I'm a pretty casual bread baker, 2 or three times a month, 1 loaf at a time. I'll be storing in the frig. So for someone like myself whats a good amount to keep on hand?
Your frequency of baking is about the same as mine, and storing the starter in the fridge works very well for me.
I adapt the quantity I keep according to my recipe. In general that means keeping roughly a ninth of the amount of levain called for. That way, I can take it out of the fridge the day before I want to bake and feed it 1:1:1 (no discard) to wake it up. Then 8 hrs or so before I want to actually use it, do a further 1:1:1 (again, no discard) which gives me precisely the amount of levain I need. Finally, just before I add the fully developed levain to the main dough I take out one ninth of it to be my next starter. Simples.
Andrew Whitley calls this a ‘total refreshment’ approach, because you effectively get a completely refreshed starter every time you bake.
In practice I increase the amount of levain ‘in the recipe’ by about 10% in order to compensate for the ninth I’m taking out - but it doesn’t make a great deal of difference to be honest.
That’s it, really... the only exception is that if I haven’t baked for more than 2 weeks I take it out of the fridge and to a 1:1:1 feed WITH a discard, then leave it out for a couple of hours to give it a chance to recover...
Take the time to save a couple of teaspoons of your discard, feed it and give it a two or three hours to develop, then freeze it as an emergency backup.
I keep about 30 grams.
Hi. How often do you feed it, and in what proportions? Thanks.
Rocco
Your frequency of baking is about the same as mine, and storing the starter in the fridge works very well for me.
I adapt the quantity I keep according to my recipe. In general that means keeping roughly a ninth of the amount of levain called for. That way, I can take it out of the fridge the day before I want to bake and feed it 1:1:1 (no discard) to wake it up. Then 8 hrs or so before I want to actually use it, do a further 1:1:1 (again, no discard) which gives me precisely the amount of levain I need. Finally, just before I add the fully developed levain to the main dough I take out one ninth of it to be my next starter. Simples.
Andrew Whitley calls this a ‘total refreshment’ approach, because you effectively get a completely refreshed starter every time you bake.
In practice I increase the amount of levain ‘in the recipe’ by about 10% in order to compensate for the ninth I’m taking out - but it doesn’t make a great deal of difference to be honest.
That’s it, really... the only exception is that if I haven’t baked for more than 2 weeks I take it out of the fridge and to a 1:1:1 feed WITH a discard, then leave it out for a couple of hours to give it a chance to recover...
Take the time to save a couple of teaspoons of your discard, feed it and give it a two or three hours to develop, then freeze it as an emergency backup.
Thanks all
A 60% water stiff starter will keep longer between feedings. A half pint jar is plenty.