Question 1

Do I need to feed my sourdough starter daily?

Accepted Answer

You do not.  Once you have established your starter, you may keep in the refrigerator and feed weekly.  You should measure the amount you discard to use in a recipe if you like, or just pitch in the trash if you aren't going to bake that day.  Be sure to feed you starter based on the amount of discard.  If you discarded 100 grams for example, then you would feed your starter with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of KA all purpose flour.

Question 2

What tools do I absolutely need to "start" my sourdough starter?

Accepted Answer

There are many tools you could use, but to start less may be more.  I believe the scale is essential to ensure consistent results.  Measuring your ingredients will be key to success.  A quick read thermometer helps with ensuring the right temperature of your liquids.  Finally, a Dutch oven with a lid is necessary for the true sourdough loafs.  The lid adds humidity to help with the oven rise.  
Other specific tools will be helpful later as you continue to expand your journey, but you can make do with items you have in your kitchen already to get you started.

Question 3

How do I maintain my starter if I go on vacation or am gone for more than a few days?

Accepted Answer

If you feed your starter a day or so before you leave and tightly cap in the refrigerator, it should re-vitalize very well once you return.  It will have some grey "hooch" on top, a watery liquid, and your starter may look grey on top as well.  That's okay.  Just remove that portion to the trash, stir up the remainder of the starter and feed as you normally would.  I typically feed it daily for 2-3 days until it's back to it's bubbly self before baking with it. If you see pink streaks in your starter, that means it's moldy and can't be recovered.  I have not had that happen to me, even after 4-5 weeks away.

Question 4

May I use a friend's starter and make it my own?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely.  I have provided starter to several of my friends.  The benefit in using a mature starter is that your baking journey can begin almost immediately.  Just feed it as you would your own starter.

Question 5

How do high altitude areas impact baking with sourdough starter?

Accepted Answer

I have done some research (reviewing several websites)  on impacts to sourdough baking at high altitude.  Pantrymama.com was the one I thought was the most helpful.

It looks like it may require a bit of trial and error.  The key issue you may experience is over fermentation.  Lower air pressure and moisture levels allow fermentation to happen much more quickly at higher altitudes.  Over-proofed dough may result in a dense flat loaf, not what we want to see after all that effort!  😔

The Pantry Mama website offers several tips to help make a successful loaf.  First, you may not have any issues in maintaining your starter.  The only think you might do is have a higher ratio of water to flour.  The flour at a high altitude is dryer, so that made sense to me.  You also may see that your starter reacts more quickly and rises faster at a higher altitude.  That doesn't appear to be an issue.  It's more about preparing the dough and baking your loaf.

Some suggestions to prepare your sourdough loaf:

Increase hydration.  You can do this by adding more water than the recipe calls for.  This is a step that may be a bit trial and error.  An extra step which is called "autolyse" can help ensure you have used enough water given how much drier flour is at high altitudes.  Autolyse simply means allowing the flour and water to "rest" and absorb before proceeding with the recipe including adding your starter.  If the dough seems dry add water a little at a time.

Use less starter.  Due to the faster fermentation at high altitudes, you won't need as much starter as the recipe calls for.  You might try decreasing the amount of starter by 25g to help slow down the fermentation.

Use more stretches and folds.  If a recipe suggests stretching and folding 3 times within 45 minutes you might increase the number of folds in that time or add another 15 minutes or so and increasing the folding to 4 times in an hour.

Cover your dough.  While your dough is raising you should cover it while it is raising with plastic, not just a kitchen towel.  A plastic lid for your dough bucket will work or a plastic shower cap works well too.  This just helps maintain the moisture you need.

Increase baking temperature and/or time.  You can increase your baking temperature by 25F or increase your baking time to ensure your dough is baked through.  I think an instant read thermometer is so helpful to ensure your bread has reached the right temperature.  It may look great on the outside, but the internal temperature to test doneness at a high altitude is between 195-205F.

That should help get you started.  I have a potential sourdough buddy in Colorado.  When they begin getting their sourdough journey underway, I hope to share more hands on details on how it goes for them.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to feed my sourdough starter daily?

What tools do I absolutely need to "start" my sourdough starter?

How do I maintain my starter if I go on vacation or am gone for more than a few days?

May I use a friend's starter and make it my own?

How do high altitude areas impact baking with sourdough starter?

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