New sourdough primer

 Our first instructions on how to feed sourdough is from 2011.  Time for an update.

We keep our starters in quart jars in the back of the fridge when not using them.  Depending on the season, the time to get it warmed up, fed, and to get to a fully active sourdough, will vary.  We're in summer now and I removed the starter from the fridge in the morning, fed around noon and it was over doubled by bed time which is when I started the process of the overnight part of the recipe.  In winter we let it warm on the counter overnight and feed the next day.  Just takes extra planning when it's cold.  

Because we were lazy sourdough keepers we had one starter that was almost on its last leg (which is a reminder to make a backup and store).  In order to save it we learned an important lesson.  The amount of starter you need to feed is actually quite small.  At our most desperate time we used 10 grams of starter and then 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour.   It's also really important to discard some of the starter before you feed and start another loaf.  We now keep a container of discard in the fridge to use in other bakes, check out our tags for recipes.  

The Sourdough Journey was a very helpful place to learn about where we were having issues.  

Our standard now it is start with maybe 3/4-1 inch of starter in the jar and feed it with equal parts flour and water, anywhere from 75-100 grams. This is more than enough for a loaf of our bread which only uses 100 grams.  

If your sourdough sits in the fridge and ends up with black liquid on the top, don't worry.  Just dump it out and give it a stir, then continue on the feeding process.  As long as there isn't any colored mold on the starter or in the jar, you're good.  It can smell like anything from flowers to alcohol.

I guess a final note would be to read the recipe for anything using sourdough.  Some are cold from the fridge aka unfed starter and others need a fully active sourdough.