My Sourdough Starter Cache: How I Keep Discard for Weeks | The Perfect Loaf (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep sourdough discard? ›

Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake. I will keep sourdough discard in the fridge for about one week.

The discard could be sitting in the fridge for several days, up to 2 weeks, which is far too long without feeding in an environment that's too cold. The mixture is likely overly acidic and won't be properly balanced—in terms of bacteria and yeast populations—for leavening dough.

With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic.

If you're going on a short vacation for up to three weeks, the fridge is the best way to put your sourdough starter in hibernation. Using the fridge this way also means it'll spring back to full strength rather quickly with just a few feedings at warm room temperature.

When in the process of making a new sourdough starter you should not save the sourdough discard. During the beginning stages of making a starter it is more susceptible to mold and other bad bacteria. You will want to wait until the starter is doubling in size and bubbling with each feeding.

It's usually pretty obvious when your starter has gone bad. You will either see mold or discoloration (generally pink or orange). If you see either of these things, you will need to toss your starter. The smell is usually a big give away.

I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

How Do You Know if Sourdough Discard Is Bad? Sourdough discard will potentially smell acidic and even like acetone if it's a few days old. While it will smell different to a fed, active starter, it won't smell unpleasant.

How Long Can I Keep My Sourdough Starter in the Fridge? Generally, I have found that a starter will keep for up to three weeks in the refrigerator without a feeding. Two weeks is easy; three weeks is a little dicey, though not impossible; but for anything over three weeks, I'll usually dehydrate my starter.

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

What ratio should I feed my sourdough starter from the fridge? ›

Feed starter 1:2:2 and place into fridge. Take starter out of the fridge, discard and feed 1:1:1, leave on counter. Discard and feed 1:1:1, leave on the counter. Use starter at peak in a bake.

Remember, you can't use the discard from your homemade sourdough starter for the first 7 days. You can use sourdough discard in all kinds of sourdough discard recipes, including these no wait sourdough recipes, overnight sourdough discard recipes and sourdough discard recipes that use up a lot of discard.

Have you ever wondered whether you have to clean your sourdough starter jar? The simple answer is you don't need to clean your sourdough jar. It's just not necessary to clean your jar all that regularly, unless it's super crusty or you can't get your starter out or fresh flour and water in.

The World's 'Oldest' Sourdough Starter Was Made With 4,500-Year-Old Yeast. There's no bread quite like sourdough. In addition to being tasty as a sandwich bread, delicious as sourdough croutons, and even great just toasted with butter, sourdough's production process is decidedly unlike other breads.

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour, which is a blend of hard and soft wheat, is a popular choice for feeding sourdough starter. It provides a good balance of protein and starch, which promotes a healthy fermentation process. Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour.

If you are wanting to use plastic, there are just a few things you should be aware of. Plastic can become scratched and harbor bad bacteria which is not a good thing for your sourdough starter. You also need to ensure you choose a BPA free, food safe plastic container.

For best results, use sourdough discard that came from a mature sourdough starter. If you have a new starter, you can use the frozen discard to add flavor to any baked good, but you may not have success if you plan to revive into an active sourdough starter.

If you aren't intending to use your sourdough starter every day, it is best kept in the fridge. To do this, feed it as instructed above, seal the jar and then stand at room temperature for 2-3 hours (to help reinvigorate the yeast) before placing in the fridge to store.

For bread that hasn't yet been sliced, keep it in a cloth bag or wrapped in a breathable tea towel (like linen or cotton) for 3-4 days. This is ideal. Uncut bread can also be stored in a paper bag, but it does get tough sooner, so only keep it this way for a day or two.