposed to use the bit at the top in my bread recipe? Thanks
Yeah you’ll want to do the float test before stirring so that it still contains the air bubbles. I’ve found that the float test is pretty inconsistent for that reason though, so I usually just go based on whether my starter has doubled in size or not instead. It doesn’t matter what portion of the starter you use in the bread though, it should all be the same!
Thank you The Regular Chef for the great and organized instructions! One question, do you tighten the lid in the fridge once you go on weekly feeding schedule?
No, you'll still want to leave the lid loose so that gases can escape. The starter will ferment much slower in the fridge, but there will still be some gases being produced.
Thanks a lot my starter is now alive and kicking , exactly on the 7th day. I will feed him again to gather more strength. I used ordinary bread flour because it's so difficulty to find whole wheat flour here. And
Thanks very much for a thorough & clear explanation of the sourdough process. I am in Day 4 and going well. I am intending use the starter twice per week - probably making 3 -4 pizza bases once per week (weekend) and 2 loaves of bread (midweek). Would you suggest that I keep the starter in the fridge between uses and feed twice per week? I wasn't quite clear what would be the best regime in this not uncommon situation. Thanks again for an excellent video.
great work, it's a very informative video. the one questions i have are: 1. if i wanted to bake once a week, and i fed the starter and kept it in the fridge, when exactly would i use the part of the starter for baking? the day after feeding? middle of the feeding period? anytime? 2. do i need to take the part of the starter i use out of the fridge 1 hour before i mix the ingredients for the autolyse stage?
You’ll want to add the starter to your dough when it’s about at its maximum rise. So typically about 12 hours after feeding, but it depends on your temperature and feeding ratios. I would recommend taking the starter out of the fridge about a day before you plan to bake. So you’ll remove it from the fridge, wait an hour or two to let it warm up, then feed it. Then wait until it’s reached it’s maximum activity before mixing it into the dough.
Thank you for this video! If I bake once a week and want to keep my starter in the fridge (to not use so much flour and not have so much to get rid of), when should I pull it out of the fridge and start feeding it to get it ready to bake? How many feedings should I give it before baking? Thank so much!
No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed! I do the same thing, I like to pull it out about a day before I plan to bake, and give it one feeding and room temperature, and it should be good to go for baking the next day.
@@TheRegularChef Thanks for the fast reply! Should I time the 1 feeding so it's active when I want to use it or plan on feeding again before using? Mine peaks about 6-7 hours after feeding. I have a cooler house
Personally, I like to feed it again before using. So I'll remove the starter from the fridge, feed it, then wait about 12 hours for it to become active, then use it to prepare my levain for my bread. If you haven't seen my full sourdough bread tutorial, you can check that out to see exactly what I do when I make my bread.
Hello. Great information. I have a question; is it possible for my starter to be ready after only 4 days? I’ve had bubbles since day one. I had that liquid on top on day 2 and on day 3 it started to rise and feel really fluffy. It’s day 4 and it has risen, it’s bubbly and when I put it in cold water it floats. This is my second attempt at making this. My first attempt was very weak and I made 1 loaf of sourdough bread and then the 2nd time it wouldn’t rise so I put my oven to “keep warm” and I forgot about it and destroyed it. 😱 whoops. I had different instructions as well. Then I found your series of instructions and wow what a difference. I can’t wait to make your sourdough bread and whatever other goodies you have in the series. Thanks again. 🙏🏼😊
Hi Regular Chef and thanks for the great tutorial! A couple of questions (haven't read through all 195 comments so don't know if these have been asked and answered) Question 1) Why less starter than water and flour? (i.e. 75/100/100) Question 2) Why reduce starter to 50g on days 5 & 6 and to 25g on day 7 forward?? Thanks again -- hope you'll answer
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful! Basically, the amount of mature starter you use is based on how quickly you want the starter to rise and fall. So the less starter you use, the slower it will rise and fall. For this, my goal was to make it rise and fall in as close to 24 hours as possible since I wanted to feed once per day. So at the beginning, the starter isn't very active, so you need to use more starter in order to help it rise and fall. Then as it becomes more active, it'll start to rise and fall faster so you have to reduce the amount of starter to slow it down. Hopefully this helps!
This was great! I'm very new and trying. 2 questions: why the 50/50 flower mix and why does my starter smell strongly of alcohol. Thanks in advance bread makers
Thanks for the information. However I highly recommend keeping the glass as clean as possible. at 7:24 it looks like you have mold growing on the upper part of the jar.
Haha no that’s not mold, that’s just dried up starter on the sides of the jar. But yeah you definitely don’t want mold in there, although I’ve never had that happen personally. As long as you always cover up your starter between feedings, that’s not much of a concern
Hi Charlie! Checking in if you have a smaller ratio that I can work with since I don't bake sourdough bread often? Or Is it possible to use 10g mature 40g flour 40g water instead?
Yes, as long as you keep the ratios the same, you can change the actual amounts to suit your needs! So that ratio of 10g to 40g to 40g that you mentioned should work fine. I would, however, recommend using the full amounts until your starter is fully active (after 7-10 days), but after that point, feel free to change the amounts as long as you keep the ratio the same.
Thanks! If you're looking for the feeding schedule, it can be downloaded here: theregularchef.com/SourdoughSchedule, but if you're looking for the links to the equipment I use, it's in the description underneath "MY SOURDOUGH BAKING EQUIPMENT"
Great vid. If I have 25:100:100 starter mixture in the fridge each week and I want to make 2 sourdough loaves with 800g of flour, will the starter quantity be enough? Or should I build it up for a few days?
It depends on which recipe you use, but that should be more than enough. For the method I use, I only use 50g of my actual starter. Then in addition to that, I use 1080g of flour, and 830g of water, but that makes 3 loaves so you could cut that down if you want. I have a separate video explaining the bread making process if you’re interested in that.
Hi Charlie, using your measurements and recommended feed, (I'm on Day 4) my starter appears a bit drier than I'm used to, even though it's bubbling up fine. Am I doing something wrong?
The answer to my question is partially answered above, but I’m still unsure of the process between maintaining the starter over time in the fridge vs. using some for baking. I will bake about once per week. I have a great starter in the fridge now, thanks your help. It has risen and fallen, and not been fed for 5 days (I used some earlier which made great loaves). Should I now take out 25g to make a 1:4:4 batch overnight for baking, and also then refresh the “mother” starter for next week?
I'd recommend taking out the whole starter and letting it warm up and rise for about an hour or two. Then exactly as you said, you can set aside 25g of that for baking, then refresh the mother starter and put it back in the fridge.
Hi there. Where is your pdf for making Starter? Do I have to subscribe to get it? A friend gave me some of her starter. I've kept it in the fridge. I have fed it fairly regularly, once a week. Not sure how long I have to do that and when I can use it to actually make bread. Please advise. Thank you!
Do other types of flour such as various Indian bean flours, rice flour, semolina , ect also work for making sourdough starter, or does it have to be whole-wheat flour?
Hi I've been feeding my starter for a while and it seems active and bubbly but it's just not rising much and not passing the float test. I've continued feeding with 25g starter and 100g of 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour and 100g of water and I am on day 12. Yesterday it was super bubbly and passed the float test, I continued feeding since I wasn't going to be able to bake this weekend, and today it failed again. Any advice? The only worry I had was that I my flour has very high protein content, the bread flour at 12.5% and the whole wheat at 14%, could that be a factor?
I've actually found that the float test is somewhat hit-or-miss, so a better indication that your starter is ready is just to look at whether it's doubling in size after feeding or not. But if it's not rising much either then yes, it could be due to the flour but it's hard to say for sure. It also may just need more time to develop. I've also found that when my starter isn't rising as much as usual, sometimes skipping a feeding actually helps, so you could give that a try too if you want!
If it has almost doubled in size but doesn’t pass the float test and I choose to put it in the fridge at that point, do I have to feed when I pull out the next morning hoping to bake?
I am maintaining my starter in the refrigerator and feeding it according to your ratio of 25g starter + 100g flour (mix white/wheat) + 100g water, and I am noticing my starter is getting thicker, it doesn't "pour" from the jar. What do you think I am doing wrong? I have noticed in other bread posts the starters are usually maintained at equal parts water to flour to starter. Thank you for you input and I agree with the consensus your videos and explanations are great!
When you remove it from the fridge, are you leaving it out for an hour or two before and after feeding? It does thicken up a bit when it's cold, but it should return to normal once it comes up to room temperature.
1st of all great video. Scenario: day 8 of feeding, it’s a Monday but I want to bake on Saturday. So does that mean I put my starter in the fridge Monday night, take the starter out Friday night, give it a feed and then bake with it on Saturday? Thank you
thank you for the very useful n informative video! i bought some whole wheat self raising flour and wondering if i could use it for the starter? This is my attempt at doing this. Also, after refrigerating the starter, do I need to do another 7 day feeding cycle for the next bake?
Hi, I wouldn't recommend using self-raising flour because it contains salt which can inhibit the activity of the yeast. But no, you only have to do the 7 day feeding cycle once, then you can just do the maintenance feedings for the rest of the starter's life, even if you put it in the fridge.
I can't figure out how to find links you refer to or PDF .......I am not very tech savvy!! I am hooked on your videos. Nice young main. We don't feel like we are being intruded!! LOL>.
Haha no problem! To see the links, you need to scroll below the video and click the little arrow on the right side of the screen (if you’re on a mobile device) or click “show more” if you’re on a computer
I made a starter a week ago. it is bubbly on top and doubles in size between 6-10 hrs from feeding. however, it doesnt have air pockets below the surface like I've seen some other starters do. The only bubbles in my starter are on top. Does this mean my starter isn't ready to use yet?
Your explanation is very clear! This might be the time to try to make a sourdough starter! :D A couple of questions: I read somewhere that rye flour is great to start sourdough, I do have both whole wheat flour and rye flour. Is it the same to use one or another? Or what if I do half and half? Then for the feeding after the first week, about the all purpose flour: in Italy flour packages don't say anything about being bleached or unbleached...what should I do? :( Also, I see other tutorials about making the starter using less flour, like 15g or 50g...do I have to use 100g necessarily? What difference does it make? Thank you and sorry for the long newbie questions..! :)
Yeah I’d recommend using half and half, I’ve found that using 100% whole wheat for your starter doesn’t work as well as a mixture. Hmm, I think you should be fine using whatever all-purpose flour you have! After the first week or two once the starter is active, bleached flour is actually fine, especially if you’re still using half whole wheat along with the bleached flour. And yeah, you can definitely use lower amounts of flour if you want! The main thing to worry about is the ratio of starter:flour:water. So a recipe of 50g:100g:100g will work just as well as 25g:50g:50g since the ratio is the same. So if you want to cut all of my numbers in half, you can do that and it should still work. Using more flour might make your starter more resilient, but as long as you’re diligent about feeding regularly, you can use smaller amounts. No problem though, I’m glad to help!
@@TheRegularChef Ok so just to be sure, yesterday (day 1) I did 50g of flour (25g whole wheat and 25g rye) plus 75g water. Today (day 2) I kept 37,5g starter and added 50g flour (25 ww, 25 rye) and 50g water. I'm going to do same adding of today on day 3 and 4. Then reduce the starter to 25g, with 50g (25ww-25rye) flour and 50g water on day 5. Same on day 6. Same flour/water but reduce the starter to 12,5g on day 7. Am I right? :D Sorry to bother you just want to be sure I'm not messing this up from the beginning..! :D
Thank you for this. For simplicity's sake, can the daily feeding not be 1 Cup Flour mixture and 1 Cup water? That way you only weigh the starter, remove the required amount and feed.
Thanks! 1:1:1 would be quite high for maintenance feedings. Really you only want to maintain enough starter to allow it to rise and fall within 24 hours of feeding each time. If you use a 1:1:1 ratio, it'll probably rise and fall much quicker than that, unless you're in a very cool environment. So by reducing the ratio, you're slowing down the rise of the starter.
@@TheRegularChef , thank you! That was my question, too. I think Sarah Owens uses the 1:1:1 feeding and that's what I have been following. I'm going to try this method, just to see the difference.
Great video! Can you help? I am using a 1:1:1 ratio and it is day 12. My sourdough starter has a lot of bubbles and has doubled in volume but it is not rising and falling. In the morning, it smells like nail polish remover. It peaks at 8 hours and stays there until morning. I am using 100% whole wheat and filtered water. My house is on the cool side 67 degrees so I have been putting the jar in the oven with the light on and the oven door cracked. It gets to 84 degrees with the door cracked. Do you think the temp is too warm in the oven and this is causing the starter not to rise and fall?
Hi, do you close the lid tight when storing in the fridge or just place the lid on top as shown in the video when storing outside fridge? thanks for the videos
You'll just want to place the lid on top as I do when storing outside of the fridge. Your starter produces gases as it rests so if you sealed the jar, those gases would build up and create pressure, which could be dangerous.
great video, I feed to keep my starter in Fridge and feed once a week on Sundays: 25g+100g+100g (st+w+f) so I have 225g. I am planning to start baking Friday night lets say your break so I need 50g of starter. Do I need to get a starter from the fridge on Thursday evening refeed outside my fridge and use it Friday evening and then place in Fridge till next Sunday? I guess my jar will be 50g short but this would be fine? or I need to refeed on Sunday again?
Yes, I would remove it on Thursday evening and feed, then use it Friday evening. Then immediately feed again, and place into the fridge until the next week.
My starter started growing black mold at the top of the jar around day 6. I am using a mason jar with a lid. I used whole wheat flour and filtered water. What did I do wrong?
Hmm, mold usually just happens when there's some type of outside contamination. If you're using a mason jar with a lid, there may have been some sort of other food or soap residue that got in when you were feeding it.
Hi. I live in Mumbai where the avg temp is 32 degree Celsius and the humidity level is atleast 50%. Please give some tips to make started. Am desperate to make the bread
Hi! That’s shouldn’t be an issue. Your starter will rise faster since you’re at a higher temp, but it should be just fine. If you find that it’s rising and falling too fast, you can just reduce the amount of starter that you keep each time you feed, and that’ll slow down the rise a bit.
Hi, I came across your video on day 6 of following another video and I was trying to figure out how to know it's ready. I've only been using strong white flour (organic) as per the first but their quantities were very different (ratio 1:1, eg 100g starter:50g water and 50g flour). I've started following yours and another 5 days on. It's doing everything bar rising. If anything, it is less this morning as I put a glass beside it to measure the height. Funny what I tipped out to discard into a glass last night seems to be rising more. I'm wondering should I be doing something differently? I'm in Ireland and definitely not that warm in the kitchen compared to others. Maybe 16-21C. Any advice? I've used nearly a kilo of flour trying to make this starter. Thanks in advance 🙏🏻
Emer Carr the starter rises and falls within a few hours, anywhere from 4-12 hours, depending on your feeding ratio. My schedule is; 5g starter:25g flour:25g filtered (non-chlorinated)water, every 12 hours. Starters should not be fed with chlorinated water. I use a pint jar and place a rubber band around it to mark the level of the starter at feeding to help me gauge its progress. My starter takes about 12 hours go rise at 77F. Temperature will speed up or slow down the process.
You can keep using whole wheat or rye or spelt. You can order King Arthur on Amazon. It is also good for baking if you can’t find bread flour because of the protein content.
Hi, you're video was really helpful, but I'd like to ask after an hour out of the refrigerator when I feed my sourdough starter do I keep it outside for 24 hours then put it in the refrigerator or otherwise please help, thanks again.
Thanks, I’m glad it helped! Yeah so you remove the starter from the fridge, wait an hour, then feed it and wait another hour, then put it back in the fridge. You don’t absolutely have to do it that way, but it just gives the yeast more time to build up some activity before you cool it down.
Please could you clarify what I do next. I fed my starter for my leaving, used a bit for my loaf. Can the rest now just go in the fridge as it was fed or do I need to feed it again before putting in the fridge. Thanks!
I noticed when I first make starter, if I don’t feed it for the first 48 hours, it really goes crazy and for some reason this makes the yeast really active for the rest of the 7-8 days after until it goes into the fridge. Not sure why, but I’ve never had issues with lazy starter like this.
Great video man. Super informative and easy to follow steps. I actually started my own last night before finding this, and I didn’t weigh my vessel. Oops! I should be able to empty contents, weigh, and keep going right?! I also have a bbq/smoked meats channel (I’m a noob!) if you Care to check it out 👊🏼
Yeah that’s perfectly normal. It’s actually a type of alcohol that forms at the surface, it’s called hooch. But you can just mix it in and feed the starter as normal, the hooch will probably stop forming after the first few days.
Hi. Thank for that video. Really helpful! One question though is, can i maintain a smaller amount of starter but maintain the same 1:4:4 ratio? Like instead of 25g/100g/100g that you suggested, maybe like 10/40/40g? Then keep that in the fridge and feed it once a week since I think i can only bake bread 1x or 2x a week.
Yeah definitely! I like to use the larger amounts during the first week or two to increase the chances of success during the early stages, but once your starter is active you can definitely reduce it. As long as you keep the same ratio, like you said. I've been doing the same thing lately in order to conserve flour.
@@TheRegularChef Thanks! Just a follow up question to that. Before I put in the fridge, i have to feed it first and and let it sit at room temp for about an hour or so right? So i don't need to wait for it to double or peak before putting it inside the fridge? I've also noticed my starter doubles at around 4 to 5 hours after feed even at a 1:4:4 ratio. Should i increase the flour and water or just maintain the same ratio but feed it sooner than 12 hours?
Yeah exactly, I like to just wait about an hour or so to let it build up some activity before you putting it in the fridge. And yeah, I’d try to slow it down so you could either the flour and water a bit, or keep it in a slightly colder environment. You could also just feed it sooner than 12 hours, it’s really just up to you. Personally, I’d prefer to just increase the flour and water so I don’t have to feed it super often.
The Regular Chef hi! Thanks for your easy to follow vids! I have a question about other types of flour to start with. I’m having a hard time finding whole wheat flour, but I did come across buckwheat flour. Can I start with that and then just add I bleached AP flour as the feeder?
Unfortunately, it does need to be an actual wheat flour in order to work property. Buckwheat isn’t actually wheat so it won’t be able to develop any gluten. The whole wheat flour isn’t 100% necessary, so if you can get your hands on any sort of unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour, that should still work fine.
If I run out of one type of flour (I.e. rye) that I usually feed the starter, can I substitute it for whatever is available (I.e. AP flour or bread flour) ? Or do I have to stick to exactly the same flour blend all the time? For my last starter, I kept running out of same type of flour so I substituted in for whatever I had on hand and my bread did not rise. Thanks.
Hello, my starter rose the 1st and 2nd day then fell on the 3rd day. No rise since then. Im on my 7th day, just a few bubbles but no rise. Is my starter dead?
Yes you can definitely make a starter using other types of flour, but keep in mind that spelt flour is still technically a type of wheat. It doesn't contain as much gluten as other types of flour, but it does contain some. You could use completely gluten free flours though if you want to avoid wheat all together.
Hmm, I haven't seen it form on the bottom of the jar before, but I would think it should be fine. As long as the starter is still showing some other signs of activity, just stir the hooch in and keep feeding as you normally would, and it should be fine.
@@TheRegularChef many thanks for the prompt reply! Indeed the starter is growing quite a lot, good sign of activity going on. I will stir as you suggest.
Other instructional videos I've watched say that regular feedings require a 1:1:1 ratio instead of a 1:4:4 ratio. I'm curious why this one is different. What's the benefit of feeding four times as much?
Hmm, I haven't see any that recommend that high of a ratio for ongoing feedings. When your starter is developing, you want to use higher ratios like that to help it grow, but once it's mature, you want to use lower ratios like 1:4:4 so that the starter rises and falls within just about 24 hours.
When you feed it each day just using 25g of starter what do yo do with the rest if you are not cooking with it? Say I have 100 grams of starter. DO I reduce back to 25g at each feeding or can I multiply that and do 100G starter 400 G water 400G flour? If not what do I do with the extra 75g of starter if I do not plan to cook with it that day?
It's not completely necessary, I've just found that it works better because it's easier for the yeast to digest since it doesn't contain the entire grain. I've also found that whole wheat flour can develop some slightly off-flavors on its own, but if that's all you have, it should still work to keep the starter active.
if the starter forms a layer of moisture on top - do I just keep using it like that or discard the water - and what is the top layer has a slightly grey color?
Yeah that's normal, you can just stir it in and continue feeding as usual. That liquid is called hooch, it's basically just an alcohol that forms during the fermentation process. It usually stops appearing after the first week or so of feeding your starter.
Hello. I just wanted to know. Is it okay to just discard once every few days after day 7? And will this change how much I would need to feed it every day? Thankyou
You could, but you'll still have to keep the ratios the same, so you'd end up with a lot of starter haha. If you end up with 225g after one feeding, you'll have to feed with 900g of flour and 900g of water to maintain the 1:4:4 ratio. I'd recommend just keeping it in the fridge if you want to have less discard
I am on my second try with making a starter. Neither one of them have risen at all but are very bubbly and have that smell. You didn't mention anything about the starter rising and 2 of the other recipes I followed said it should rise to double the size after the 5th or 6th day. Is it necessary for it to double? I guess, as you showed, I could do the water test. I tried baking a loaf with my first try with a starter and it didn't rise and was solid/wet looking when I cut it so ditched it. I'm getting frustrated. Advice from another recipe said to definitely use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour so that is what I am trying now. I like your suggestion of mixing the unbleached flour with whole wheat. I may have to try that next. I also have some rye flour coming from Amazon, so may have to try that too. Thank you for a very informative video! I LOVE sourdough bread so am hoping I can figure this out! PS...I am measuring accurately and trying to feed it at the same time everyday.
It should double once it's fully mature, but usually that takes longer than 5-6 days in my experience. The one I made for this video took about 8-9 days, but it could even take up to 2 weeks. If it's bubbling and has a fruity, acidic smell, that's a good sign. You should just be able to keep feeding it and it should eventually become active. Yeah, I'd recommend using half whole wheat and half white flour to provide a bit of extra nutrition for the yeast.
@@TheRegularChef Thank you for your inspiration! Mine did finally double and it was because, as you said, it had been 8-9 days and also I started adding organic stoneground rye flour. My bread turned out ok but I would like it to be more fluffy and not as dense in areas. I think I need to "knead" it more. I will try again! We ended up using the bread for croutons!
The whole wheat provides some extra nutrition for the yeast since it contains the whole grain, but using 100% whole wheat tends to make the starter develop some off-flavors. Plus, the whole wheat is harder for the yeast to break down, so I've found that a 50/50 mixture works best.
The Regular Chef thank you for the helpful advise! BTW, I’ve successfully baked my artisan bread using ur recipe, tips to improve my oven spring and potato hash for breakfast. Your rock! :))
I haven't actually baked with a steam oven before, but I'd recommend starting with the same timing and temperatures that you would use with the dutch oven method (see my sourdough bread recipe video for full details). I believe it's 500F for the first 20 minutes, then remove the lid (aka turn off the steam), and bake at 450F for another 15-20 minutes until it's browned to your liking.
The Regular Chef When you put the dough in the refrigerator and bake for hours later but if I decide to do it overnight and bake the next day. How long do you pull the dough out before baking is it need to come to room temperature do you pull it out and proceed with the instructions?
@@douglasfeliciano167 Ideally, you don't want to leave it longer than 12 hours. It'll actually over-proof if you leave it too long, so the gluten structure will weaken, causing the bread to deflate and not rise as much in the oven. If you do need to leave it longer than 12 hours, I'd recommend performing the bulk rise at a lower temperature to slow down the fermentation.
Yeah that’s pretty normal, typically that does mean it’s ready to feed though. If it starts to smell especially string of alcohol, you may want to feed it more often or with a lower ratio of starter:flour:water
Yes, it should be possible to make a starter with pretty much any type of flour! Personally, I would recommend at least starting out with some whole wheat flour to provide some extra nutrition for the starter (which will increase your chances of success) but it should work either way
HI! Great video!!! I've started a starter a couple times, and after 3-4 days it starts to smell like alcohol... does this mean I need to feed it more often then every 24hrs?
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful! That smell is normal after the first few days. You can just keep feeding it following the schedule, and as you reduce the amount of starter you keep each day according to the schedule, it should start to smell less like alcohol.
I discovered a good way to make my active starter really grow and become bubbly after a feeding. What I did is not feed my active starter for two days (48 hours), and then when I did feed it I gave it some good sprouted rye flour. The starter then tripled in height! Starving the starter for a couple of days made it real hungry and when I fed it it really grew. It never happened like that when I fed it every 24 hours. My starter is about 2 months old and I have never refrigerated it , yet. I keep it fed daily with a King Arthur AP flour and when I am ready to make a bread I starve it a couple of days and then give it a sprouted rye feeding in the morning and when it triples in height I make a flour and then refrigerate it after making the dough and folding it a few times over a few hours. The bread is high-hydration and is 30% rye and 70% bread flour.
Do you still use your starter to this day?
this was my first time using this recipe and it was damn near perfect! i was so impressed. i tried joshua weissman's beginner sourdough recipe twice and never made anything remotely edible. not sure what i was doing wrong (no shade to him!) but if you've been struggling with sourdough this recipe is a great one to try!
I've been using his too and it is not going that well.
@@kateg9302 I've been using his too and it works well. It's the same procedure!
Started my starter last night. I have a decent amount of hooch on top about 16 hour later. This is my first attempt at sourdough so looking forward to doing it!
I was searching for Storing Process of sourdough starter.......but any video didn't help me.......but this video cleared all my doubts...,......thank you sooooo much🙃
Love from West Bengal,India🇮🇳
I’ve been making sourdough bread for several years and my sourdough starter was never very robust. Your 50-50 mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour is tremendous and has really stepped up my starter. Thanks. I’m always learning when it comes to bread making.
Thank you for this. I had trouble finding a video that talked about maintaining your starter. They all seemed to make the starter, and then make bread, but never talked about how to maintain the starter, so I appreciate your tutorial. Now I'm ready!
You’re a Regular Chef BUT...an EXCELLENT ONE. Thank you so much for the tutorial videos. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks, I’m glad you like them!
Your videos are awesome and so straight forward. I have so much starter now I don’t know what to do with it all and hate the idea of just throwing it away!
Thanks! Yeah theres a lot you can do with it, you can pretty much add it to any baked goods! Pancakes are a great way to use some up.
The Regular Chef thank you for replying! A do have a few questions...
1. How long can it stay in the fridge for?
2. If I’m not using it every day should it stay in the fridge?
3. How often should I be feeding it?
Thank you I really appreciate it!
I'd recommend feeding it once per week if you keep it in the fridge, but it can stay in there indefinitely if you're feeding it regularly. It could probably even go quite a bit longer than a week without feeding, but I like to feed it every week to be safe. It's really up to you whether you want to keep it in the fridge or not. Just know that if you keep it at room temp, you have to feed it every day, whereas when you keep it in the fridge you can just feed it once per week.
I have 4 days left using your method. Very excited to bake. Great vids. Keep it up.
This is my first time try to do the starter ,although I have looked at many videos before could never understand .I saw your video and I immediately started and I have been looking each day to make yhat I doing it correctly. You did a very good visual explanation 👏 👍 I'm getting through so and I will be trying the bread soon as I am done with the starter. I will be definitely looking at you video to make it . Thanks 😊
Thank you for being clear and concise. Very helpful info in this video!
I appreciate it, I’m glad it was helpful!
This is so helpful! I have been wanting to make homemade sourdough myself. Thank you for posting this!
No problem, I’m glad it was helpful! You should definitely give it a try, it’s a lot of fun once you get into it!
Great video! I started my starter yesterday and all I had was enriched all-purpose flour. Idk what "enriched" means and what effect it has, but so far it so far it seems okay. After 24 hours I already had a noticeable layer of water sitting on top. I'm just gonna keep going and hope for the best. I sooo excited to make my first loaf. :)
Did it work with all purpose flour?
Over the years I have settled on fermenting organic raisins to start a sourdough...in a few days you have fair bit of wild yeast raisin water. Just start feeding it flour and in a week or two you'll have a potent sourdough.
wonderful video! and thank you for all the links. and the pdf file. and for answering so many of these questions, which was very helpful. much appreciated!
Can’t wait to try the starter. Thank you for this video
Thank you very much for the tutorial and the pdf!
Can't wait to try this
You're amazing! Thank you.
Thank you for a GREAT CLASS!! You’re awesome 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Just as a curiosity, do you know if this Sourdough bread is ok for glúten sensitive? Not intolerant just not a fan 😂
Thanks! No, this one isn’t gluten free unfortunately, but you could make it gluten free by swapping out the normal flours with gluten free flour.
I never understood the grams and scales method and whatnot. I went with my gut feeling and started in small jar with just a TEA spoon of flour and some water. Each day I added another TEAspoon of flour and mixed in some water. Idea is to keep it at sticky dough consistency and after about 10 days i got it ready without any discarded mix, its very simple.
After this period you can add as much flour as you need and it will rise like theres no tomorrow.
Thank you my starter is active 👍🏻
Good explanation, thank you. My problem is related with what you said in the beginning. At first my starter smelled good and the bread taste was good. Now, even if I start again with a new starter, it smells like vinegar and the bread tastes like vinegar. If I use more water in the starter and/or I put it in the fridge it gets better, but then the activity is very low and I have to feed it two or three times and let it sit at room temperature and use less water, so it become very sour again. I can’t find a point where it works ok with a good smell and flavour. And the smell is changing constantly. I don’t know if it’s the different brand of water, the weather… all of my experiments smell the same at the same time but different than before. 🤷♂️
No problem! If it's too sour, I'd recommend feeding at a lower ratio, so for example try 20g:100g:100g (starter:flour:water), rather than 25g:100g:100g. Keeping it at a lower temperature will actually make it a bit more sour, so I'd recommend keeping it at room temp if you want it to be more mild. I explained this in a bit more detail in my most recent sourdough starter troubleshooting video.
@@TheRegularChef Thank you very much. It's so confusing sometimes. I read something and then just the opossite. And my observations can be different too. I'll try changing the feeding. I'm going to see the other video. Thanks.
My starter started smelling like expired parmesan cheese / sweaty gym socks, and I was going to throw it away but I read a tip to use pineapple juice. I threw away most of it because it was vile, but the remaining 50g or so I fed one more time with pineapple juice from a can of sliced pineapples, and the next day it was smelling like wine! I continued to feed like regular after that and it's stayed nice. I'm still not really getting a good oven rise but my starter smells great now.
@@barisharslan6115 Interesting. I'll take that into account. Thanks.
Great series! I watched lots of videos about starters and sourdough bread and this was definitely one of the best ones out there. However, I have a few questions that haven't really been clearly answered anywhere. If I do the float test with the light foamy bit at the top of my starter, after it rises, it passes the test. But once I stir the mixture, it becomes dense and sinks to the bottom. Is my starter ready to be used at this point? Or have I ruined it by stirring it? Am I only supposed to use the bit at the top in my bread recipe? Thanks
Yeah you’ll want to do the float test before stirring so that it still contains the air bubbles. I’ve found that the float test is pretty inconsistent for that reason though, so I usually just go based on whether my starter has doubled in size or not instead. It doesn’t matter what portion of the starter you use in the bread though, it should all be the same!
Thank you!
@@TheRegularChef am I able to use all 00 flour instead of the blend you are using if I am using this starter for pizza dough?
@@TheRegularChef Once you have achieved a usable started do you keep a tight lid on it while in the fridge and during maintenance?
Thank you The Regular Chef for the great and organized instructions! One question, do you tighten the lid in the fridge once you go on weekly feeding schedule?
No, you'll still want to leave the lid loose so that gases can escape. The starter will ferment much slower in the fridge, but there will still be some gases being produced.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this :D
Thanks a lot my starter is now alive and kicking , exactly on the 7th day. I will feed him again to gather more strength. I used ordinary bread flour because it's so difficulty to find whole wheat flour here. And
Thanks a lot. More power.
Thanks very much for a thorough & clear explanation of the sourdough process. I am in Day 4 and going well. I am intending use the starter twice per week - probably making 3 -4 pizza bases once per week (weekend) and 2 loaves of bread (midweek). Would you suggest that I keep the starter in the fridge between uses and feed twice per week? I wasn't quite clear what would be the best regime in this not uncommon situation. Thanks again for an excellent video.
great work, it's a very informative video. the one questions i have are:
1. if i wanted to bake once a week, and i fed the starter and kept it in the fridge, when exactly would i use the part of the starter for baking? the day after feeding? middle of the feeding period? anytime?
2. do i need to take the part of the starter i use out of the fridge 1 hour before i mix the ingredients for the autolyse stage?
You’ll want to add the starter to your dough when it’s about at its maximum rise. So typically about 12 hours after feeding, but it depends on your temperature and feeding ratios.
I would recommend taking the starter out of the fridge about a day before you plan to bake. So you’ll remove it from the fridge, wait an hour or two to let it warm up, then feed it. Then wait until it’s reached it’s maximum activity before mixing it into the dough.
@@TheRegularChef got it. thanks for the speedy reply!
Perfect, thanks.
Thank you for this video! If I bake once a week and want to keep my starter in the fridge (to not use so much flour and not have so much to get rid of), when should I pull it out of the fridge and start feeding it to get it ready to bake? How many feedings should I give it before baking? Thank so much!
No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed! I do the same thing, I like to pull it out about a day before I plan to bake, and give it one feeding and room temperature, and it should be good to go for baking the next day.
@@TheRegularChef Thanks for the fast reply! Should I time the 1 feeding so it's active when I want to use it or plan on feeding again before using? Mine peaks about 6-7 hours after feeding. I have a cooler house
Personally, I like to feed it again before using. So I'll remove the starter from the fridge, feed it, then wait about 12 hours for it to become active, then use it to prepare my levain for my bread. If you haven't seen my full sourdough bread tutorial, you can check that out to see exactly what I do when I make my bread.
Hello. Great information. I have a question; is it possible for my starter to be ready after only 4 days? I’ve had bubbles since day one. I had that liquid on top on day 2 and on day 3 it started to rise and feel really fluffy. It’s day 4 and it has risen, it’s bubbly and when I put it in cold water it floats. This is my second attempt at making this. My first attempt was very weak and I made 1 loaf of sourdough bread and then the 2nd time it wouldn’t rise so I put my oven to “keep warm” and I forgot about it and destroyed it. 😱 whoops. I had different instructions as well. Then I found your series of instructions and wow what a difference. I can’t wait to make your sourdough bread and whatever other goodies you have in the series. Thanks again. 🙏🏼😊
Hi Regular Chef and thanks for the great tutorial!
A couple of questions (haven't read through all 195 comments so don't know if these have been asked and answered)
Question 1) Why less starter than water and flour? (i.e. 75/100/100)
Question 2) Why reduce starter to 50g on days 5 & 6 and to 25g on day 7 forward??
Thanks again -- hope you'll answer
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful! Basically, the amount of mature starter you use is based on how quickly you want the starter to rise and fall. So the less starter you use, the slower it will rise and fall. For this, my goal was to make it rise and fall in as close to 24 hours as possible since I wanted to feed once per day. So at the beginning, the starter isn't very active, so you need to use more starter in order to help it rise and fall. Then as it becomes more active, it'll start to rise and fall faster so you have to reduce the amount of starter to slow it down. Hopefully this helps!
This was great! I'm very new and trying. 2 questions: why the 50/50 flower mix and why does my starter smell strongly of alcohol. Thanks in advance bread makers
Thank you
Thank you Laura! I'm glad you found it helpful.
I am making sourdough starter and I am on day 3 tonight. At which day do you start saving the discards? Thank you for this tutorial is very helpful.
Once you have achieved a usable started do you keep a tight lid on it while in the fridge and during maintenance?
Thanks for the information. However I highly recommend keeping the glass as clean as possible. at 7:24 it looks like you have mold growing on the upper part of the jar.
Haha no that’s not mold, that’s just dried up starter on the sides of the jar. But yeah you definitely don’t want mold in there, although I’ve never had that happen personally. As long as you always cover up your starter between feedings, that’s not much of a concern
Hi Charlie! Checking in if you have a smaller ratio that I can work with since I don't bake sourdough bread often? Or Is it possible to use 10g mature 40g flour 40g water instead?
Yes, as long as you keep the ratios the same, you can change the actual amounts to suit your needs! So that ratio of 10g to 40g to 40g that you mentioned should work fine.
I would, however, recommend using the full amounts until your starter is fully active (after 7-10 days), but after that point, feel free to change the amounts as long as you keep the ratio the same.
Can we use water that is warmer than room temp? What would the conference be?
Very clearly presented information. I am enthused to get started. I don’t see the printed materials link. I will try my computer instead of my iPad.
Thanks! If you're looking for the feeding schedule, it can be downloaded here: theregularchef.com/SourdoughSchedule, but if you're looking for the links to the equipment I use, it's in the description underneath "MY SOURDOUGH BAKING EQUIPMENT"
Did you use an Escali food scale in this video?
So there is no sugar in the process intresting .. thank u so much pretty intresting
Can you use sour dough starter discard from the refrigerator or does it have to warm up to room temperature?
Great vid. If I have 25:100:100 starter mixture in the fridge each week and I want to make 2 sourdough loaves with 800g of flour, will the starter quantity be enough? Or should I build it up for a few days?
I heard you need 350g starter for 800g flour plus about 400g water for 2 nice loaves. Do you think that's about right?
It depends on which recipe you use, but that should be more than enough. For the method I use, I only use 50g of my actual starter. Then in addition to that, I use 1080g of flour, and 830g of water, but that makes 3 loaves so you could cut that down if you want. I have a separate video explaining the bread making process if you’re interested in that.
The Regular Chef thanks a lot, I’ll check out your other videos
Thanks for sharing.. Is there any way to utilize the starter discard after each feeding time ?
Yeah definitely, you can use it to make pretty much any other baked goods. Pancakes, waffles, flatbread, etc. are some of the most popular choices.
Hi Charlie, using your measurements and recommended feed, (I'm on Day 4) my starter appears a bit drier than I'm used to, even though it's bubbling up fine. Am I doing something wrong?
The answer to my question is partially answered above, but I’m still unsure of the process between maintaining the starter over time in the fridge vs. using some for baking. I will bake about once per week.
I have a great starter in the fridge now, thanks your help. It has risen and fallen, and not been fed for 5 days (I used some earlier which made great loaves). Should I now take out 25g to make a 1:4:4 batch overnight for baking, and also then refresh the “mother” starter for next week?
I'd recommend taking out the whole starter and letting it warm up and rise for about an hour or two. Then exactly as you said, you can set aside 25g of that for baking, then refresh the mother starter and put it back in the fridge.
Great. Thanks. Good to have a no-thought weekly process.
Hi there. Where is your pdf for making Starter? Do I have to subscribe to get it? A friend gave me some of her starter. I've kept it in the fridge. I have fed it fairly regularly, once a week. Not sure how long I have to do that and when I can use it to actually make bread. Please advise. Thank you!
Do other types of flour such as various Indian bean flours, rice flour, semolina , ect also work for making sourdough starter, or does it have to be whole-wheat flour?
Hi I've been feeding my starter for a while and it seems active and bubbly but it's just not rising much and not passing the float test. I've continued feeding with 25g starter and 100g of 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour and 100g of water and I am on day 12. Yesterday it was super bubbly and passed the float test, I continued feeding since I wasn't going to be able to bake this weekend, and today it failed again. Any advice? The only worry I had was that I my flour has very high protein content, the bread flour at 12.5% and the whole wheat at 14%, could that be a factor?
I've actually found that the float test is somewhat hit-or-miss, so a better indication that your starter is ready is just to look at whether it's doubling in size after feeding or not. But if it's not rising much either then yes, it could be due to the flour but it's hard to say for sure. It also may just need more time to develop. I've also found that when my starter isn't rising as much as usual, sometimes skipping a feeding actually helps, so you could give that a try too if you want!
If it has almost doubled in size but doesn’t pass the float test and I choose to put it in the fridge at that point, do I have to feed when I pull out the next morning hoping to bake?
I am maintaining my starter in the refrigerator and feeding it according to your ratio of 25g starter + 100g flour (mix white/wheat) + 100g water, and I am noticing my starter is getting thicker, it doesn't "pour" from the jar. What do you think I am doing wrong? I have noticed in other bread posts the starters are usually maintained at equal parts water to flour to starter. Thank you for you input and I agree with the consensus your videos and explanations are great!
When you remove it from the fridge, are you leaving it out for an hour or two before and after feeding? It does thicken up a bit when it's cold, but it should return to normal once it comes up to room temperature.
@@TheRegularChef Okay thank you!
Hi Charlie , In the UK All Purpose is Plain Flour. SO is there a required Protein level that it needs to be ? Since ours is usually between 9 and 10
1st of all great video.
Scenario: day 8 of feeding, it’s a Monday but I want to bake on Saturday. So does that mean I put my starter in the fridge Monday night, take the starter out Friday night, give it a feed and then bake with it on Saturday?
Thank you
Can I use only unbleached flour?
thank you for the very useful n informative video! i bought some whole wheat self raising flour and wondering if i could use it for the starter? This is my attempt at doing this. Also, after refrigerating the starter, do I need to do another 7 day feeding cycle for the next bake?
Hi, I wouldn't recommend using self-raising flour because it contains salt which can inhibit the activity of the yeast. But no, you only have to do the 7 day feeding cycle once, then you can just do the maintenance feedings for the rest of the starter's life, even if you put it in the fridge.
@@TheRegularChef got it chef : )
Thank you so much !
I can't figure out how to find links you refer to or PDF .......I am not very tech savvy!! I am hooked on your videos. Nice young main. We don't feel like we are being intruded!! LOL>.
Haha no problem! To see the links, you need to scroll below the video and click the little arrow on the right side of the screen (if you’re on a mobile device) or click “show more” if you’re on a computer
Inb4 this channel is popping off 😜
I made a starter a week ago. it is bubbly on top and doubles in size between 6-10 hrs from feeding. however, it doesnt have air pockets below the surface like I've seen some other starters do. The only bubbles in my starter are on top. Does this mean my starter isn't ready to use yet?
Can we talk about the introduction of the wholewheat flower at 1:39?
The whole wheat flour is used since it provides some extra nutrition for the yeast and bacteria, so it works best for getting the starter going.
@@TheRegularChef Haha, I meant the way you slide it into the shot, but I appreciate the insightful response too!!
Ohh lol I didn't even watch it back, I just assumed you were asking why I added it.
Your explanation is very clear! This might be the time to try to make a sourdough starter! :D A couple of questions: I read somewhere that rye flour is great to start sourdough, I do have both whole wheat flour and rye flour. Is it the same to use one or another? Or what if I do half and half? Then for the feeding after the first week, about the all purpose flour: in Italy flour packages don't say anything about being bleached or unbleached...what should I do? :( Also, I see other tutorials about making the starter using less flour, like 15g or 50g...do I have to use 100g necessarily? What difference does it make? Thank you and sorry for the long newbie questions..! :)
Yeah I’d recommend using half and half, I’ve found that using 100% whole wheat for your starter doesn’t work as well as a mixture. Hmm, I think you should be fine using whatever all-purpose flour you have! After the first week or two once the starter is active, bleached flour is actually fine, especially if you’re still using half whole wheat along with the bleached flour.
And yeah, you can definitely use lower amounts of flour if you want! The main thing to worry about is the ratio of starter:flour:water. So a recipe of 50g:100g:100g will work just as well as 25g:50g:50g since the ratio is the same. So if you want to cut all of my numbers in half, you can do that and it should still work. Using more flour might make your starter more resilient, but as long as you’re diligent about feeding regularly, you can use smaller amounts.
No problem though, I’m glad to help!
@@TheRegularChef Thank you so much! :))))
@@TheRegularChef Ok so just to be sure, yesterday (day 1) I did 50g of flour (25g whole wheat and 25g rye) plus 75g water. Today (day 2) I kept 37,5g starter and added 50g flour (25 ww, 25 rye) and 50g water. I'm going to do same adding of today on day 3 and 4. Then reduce the starter to 25g, with 50g (25ww-25rye) flour and 50g water on day 5. Same on day 6. Same flour/water but reduce the starter to 12,5g on day 7. Am I right? :D Sorry to bother you just want to be sure I'm not messing this up from the beginning..! :D
Thank you for this. For simplicity's sake, can the daily feeding not be 1 Cup Flour mixture and 1 Cup water? That way you only weigh the starter, remove the required amount and feed.
Flour weighs less than water.
Do you have to use whole wheat flour? What about all purpose/bread flour?
Why do you use a 1:4:4 ratio instead of the 1:1:1 ratio I saw in other places? Could you explain? Thank you for your nice videos!
Thanks! 1:1:1 would be quite high for maintenance feedings. Really you only want to maintain enough starter to allow it to rise and fall within 24 hours of feeding each time. If you use a 1:1:1 ratio, it'll probably rise and fall much quicker than that, unless you're in a very cool environment. So by reducing the ratio, you're slowing down the rise of the starter.
@@TheRegularChef , thank you! That was my question, too. I think Sarah Owens uses the 1:1:1 feeding and that's what I have been following. I'm going to try this method, just to see the difference.
Great video! Can you help? I am using a 1:1:1 ratio and it is day 12. My sourdough starter has a lot of bubbles and has doubled in volume but it is not rising and falling. In the morning, it smells like nail polish remover. It peaks at 8 hours and stays there until morning. I am using 100% whole wheat and filtered water. My house is on the cool side 67 degrees so I have been putting the jar in the oven with the light on and the oven door cracked. It gets to 84 degrees with the door cracked. Do you think the temp is too warm in the oven and this is causing the starter not to rise and fall?
Hi, do you close the lid tight when storing in the fridge or just place the lid on top as shown in the video when storing outside fridge? thanks for the videos
You'll just want to place the lid on top as I do when storing outside of the fridge. Your starter produces gases as it rests so if you sealed the jar, those gases would build up and create pressure, which could be dangerous.
The Regular Chef thank you for your reply.
great video, I feed to keep my starter in Fridge and feed once a week on Sundays: 25g+100g+100g (st+w+f) so I have 225g. I am planning to start baking Friday night lets say your break so I need 50g of starter. Do I need to get a starter from the fridge on Thursday evening refeed outside my fridge and use it Friday evening and then place in Fridge till next Sunday? I guess my jar will be 50g short but this would be fine? or I need to refeed on Sunday again?
Yes, I would remove it on Thursday evening and feed, then use it Friday evening. Then immediately feed again, and place into the fridge until the next week.
My starter started growing black mold at the top of the jar around day 6. I am using a mason jar with a lid. I used whole wheat flour and filtered water. What did I do wrong?
Hmm, mold usually just happens when there's some type of outside contamination. If you're using a mason jar with a lid, there may have been some sort of other food or soap residue that got in when you were feeding it.
The exactly same happened to me , only on day 5 :(
After you take it out of the refrigerator, feed it, can you use it to make bread the next day?
Hi. I live in Mumbai where the avg temp is 32 degree Celsius and the humidity level is atleast 50%. Please give some tips to make started. Am desperate to make the bread
Hi! That’s shouldn’t be an issue. Your starter will rise faster since you’re at a higher temp, but it should be just fine. If you find that it’s rising and falling too fast, you can just reduce the amount of starter that you keep each time you feed, and that’ll slow down the rise a bit.
Hi, I came across your video on day 6 of following another video and I was trying to figure out how to know it's ready. I've only been using strong white flour (organic) as per the first but their quantities were very different (ratio 1:1, eg 100g starter:50g water and 50g flour).
I've started following yours and another 5 days on. It's doing everything bar rising. If anything, it is less this morning as I put a glass beside it to measure the height. Funny what I tipped out to discard into a glass last night seems to be rising more. I'm wondering should I be doing something differently? I'm in Ireland and definitely not that warm in the kitchen compared to others. Maybe 16-21C. Any advice? I've used nearly a kilo of flour trying to make this starter. Thanks in advance 🙏🏻
Emer Carr the starter rises and falls within a few hours, anywhere from 4-12 hours, depending on your feeding ratio.
My schedule is;
5g starter:25g flour:25g filtered (non-chlorinated)water, every 12 hours. Starters should not be fed with chlorinated water.
I use a pint jar and place a rubber band around it to mark the level of the starter at feeding to help me gauge its progress. My starter takes about 12 hours go rise at 77F. Temperature will speed up or slow down the process.
Hi! You mentioned all purpose unbleached flour. I can’t get it anywhere where I live. Should I continue with just whole wheat flour instead?
You can keep using whole wheat or rye or spelt. You can order King Arthur on Amazon. It is also good for baking if you can’t find bread flour because of the protein content.
S Milo gracias!!!
Hi, you're video was really helpful, but I'd like to ask after an hour out of the refrigerator when I feed my sourdough starter do I keep it outside for 24 hours then put it in the refrigerator or otherwise please help, thanks again.
Thanks, I’m glad it helped! Yeah so you remove the starter from the fridge, wait an hour, then feed it and wait another hour, then put it back in the fridge. You don’t absolutely have to do it that way, but it just gives the yeast more time to build up some activity before you cool it down.
silly question , what happens with the extra yeast from the jar above the 25gr for each day?
Hi! If I keep my starter in the fridge, do I need to feed it and wait before making the levain or can I just use the cold starter to make levain?
Hi! I would recommend feeding it and waiting. But in a pinch, you could use the cold starter and it should still work.
Does anyone know if it works well with white spelt flour?
@The Regular Chef can I use only whole wheat flour only to feed the starter?
Yeah that should work fine!
Please could you clarify what I do next. I fed my starter for my leaving, used a bit for my loaf. Can the rest now just go in the fridge as it was fed or do I need to feed it again before putting in the fridge. Thanks!
Yeah you can use put the rest in the fridge, then feed it again before the next time you use it!
Hi my starter is on day 8. It has not risen at all. I going to still feed it but what do I do if it does rise?
I noticed when I first make starter, if I don’t feed it for the first 48 hours, it really goes crazy and for some reason this makes the yeast really active for the rest of the 7-8 days after until it goes into the fridge. Not sure why, but I’ve never had issues with lazy starter like this.
Great video man. Super informative and easy to follow steps. I actually started my own last night before finding this, and I didn’t weigh my vessel. Oops! I should be able to empty contents, weigh, and keep going right?! I also have a bbq/smoked meats channel (I’m a noob!) if you Care to check it out 👊🏼
Haha yeah either that, or you could just transfer it to a new jar if you have one. Nice though, I'll check it out!
The Regular Chef wow genius idea. Also is it normal for the water to separate a bit from the flour on day 1?
Yeah that’s perfectly normal. It’s actually a type of alcohol that forms at the surface, it’s called hooch. But you can just mix it in and feed the starter as normal, the hooch will probably stop forming after the first few days.
Hi. Thank for that video. Really helpful! One question though is, can i maintain a smaller amount of starter but maintain the same 1:4:4 ratio? Like instead of 25g/100g/100g that you suggested, maybe like 10/40/40g? Then keep that in the fridge and feed it once a week since I think i can only bake bread 1x or 2x a week.
Yeah definitely! I like to use the larger amounts during the first week or two to increase the chances of success during the early stages, but once your starter is active you can definitely reduce it. As long as you keep the same ratio, like you said. I've been doing the same thing lately in order to conserve flour.
@@TheRegularChef Thanks! Just a follow up question to that. Before I put in the fridge, i have to feed it first and and let it sit at room temp for about an hour or so right? So i don't need to wait for it to double or peak before putting it inside the fridge? I've also noticed my starter doubles at around 4 to 5 hours after feed even at a 1:4:4 ratio. Should i increase the flour and water or just maintain the same ratio but feed it sooner than 12 hours?
Yeah exactly, I like to just wait about an hour or so to let it build up some activity before you putting it in the fridge. And yeah, I’d try to slow it down so you could either the flour and water a bit, or keep it in a slightly colder environment. You could also just feed it sooner than 12 hours, it’s really just up to you. Personally, I’d prefer to just increase the flour and water so I don’t have to feed it super often.
The Regular Chef hi! Thanks for your easy to follow vids! I have a question about other types of flour to start with. I’m having a hard time finding whole wheat flour, but I did come across buckwheat flour. Can I start with that and then just add I bleached AP flour as the feeder?
Unfortunately, it does need to be an actual wheat flour in order to work property. Buckwheat isn’t actually wheat so it won’t be able to develop any gluten. The whole wheat flour isn’t 100% necessary, so if you can get your hands on any sort of unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour, that should still work fine.
What if I wanted to feed it with only whole wheat flour instead of the combination of whole wheat and all purpose? Would that mess things up?
If I run out of one type of flour (I.e. rye) that I usually feed the starter, can I substitute it for whatever is available (I.e. AP flour or bread flour) ? Or do I have to stick to exactly the same flour blend all the time? For my last starter, I kept running out of same type of flour so I substituted in for whatever I had on hand and my bread did not rise. Thanks.
Yes, there usually shouldn't be a problem with switching flours.
Hello, my starter rose the 1st and 2nd day then fell on the 3rd day. No rise since then. Im on my 7th day, just a few bubbles but no rise. Is my starter dead?
Also do I six times the starter if I’m making six loafs of bread or would I use less starter?
If following a wheat free diet, is it possible to make starter using only spelt flour??
Yes you can definitely make a starter using other types of flour, but keep in mind that spelt flour is still technically a type of wheat. It doesn't contain as much gluten as other types of flour, but it does contain some. You could use completely gluten free flours though if you want to avoid wheat all together.
is hooch at the bottom of the jar (around day 3) a good signal? I'd would appreciate any suggestions. thanks :D
Hmm, I haven't seen it form on the bottom of the jar before, but I would think it should be fine. As long as the starter is still showing some other signs of activity, just stir the hooch in and keep feeding as you normally would, and it should be fine.
@@TheRegularChef many thanks for the prompt reply! Indeed the starter is growing quite a lot, good sign of activity going on. I will stir as you suggest.
Other instructional videos I've watched say that regular feedings require a 1:1:1 ratio instead of a 1:4:4 ratio. I'm curious why this one is different. What's the benefit of feeding four times as much?
Hmm, I haven't see any that recommend that high of a ratio for ongoing feedings. When your starter is developing, you want to use higher ratios like that to help it grow, but once it's mature, you want to use lower ratios like 1:4:4 so that the starter rises and falls within just about 24 hours.
When you feed it each day just using 25g of starter what do yo do with the rest if you are not cooking with it? Say I have 100 grams of starter. DO I reduce back to 25g at each feeding or can I multiply that and do 100G starter 400 G water 400G flour? If not what do I do with the extra 75g of starter if I do not plan to cook with it that day?
Do feedings need to include all purpose flour? What is the reason behind using the all purpose flour? Can I just use whole wheat for feeding?
It's not completely necessary, I've just found that it works better because it's easier for the yeast to digest since it doesn't contain the entire grain. I've also found that whole wheat flour can develop some slightly off-flavors on its own, but if that's all you have, it should still work to keep the starter active.
if the starter forms a layer of moisture on top - do I just keep using it like that or discard the water - and what is the top layer has a slightly grey color?
Yeah that's normal, you can just stir it in and continue feeding as usual. That liquid is called hooch, it's basically just an alcohol that forms during the fermentation process. It usually stops appearing after the first week or so of feeding your starter.
Hello. I just wanted to know. Is it okay to just discard once every few days after day 7? And will this change how much I would need to feed it every day? Thankyou
You could, but you'll still have to keep the ratios the same, so you'd end up with a lot of starter haha. If you end up with 225g after one feeding, you'll have to feed with 900g of flour and 900g of water to maintain the 1:4:4 ratio. I'd recommend just keeping it in the fridge if you want to have less discard
I am on my second try with making a starter. Neither one of them have risen at all but are very bubbly and have that smell. You didn't mention anything about the starter rising and 2 of the other recipes I followed said it should rise to double the size after the 5th or 6th day. Is it necessary for it to double? I guess, as you showed, I could do the water test. I tried baking a loaf with my first try with a starter and it didn't rise and was solid/wet looking when I cut it so ditched it. I'm getting frustrated. Advice from another recipe said to definitely use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour so that is what I am trying now. I like your suggestion of mixing the unbleached flour with whole wheat. I may have to try that next. I also have some rye flour coming from Amazon, so may have to try that too. Thank you for a very informative video! I LOVE sourdough bread so am hoping I can figure this out! PS...I am measuring accurately and trying to feed it at the same time everyday.
It should double once it's fully mature, but usually that takes longer than 5-6 days in my experience. The one I made for this video took about 8-9 days, but it could even take up to 2 weeks. If it's bubbling and has a fruity, acidic smell, that's a good sign. You should just be able to keep feeding it and it should eventually become active. Yeah, I'd recommend using half whole wheat and half white flour to provide a bit of extra nutrition for the yeast.
@@TheRegularChef Thank you for your inspiration! Mine did finally double and it was because, as you said, it had been 8-9 days and also I started adding organic stoneground rye flour. My bread turned out ok but I would like it to be more fluffy and not as dense in areas. I think I need to "knead" it more. I will try again! We ended up using the bread for croutons!
May I know why we need to mix 50% ww and 50% ap flour. Thanks :)
The whole wheat provides some extra nutrition for the yeast since it contains the whole grain, but using 100% whole wheat tends to make the starter develop some off-flavors. Plus, the whole wheat is harder for the yeast to break down, so I've found that a 50/50 mixture works best.
The Regular Chef thank you for the helpful advise! BTW, I’ve successfully baked my artisan bread using ur recipe, tips to improve my oven spring and potato hash for breakfast. Your rock! :))
I have a steam oven, what temp with steam (convection or regular?) do you recommend for how long and what temp and how long after in dry oven?
I haven't actually baked with a steam oven before, but I'd recommend starting with the same timing and temperatures that you would use with the dutch oven method (see my sourdough bread recipe video for full details). I believe it's 500F for the first 20 minutes, then remove the lid (aka turn off the steam), and bake at 450F for another 15-20 minutes until it's browned to your liking.
The Regular Chef When you put the dough in the refrigerator and bake for hours later but if I decide to do it overnight and bake the next day. How long do you pull the dough out before baking is it need to come to room temperature do you pull it out and proceed with the instructions?
@@douglasfeliciano167 No it doesn't need to come to room temperature, you can just bake it straight out of the fridge!
The Regular Chef Any problems if it’s in the fridge more than 12 hours?
@@douglasfeliciano167 Ideally, you don't want to leave it longer than 12 hours. It'll actually over-proof if you leave it too long, so the gluten structure will weaken, causing the bread to deflate and not rise as much in the oven. If you do need to leave it longer than 12 hours, I'd recommend performing the bulk rise at a lower temperature to slow down the fermentation.
Thanks for this helpful video. My starter has started smelling strongly of alcohol. Is this normal?
Yeah that’s pretty normal, typically that does mean it’s ready to feed though. If it starts to smell especially string of alcohol, you may want to feed it more often or with a lower ratio of starter:flour:water
Hi, can I use Plain flour instead of All Purpose?
Hi! I'm not quite sure what you mean by plain flour but any type of wheat flour should work, as long as it's unbleached.
Hey, is it possibile to make starter with only semolina flour?
Yes, it should be possible to make a starter with pretty much any type of flour! Personally, I would recommend at least starting out with some whole wheat flour to provide some extra nutrition for the starter (which will increase your chances of success) but it should work either way
HI! Great video!!! I've started a starter a couple times, and after 3-4 days it starts to smell like alcohol... does this mean I need to feed it more often then every 24hrs?
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful! That smell is normal after the first few days. You can just keep feeding it following the schedule, and as you reduce the amount of starter you keep each day according to the schedule, it should start to smell less like alcohol.
@@TheRegularChef a quick question --- do you through away the starter when you feed following the schedule ?