5 Myths About Sourdough Starter, Debunked | Cook's Illustrated (2024)

Think making your own sourdough starter is scary? Think again.

Published Sept. 19, 2016.

Myth 1: You have to add yeast

Sourdough starter is a culture of yeast and bacteria, but that doesn’t mean you need to add commercial yeast. In fact, the only ingredients are flour (we found that a combination ofwhole-wheatandall-purposecreate the optimal starter) and water. The yeast and bacteria are already present in the flour, butthe process of making and maintaining a starterwakes them up and feeds them regularly so they can continue to grow.

Myth 2: Sourdough starter requires fancy water

The key to sourdough starter success is using water without chlorine, which can cause the starter to die. While bottled water is chlorine-free, you can also use filtered tap water for our sourdough starter recipe.

Myth 3: It’s like having a pet

While some people lovingly name their sourdough starters, that doesn’t mean you need to feed it as often as your four-legged friends. In the early stages of developing the starter, you should feed it every 24 hours, but after 10 to 14 days, you can move to the maintenance phase, keeping your starter in the refrigerator and feeding it just once a week. And if you do miss one of the daily feedings at the beginning, don’t worry—just be sure not to go more than 48 hours without a feeding.

Myth 4: Specialized equipment equals better sourdough starter

Some sourdough starter recipes suggest using a temperature-controlled bread proofer to create the right environment for the bacteria in the flour to flourish, but this isn't really necessary. As long as your kitchen is about 70 degrees—what we consider to be room temperature—you can leave the starter on the counter for its five-hour post-feeding resting period and then store it in the refrigerator. As for the rest of the steps in Andrew’srecipe, ordinary kitchen equipment is all you’ll need.

Myth 5: It’s difficult to know when sourdough starter is ready for use

As a rule of thumb, sourdough starter is ready for baking when it’s doubled in size, about 18 to 24 hours after it’s been fed. If you think it’s good to go but want an easy way to be sure, all you need to do is drop a spoonful of starter into a bowl of water. If the starter floats, you’re ready to bake, but if it sinks, you should wait another hour and try again.

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FAQs

5 Myths About Sourdough Starter, Debunked | Cook's Illustrated? ›

The science: a sourdough starter is a symbiotic community of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast. Both yeast and bacteria feed on the carbohydrates present in flour when hydrated with water and allowed to ferment.

Know More ›

What is the truth about sourdough starter? ›

Is tap water bad for sourdough starters? ›

While you can use distilled water, bottled water, or mineral water for your starter, regular tap water works just as well. However, if you have high chlorine levels in your water, fill a bottle with water and let it sit overnight to allow the chlorine to dissipate before baking.

Why is sourdough starter discarded? ›

When you feed sourdough starter, you must remove a portion of the starter to make room for the flour and water you're adding to the mixture. Sourdough discard is the portion of starter that gets removed as part of its routine maintenance.

Is the older sourdough starter the better? ›

While the age of your starter won't make your bread any better — turns out, only good sourdough practices can do that — it's a link in the long legacy of sourdough, one of the oldest forms of baking that exists. Whether your starter is a week or a decade old, you can become part of that lineage as well.

Keep Reading ›

What is the healthiest sourdough starter? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter.

Get More Info ›

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter? It would be best to discard some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used food (flour and water) that's sustained your starter during the last fermentation period.

Read On ›

What happens if you forgot to discard sourdough starter? ›

If you didn't discard a portion of your starter each time you feed it, two things would happen: Your starter would grow to an enormous, unmanageable size. Your starter would likely become more and more inhospitable to the bacteria and yeast we want as the mixture would become ever more acidic.

Can you overfeed a sourdough starter? ›

The colony of wild yeast and bacteria inside your starter jar are fairly resilient, however, like most living things, they can be overfed. When you overfeed a sourdough starter you dilute the natural population of yeast and bacteria, making your sourdough culture weak and inactive.

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What is the oldest sourdough starter still alive? ›

Blackley's sourdough starter, created from 4,500 year-old yeast, is considered the oldest sourdough starter, per Oldest. Other starters like the Saint Honoratus Wheat also are quite old. A bakery called Chrissi's Farmhouse Bakery uses it and said, “This noble starter dates back 900 years.

Find Out More ›

When should you not use sourdough 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.

Read The Full Story ›

What is the point in making a sourdough starter? ›

Unlike baking yeast, which provides a quick rise, a sourdough starter requires a longer fermentation process, resulting in a more complex and tangy taste. Additionally, sourdough starters enhance the nutritional value of bread by breaking down gluten and making it easier to digest.