Fall Sourdough Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How quickly should a sourdough starter rise and fall? ›

When your starter is reliably rising to double or triple its size and falling in the jar anywhere between 4-8 hours after you feed it (dependent on your ambient conditions and the flour you feed with) it is ready to bake with. When the starter is at the peak of its rise, it is called ripe, fed, or mature.

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

Yes you can use sourdough starter after it falls. It's best to use it at its peak when the yeast colony is at its greatest, but using it after it falls is also possible. Using the starter after it's started collapsing is often used as a technique to make sourdough more sour.

A truly good starter will double in 6-8 hours when given a 1:2:2 feeding. If you find your starter is rising so fast that it has sunk back down to its starting point by the time you feed it, it needs more food. You can either feed it twice a day or increase the ratio to 1:3:3 or even 1:4:4, depending on your starter.

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

stir your starter in between feedings - try stirring it twice in between feedings and really give it a chance to get oxygen into the mix. This will help to activate your starter without too much effort.

Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

Keep the dough temperature lower: Lactic acid bacteria are most active in the higher temperatures of the mid 80s-90sºF. Keeping the dough in the 76-78º F range will still ferment and produce bacteria but will encourage lactic acid bacteria instead of acetic acid bacteria resulting in a more mild flavored loaf.

With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic. Most will compost or trash this discard, but you can save it and use it in other recipes!

How do I know if I killed my sourdough starter? ›

If you think you killed your starter with heat, always use a probe thermometer to take the temperature in the center of the starter. If it is below 130F/54C it is still alive, even if it was exposed to a higher oven temperature for a short time.

Can I leave my starter out overnight after feeding it? Yes, if you have just fed it.

In some cases, a type of bacteria may be present in your starter – it naturally produces acetone. Acetone is a natural byproduct of fermentation. It's root cause is often difficult to pinpoint and it can come and go over time. In general, if you keep your starter “healthy” the acetone odor will dissipate.

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Often, the starter will double in size in 12 hours or less. Sometimes it takes 24 hours. If you get good bubbling and the starter doesn't double, that's OK. Feed the starter again - this time discard half the starter, add 1/4 cup, or 50 grams, of water and stir the starter.

Reasons your Sourdough Starter Might be Sluggish

Feeding schedule: A sourdough starter needs to be fed regularly to maintain its activity. If it is not fed often enough, the yeast and bacteria will become weak and the starter will become sluggish. I recommend you feed once every 24 - 30 hours, every 24 hours is better.

The float test is an easy way to ensure your starter is “active” or at its peak. Within 6-12 hours of feeding, it should double in volume (or more—whatever its “peak” rise is), have bubbles throughout, and have bubbles that break the surface. At this point, you can test it to be sure it's ready for baking.

A “ripe” starter is one that's fermented for some number of hours and is ready to use in a recipe, whether to make a levain or mix directly into a dough for sourdough bread-making. Generally, when a starter is ripe, it has risen, is bubbly on top, has a sour aroma, and has a looser consistency.