I've been baking sourdough for over 20 years, I've never discarded any, ever. I also don't agree that you have to feed it with as much as you start with. If you're just feeding it to keep it going till the next day, a couple tablespoons is fine. If you're building it up, feed it more. Sourdough is so much more forgiving than most people think. I do also refrigerate in between baking days. I pull it out. I feed it a couple of spoonfuls just to get it bubbly, and then I build it out. More. Works out great!
I was going to say the same thing. I’ve been baking sourdough for over a decade, no need to discard or precisely measure (unless you run a bakery). People over complicate it so much.
So many people have their own methods on how they do things. I like your take on this, I'm currently working on my sourdough start, and I do it similarly to you 😊
That's right, I've never thrown away, and neither did my ancestors throw away kvass. My grandmother only used to leave a part of the bread she kneaded and the next time she used that dough to knead new bread and again leave a part for the next time.
I never discard. I live by the rule that discard is only needed during the time that you are creating and strengthening it. Once it's strong enough to rise bread, the need to discard is done. If you're feeding it you should be using it. If you're not going to use it, put it in the fridge after you feed it and it'll go dormant and can hang out for quite a long time without the need to waste your time or ingredients. This discard notion is ridiculous.
@@christinabutler8405 yes you certainly can. If you want more, if you want a backup starter, if you want to gift it to someone else to have their own starter... Whatever reasoning, it can definitely be more starter as long as it's also fed.
I never discard!! I keep the “mother” in the fridge. When I want to use my starter, I take mom out, remove 30g into a clean jar, feed both the mother and the new jar of starter. Once mom is doubled, I cap her and put back in the fridge. I just build up my new jar on the counter until I reach the amount I need for my recipes.
You really don't need to discard anything and you don't need to feed 1:1:1. You can adjust the inoculation to slow or speed up the growth of your starter. A little bit of planning will def help you eliminate discarding anything!
For sure - I rarely feed it at a perfect 1:1:1 ratio (I usually over feed it). But when you’re first getting your starter going (which is mostly what I’m addressing here), you won’t need to feed it as much flour if you discard before feeding. And you can keep that inactive discard in a jar in the fridge and make pancakes out of it: no need to throw it out! I have a longer sourdough video that addresses that. It’s tough to convey all the subtleties of sourdough in a short video. 😅
@@ButteredSideUp Yeah I totally get that it is tough, even in a longer videos its tough. There also is MANY ways to do it! Most guides tell you to throw away flour in the beginning but when you create a starter you actually don't need to discard anything! Happy baking !
I've been making bread for 25 years twice a week. I've never ever discarded anything. This is beyond ridiculous. I have a jar in the fridge, I take 2/3 out of the jar whenI want to bake, feed the mother with 1/3 flour+1/3 water and put it back in the fridge. I feed the so called "discard' and bake 2 big loaves of bread with it. don't even weigh anything, my eye measurements are top notch😂😂
Exactly. I do similarly. I take my starter out of the fridge, add 50gr water 50 gr of flour. Wait 3 or 4 hours. Use 100g of lavain return the rest in the fridge for the next time. 1 loaf.
I’m 40+ years of doing the same process. When I first heard someone say to discard part of a starter I thought they were completely misinformed. I have no idea how this wasteful practice became so widespread. 🤦♀️
Same here! I feel like it's not that complicated... I think some newbies are intimidated by the strict "rules" and may not try making this really easy bread.
@@donnacreamer4123 I don't think it's necessarily a wasteful practice. From what I seen is discarding part of the starter is often synonymous with using it for baking. In other words they are just using the word but not throwing it away but rather using it for smaller baking projects.
I don’t get this ATALL is she saying TO add more and more what do you discard? I need to see a video she makes no sense to me tho I suppose since everyone thinks she so terrific I’m missing something. Which I can’t seem to inderstand
I never discard!! I keep the “mother” in the fridge. When I want to use my starter, I take mom out, remove 30g into a clean jar, feed both the mother and the new jar of starter. Once mom is doubled, I cap her and put back in the fridge. Now, I just build up my new jar on the counter until I reach the amount I need for my recipes. Simple!
Exactly, i still habe the soudoughmother from my Nan. Just keep it in he fridge, feed it a tablespoon of water and flour. I Never ever discard. Her calculation is sooooo off
Agreed! People make this so complicated as though they want you to be dependent on them to tell you something new on youtube every day about a darn starter. It's not complicated. People didn't have all day to obsess over a starter in biblical times.
This video is useful WHEN you're first growing your starter. I am just starting mine and I didn't discard! But my starter started to slowdown in it's growth. I only saw it more active when i discarded so that the stater had enough food to do it's thing.
I think my biggest issue with sourdough is all the conflicting information! I spent 2 weeks trying to make it with the information from trusted professionals (like Alton brown) and somehow nobody explained as well as you just did now (or rather nobody explained it in a way I understood) and now I see exactly where I went wrong with my starter. So thank you!
I'm so glad I was able to help! There are several different ways to make and keep a sourdough starter, and people use different terminology, so yes, it can be confusing!
I started reading The Sourdough Framework (it's free) and the author explains you only have to discard at the beginning to reduce the number of pathogens and bad stuff in there while it strengthens. But assuming that part is done and you have a strong starter, you can manage how much there is by feeding it "when necessary", meaning, feed several hours before baking but for longer term storage you can keep it up to two weeks before feeding. Freezing and drying is also possible for even longer term storage. The feeding every day schedule is a myth@@prettyyoungthing1008
Or, you could keep it in the fridge and sync your bread baking with your starter feeding. Take off what you need to start a batch of sourdough, feed the remainder, pop it back into the fridge.
There is no need to discard ANY sourdough starter. I only have 100g of starter in my jar at any given time. When it is time to bake, I use the 100g that I have in my jar, get a larger jar and feed the 100g starter with 100g water and 100g Flour. I let it sit to activate, then take 200g for baking and again, have 100g for next time.
@@samantherson Until it comes to its peak, in my case it is just 3-4 hours, my starter is very active. He is 10 1/2 years old. Put a rubber band when it is just fed or mark it, so you can see once it has reached its peak, doubled. If not sure if the starter is active yet, you can do the float test. Put some water in a glass, use a TSP and carefully take some starter out and carefully drop it in the water. If it floats, it is ready to bake. If you are not baking like I do, 2 times or 3 times, during the week, feed your starter, wait 1 hour and then put it in the fridge, Next time you want to bake, take it out, wait until it has reached its peak and bake. Some people put it in the fridge after it reached its peak, but that did not work for me. You soon find out what works best for you :)
I never discard either. After you feed your starter, let it rise a bit, then put it in the refrigerator until you need it for baking bread. Only feed it when you get low. It ALWAYS works for me.
I think the confusion people have with the discard is that noone seems to feel the need to explain that "discard" doesnt mean trash it. It just means remove from the jar. Im knew to sourdough starter, but from the beginning i knew i wouldnt be throwing it away...this is an age old art....you can bet your bottom dollar that our foremothers never would have thrown away the discard. Everything was used and there was no waste in the kitchen if they could help it!
Just keep it in the fridge! You can easily add a much smaller amount of flour/water, and only every two-three days. Refrigerated starter burns through flour much more slowly. It’ll vary slightly based on the species and your fridge temperature. Just figure out the minimum amount you need to maintain it having bubbles/ an acidic smell. I only bake a loaf once a week, and my starter only ends up growing about 4x the size from these small feeds over this week, so I can keep it all in one normal jar without discarding any. Just decant what you’ll use into a bowl, feed it and let it warm up and get extra bubbly for a few hours, and then use it in your bread as normal.
Thank youuuuuuu! This is so simple! I’ve watched loads of sourdough starter and sourdough videos, and none of them explained the feeding process the way you just did. Thank god. Saving this short.
A great explanation of why it’s more wasteful to not discard for those still maturing their starter. I like to feed my starter, allow it to get bubbly and active for a couple of hours, then stick it in the fridge to stay. On days I bake I only pull out the amount of starter I need for my recipe and then make a levain with it to use in my recipe. Works a charm and no waste (assuming you have a mature starter, of course).
All u have to do with ur starter is put it in d fridge it will never go bad and all u need is a tablespoon of starter left over in the jar. U can even freeze some starter for ur own security even yrs later it will still be good in ur freezer. When ur ready to bake u pull it out and feed it the day before u need to use it. No need to feed starter often or discard or stress to bake something because u dont want waste. Even when i dont bake for 2 months my starter is still good. If u have it months in the fridge with no feeding just feed it for 2 days before using it. U only need to feed ur starter when u need to use it if u keep in in d fridge.
I do not follow this rule at all and I make beautiful sourdough. I barely discard any of the starter and just add a little flour with half that amount of water. 🤷🏻♀️ been doing it for years.
@@godschild5587sourdough is exactly like making bread with store bought yeast except you are using the wild yeast that is naturally in the flour to begin with. Water activates it. Rye flour is really good. Basically....you are creating your own yeast.
I had this question and now it makes sense. When I made milk kefir, if I didn't discard some kefir grains each time they would multiply like rabbits and I would end up with kefir grains coming out of my ears. Same concept💡 Thanks, this helped!
Dear everyone! There are some great recipes online for how to use your starter discard. I highly recommend flatbreads and pancakes! Super tasty and zero waste!
Lately I've been simply pouring off the discard into a hot, greased cast iron skillet, and then I sprinkle it with salt and other seasoning, maybe drizzle some olive oil on top before flipping! My kids love it.
Making and keeping a STARTER is very similar (not same!) to KEFIR, but it is different in that you have to GET the KEFIR GRAINS from someone who have them or buy them on the Internet. My Kefie Grains have been with me for TEN YEARS now! Kefir drink is delicious.
I cook a lot and I'm a relatively smart person but, for some reason the I haven't understood any of the video's explaining the discard reasoning, until I watched this video. It clicked and makes total sense now. Thank you!
Just refrigerate and u don’t need to feed for months just use what needed and refrigerate remaining starter. Some people cover top with flour then refrigerate longer.
OMG thank you for explaining this. It’s so simple.. but if you’ve never made this bread it doesn’t make sense without explanation. So many pages teach but leave out explanations. So thank you!
Or you could keep very little starter and feed it enough to just build more than your recipe by a tiny bit that way you don’t have all this left over and you don’t have to waste any.
Actually you could do both! Keep a small starter, and keep it small by discarding. It won't be an issue once your starter is ready to be baked with - like you said you can feed it just enough plus a little extra for your recipe.
I use the no discard method. Only keep 50g of starter and feed it 50g flour/water when I need to bake which is three times per week. Never have any discard.
Exactly. I never discard. I keep a half oz in a small jar in the fridge. I give it a huge overfeeding the night before I make the dough. Been doing this for years and my starter will be 14 years old in July.
When you do the huge overfeeding night before, do you leave it out on the counter for a certain amount of time to get it active before baking? @@beachguitarschool
Feed even amounts of flour and water by weight. Make sure You're feeding at least as much as the amount left in your jar. I do 5 times as much, but it can be scaled up or down
i think this would keep the started very active. I can feed my starter once every 2 weeks about 2tbs flour and it does fine (keeping it in the refrigerator). It does take it awhile to activate it for cooking then something like 8-12 hours (depending on room temp)
I only keep a "seed" of starter, in my fridge, and build it up over 2 or 3 feedings to just the amount I need to bake bread. The amount left in the jar after taking what I need is enough to get the next batch going. So I have NO discard.
You can preserve this dried discard in your freezer I think too. Good backup for your starter if it dies or whatever. Just rehydrate and feed and poof!
I heard one youtuber saying that if you dont discard it gets stronger and more sour. I put mine in the fridge and only feed it again once i need to use it again.
Thank you for this explanation. Apparently I’ve been making my starters wrong because no one ever explained you need to put a 1:1:1 ratio 🤦🏼♀️ Everything I read and watched said to just put the same amount you put in the first time
There are people who don’t “feed” it and still use it for baking, you store it in the fridge it will get more sour and your bread will take longer to rise but it will rise and you can bake a loaf with it.
You aren't explaining why you have to keep feeding it, though. If you put flour in until it is thick, and then put it in the fridge, you don't have to keep feeding it. It'll be OK until you need to use it again. Pull it out, add warm water until it is runny again, and let it wake up. If you put it to bed in a strong healthy state, you are gonna be good to go.
@@hollynoel7736 You need to have enough MATURE starter for your recipe. Since I don't have access to your recipes, I can't answer your question about how much you need.
@@hollynoel7736it's gonna vary some. Usually when I make bread I will create a levain ( basically another starter that gets used up) for the recipe the day before. Doing it this way I could keep a very small amount of starter on hand
Use many jars for a week then spread the extra starter on parchment and dry it out for long-term storage. Plenty of Gen1 starter to rekindle the next batch.
The breadcode has interesting videos of the sience behind the fermentation and all this around sourdough. He mentions a ratio 1:5:5 for feeding the starter. By this you have way less discard. Also of course discard does not mean to waste it. If you have fed your starter and baked with a big amount of it, you can put the other part un the fridge for the next feeding or to use the discard for baking with a little bit additional fresh feed starter.
Thank you. Many really good channels recommend discarding, but don't explain why. I could look it up, but then I've moved onto something else and forget to. Thank you.
I don’t discard. I just use it. So I take my starter out the fridge. Use it straight from the fridge. Even though I’m using my starter straight from the fridge into a bread recipe, it works beautifully. After I take the amount I need. Then I just feed the remaining starter when it doubles in size I put it back in the fridge.
Thank you for explaining this! I am starting (again) on sourdough. When I eat anything with flour I have a horrible painful “tear” feeling. I’ve tried going to the doctors but they just blow me off. I’ve watched healing videos for suggestions. Apparently sourdough doesn’t do the same as yeast, in short. Ive bought sourdough bread at the stores but it’s almost just as bad. I’m not at the giving up point yet but this whole “exact” or “down to the science” is why I am not a baker. This very simple explanation made it “click” for someone that cooks not bakes. Thank you!
Sourdough from the stores is not true sourdough. They are still using yeast and preservatives etc. you would need to bake your own essentially, any kind of commercial bulk baking will be processed.
Good luck! I also have a rough time with the "baking is a science" part. I can't stand following recipes or measuring ingredients....it stops feeling like cooking and makes me feel like i didn't actually make the thing I'm cooking. That being said I love to make pizza, and through lots of trial and error have come to be able to eyeball my ingredients, and adjust temp and time to achieve my desired dough(for pizza as well as loafs, flatbread, ect) If you're a perfectionist and want everything to look like a movie then it's hard, but if you're flexible and open to experimenting with new textures and flavors it's super satisfying even if it doesn't look or feel like what you initially set out to do.
You can make gluten free sourdough bread. If your homemade bread still bothers your stomach you are probably gluten sensitive or even celiac and gluten free might be a better option.
I saw a video where they said that people in Italy use totally different flour than the USA. They said that bleached flour and a few other things that we do in the USA isn't allowed in the flour in Italy. They said that they don't have the gut issues there like the USA does.
Ohhh now I’m understanding the discard. I just got my first sourdough starter and was confused as to how much to feed. Thank you for the explanation. So is that why you have the rubber band there. To show that’s where the 100g of starter is? I’m just brand new so trying to learn !
Glad it was helpful! You can use the rubber band that way, but I use it to mark the height of the starter after feeding so I have a clear visual indication of when it has doubled in volume.
I don’t discard or measure. I just eye ball. I make a runny-ish dough, make it make a few days in the fridge and once i notice slight bubbling, i keep it out and throw in handfulls of flour and a bit of water if needed, and honestly works for me really well.
She right but i hate that she says you “need” to discard your starter. Theres plenty of good ways to use it, and if you dont want to do any of that, i recommend keeping a much smaller amount of starter that 100. Maybe 25? You can do even less if you have a precision scale and you dont bake often. It just means you have to plan ahead for when you want to bake and then dont discard and make it grow exponentially as she says so you have enough.
You really do need to discard your starter when you're first getting it going. The starter doesn't have enough strength to raise anything, and if you don't discard it will grow and grow. Even if you start with 10 grams each of flour and water, since you're needing to feed it 1-2 times a day for a week when you're getting it going, it will still be massive. But you can keep that discard in a jar in the fridge and use it to make pancakes when you have enough. Discarding does not necessarily mean throwing into the trash. It simply means pouring off of the main starter. I used 100 grams as an example because it's easy to understand the math. In my other videos I talk about keeping a small starter. Maybe I should do a video explaining keeping a low/no waste, small starter.
If you had 100g starter, and fed it 200g flour and 200g water once, it's the same as feeding 100g flour and 100g water twice. You don't need all these feedings if you're overfeeding. The man's correct, there's no reason to waste.
I saved 1g starter 1g water 3-5g flour in the fridge. Lasts weeks in the fridge and I just use a splash (3-5g) water to rehydrate and then feed it into the amount I need a few hours later
@@jennaleigh6049yep, I made my starter with a tsp of flour so even getting it started I barely had anything to discard, and now three years later I also don’t discard but feed it when I need to and put back in the fridge.
I never waste one drop of my starter. I keep it in the refrigerator when I’m ready to make a loaf of bread I feed it I let it rise. I take about 75% of it and throw it in my bread that I’m making and the other 25% I put back in the refrigerator Until the next time I need it. Then I feed it again. There’s not one bit of Waste and I don’t measure water ratios and flour ratios. I just eyeball it and mix it up to approximately the wetness that I like in my starter. Just like in my bread. People are kind of obsessed with ratios And then after they give you all the ratios, they tell you if you need to add more water or if you need to add more flour do that. That negates all the ratios. Just eyeball it and see how much water you want in it slowly adding it until you get your dough as wet as you would like it to be.
I only discard if it won’t fit on my container, or I need it super duper strong… when I discard I don’t even measure, just dump a little and add equal parts of flour an water… it works
How long can we keep using and feeding our starter? I was confused about it being called “discard” as well. Why would I want to waste it.? Aren’t I using it in a whole range of goods?
It’s not necessary for the same reason she’s saying discard it. Then you have two starters to feed for what end game? Same extra volume of starter taking up room and resources. Tho you could convert the new starter to a new flour like rye or whole wheat and have two different starters going /shrug. I have an AP and a rye starter on my fridge. Rye makes way better crackers
You really do need to look into the scrapings method of using sourdough. Start with a tablespoon of sourdough. Tare your scales, and say you need 100 grams of starter the next morning. Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Next day, use your 100 grams of starter, leaving just the 1 tablespoon in the jar. Put that in your fridge for the next time. No need to discard anything.
@@ButteredSideUpbake with Jack does the scraping method and that’s who I learned it from. The first 4 days when you are starting you starter you just do 25 grams of water and flour. After the 4th day you will have 200 grams of starter and it’s all bubbly and awesome with zero discard. Then you are ready to make 2 loaves. The scrapings will be left in the jar and put in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The night before you plan to make your bread you just add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water and leave it on the counter over night by morning it’s bubbly and ready to use. It works from the very get go. No need to discard even a new starter.
@@LivingtabithaIf you start with a tsp of flour and water, you don't have to discard much by the time it's going. And you can always keep that bit to be that much ahead if something goes wrong and you need to start over. Or just throw it in a straight dough. ❤
I only feed just before I bake. I never discard any starter. The starter does not need to be fed often when kept in the frig. My starter is almost 4 yrs old
I despise when people use the word "discard" when talking about an already established starter. This lady is correct, but you do not need to keep that much starter on hand all the time. If you don't want the responsibility of feeding it every day, put it in the fridge. No need to waste ingredients because you feel the need to throw away perfectly good starter. plenty of recipes to use it up! Its all about balance, and it's up to you how much starter you want, just plan ahead accordingly! ProTip: you can underfeed your starter, but you can NEVER over-feed it!
Or, you could do a different method that doesn't need to have discard. The "scraping" method works very well, especially if your starter is active and healthy. With this method you only store about half of what you would need for a typical starter recipe. Then when you feed it, it gives you just enough for your recipie, plus a bit left to feed it again later. No discarding necessary, and it's very easy to increase the amount of starter necessary for a bigger batch if need be. I've used this method successfully for over 2 years and I made sourdough bread in larger batches for the Farmer's markets during the summer. I'm now back down to my smaller amount.
I think that starter equal to water and flour is an unnecessarily high proportion. 1:5:5 or 1:10:10 works fine (unless you are in a big rush to have a quantity of starter), and reduces wastage.
![VENEZUELA vs. ARGENTINA [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SJfoPdeOPCQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I've been baking sourdough for over 20 years, I've never discarded any, ever.
I also don't agree that you have to feed it with as much as you start with. If you're just feeding it to keep it going till the next day, a couple tablespoons is fine. If you're building it up, feed it more. Sourdough is so much more forgiving than most people think.
I do also refrigerate in between baking days. I pull it out. I feed it a couple of spoonfuls just to get it bubbly, and then I build it out. More. Works out great!
This was helpful thanks you❤
Is the video maybe for a brand new starter and not an established one?
I was going to say the same thing. I’ve been baking sourdough for over a decade, no need to discard or precisely measure (unless you run a bakery). People over complicate it so much.
So many people have their own methods on how they do things. I like your take on this, I'm currently working on my sourdough start, and I do it similarly to you 😊
That's right, I've never thrown away, and neither did my ancestors throw away kvass. My grandmother only used to leave a part of the bread she kneaded and the next time she used that dough to knead new bread and again leave a part for the next time.
I never discard. I live by the rule that discard is only needed during the time that you are creating and strengthening it. Once it's strong enough to rise bread, the need to discard is done. If you're feeding it you should be using it. If you're not going to use it, put it in the fridge after you feed it and it'll go dormant and can hang out for quite a long time without the need to waste your time or ingredients. This discard notion is ridiculous.
Can I use the discard as a new starter?
@@christinabutler8405 yes you certainly can. If you want more, if you want a backup starter, if you want to gift it to someone else to have their own starter... Whatever reasoning, it can definitely be more starter as long as it's also fed.
Preach!!!
Yes! Totally agree! I never discard. I feed it, use it & the rest goes back in the fridge. And it has not lost it’s strength whatsoever.
I never discard!! I keep the “mother” in the fridge. When I want to use my starter, I take mom out, remove 30g into a clean jar, feed both the mother and the new jar of starter. Once mom is doubled, I cap her and put back in the fridge. I just build up my new jar on the counter until I reach the amount I need for my recipes.
You really don't need to discard anything and you don't need to feed 1:1:1. You can adjust the inoculation to slow or speed up the growth of your starter. A little bit of planning will def help you eliminate discarding anything!
For sure - I rarely feed it at a perfect 1:1:1 ratio (I usually over feed it). But when you’re first getting your starter going (which is mostly what I’m addressing here), you won’t need to feed it as much flour if you discard before feeding. And you can keep that inactive discard in a jar in the fridge and make pancakes out of it: no need to throw it out! I have a longer sourdough video that addresses that. It’s tough to convey all the subtleties of sourdough in a short video. 😅
@@ButteredSideUp Yeah I totally get that it is tough, even in a longer videos its tough. There also is MANY ways to do it! Most guides tell you to throw away flour in the beginning but when you create a starter you actually don't need to discard anything! Happy baking !
I've been making bread for 25 years twice a week. I've never ever discarded anything. This is beyond ridiculous. I have a jar in the fridge, I take 2/3 out of the jar whenI want to bake, feed the mother with 1/3 flour+1/3 water and put it back in the fridge. I feed the so called "discard' and bake 2 big loaves of bread with it. don't even weigh anything, my eye measurements are top notch😂😂
Exactly. I do similarly. I take my starter out of the fridge, add 50gr water 50 gr of flour. Wait 3 or 4 hours. Use 100g of lavain return the rest in the fridge for the next time. 1 loaf.
I’m 40+ years of doing the same process.
When I first heard someone say to discard part of a starter I thought they were completely misinformed. I have no idea how this wasteful practice became so widespread. 🤦♀️
Same here! I feel like it's not that complicated... I think some newbies are intimidated by the strict "rules" and may not try making this really easy bread.
That's because you already have a starter. She's explaining the 7-10 day process of making a starter to begin with.
@@donnacreamer4123 I don't think it's necessarily a wasteful practice. From what I seen is discarding part of the starter is often synonymous with using it for baking. In other words they are just using the word but not throwing it away but rather using it for smaller baking projects.
Thank you for clearing this up. No one was explaining it to me so I could understand 😂 I get it now
I agree
I don’t get this ATALL is she saying TO add more and more what do you discard? I need to see a video she makes no sense to me tho I suppose since everyone thinks she so terrific I’m missing something. Which I can’t seem to inderstand
You should not listen to this nonsense. Completely unnecessary to use this 1-1-1 ratio, and discarding.
I never discard!! I keep the “mother” in the fridge. When I want to use my starter, I take mom out, remove 30g into a clean jar, feed both the mother and the new jar of starter. Once mom is doubled, I cap her and put back in the fridge. Now, I just build up my new jar on the counter until I reach the amount I need for my recipes. Simple!
Thank you. This is the best explanation I have seen thus far!!
Exactly, i still habe the soudoughmother from my Nan. Just keep it in he fridge, feed it a tablespoon of water and flour. I Never ever discard. Her calculation is sooooo off
@@Chibabe2207seems wasteful too. I don’t use 100g of flour for a feeding unless I’m literally baking two recipes that day
This is what I do too!
Agreed! People make this so complicated as though they want you to be dependent on them to tell you something new on youtube every day about a darn starter. It's not complicated. People didn't have all day to obsess over a starter in biblical times.
This video is useful WHEN you're first growing your starter. I am just starting mine and I didn't discard! But my starter started to slowdown in it's growth. I only saw it more active when i discarded so that the stater had enough food to do it's thing.
I think my biggest issue with sourdough is all the conflicting information! I spent 2 weeks trying to make it with the information from trusted professionals (like Alton brown) and somehow nobody explained as well as you just did now (or rather nobody explained it in a way I understood) and now I see exactly where I went wrong with my starter. So thank you!
I'm so glad I was able to help! There are several different ways to make and keep a sourdough starter, and people use different terminology, so yes, it can be confusing!
… and, you will eventually learn that you do not have to have discards.
Yep!! 😊
Exactly!
So what do you recommend? Starting with less?
I started reading The Sourdough Framework (it's free) and the author explains you only have to discard at the beginning to reduce the number of pathogens and bad stuff in there while it strengthens. But assuming that part is done and you have a strong starter, you can manage how much there is by feeding it "when necessary", meaning, feed several hours before baking but for longer term storage you can keep it up to two weeks before feeding. Freezing and drying is also possible for even longer term storage. The feeding every day schedule is a myth@@prettyyoungthing1008
Or, you could keep it in the fridge and sync your bread baking with your starter feeding. Take off what you need to start a batch of sourdough, feed the remainder, pop it back into the fridge.
That’s pretty much what I do, but I usually feed it once after pulling out of the fridge before baking with it.
Thank you! You are the first to explain this clearly and simply. AND...
this explains why my last 3 attempts didn't work.
There is no need to discard ANY sourdough starter. I only have 100g of starter in my jar at any given time. When it is time to bake, I use the 100g that I have in my jar, get a larger jar and feed the 100g starter with 100g water and 100g Flour. I let it sit to activate, then take 200g for baking and again, have 100g for next time.
I'm going to try that
How long do you let it sit to activate? Just until it doubles in size?
@@samantherson Until it comes to its peak, in my case it is just 3-4 hours, my starter is very active. He is 10 1/2 years old. Put a rubber band when it is just fed or mark it, so you can see once it has reached its peak, doubled. If not sure if the starter is active yet, you can do the float test. Put some water in a glass, use a TSP and carefully take some starter out and carefully drop it in the water. If it floats, it is ready to bake. If you are not baking like I do, 2 times or 3 times, during the week, feed your starter, wait 1 hour and then put it in the fridge, Next time you want to bake, take it out, wait until it has reached its peak and bake. Some people put it in the fridge after it reached its peak, but that did not work for me. You soon find out what works best for you :)
Yes I'm not sure this woman is actually using her starter??
Thank you Petra! 🙏🏽✝️🌻
I never discard either. After you feed your starter, let it rise a bit, then put it in the refrigerator until you need it for baking bread. Only feed it when you get low. It ALWAYS works for me.
This was really helpful for understanding the ratios. Thank you
I think the confusion people have with the discard is that noone seems to feel the need to explain that "discard" doesnt mean trash it. It just means remove from the jar. Im knew to sourdough starter, but from the beginning i knew i wouldnt be throwing it away...this is an age old art....you can bet your bottom dollar that our foremothers never would have thrown away the discard. Everything was used and there was no waste in the kitchen if they could help it!
Exactly. The "discard" is what you use for bread and pancakes. Old timers never threw anything out.
How would you use the discard? I’m confused because the starter that you discarded isn’t ready yet?
Just keep it in the fridge! You can easily add a much smaller amount of flour/water, and only every two-three days.
Refrigerated starter burns through flour much more slowly. It’ll vary slightly based on the species and your fridge temperature. Just figure out the minimum amount you need to maintain it having bubbles/ an acidic smell.
I only bake a loaf once a week, and my starter only ends up growing about 4x the size from these small feeds over this week, so I can keep it all in one normal jar without discarding any.
Just decant what you’ll use into a bowl, feed it and let it warm up and get extra bubbly for a few hours, and then use it in your bread as normal.
Thxs for putting it plainly. It explained where I've made mistakes in trying to capture a starter. Gonna try again.
This is the clearest concept explanation I've found anywhere on the internet. THANKS!!
Thank youuuuuuu! This is so simple! I’ve watched loads of sourdough starter and sourdough videos, and none of them explained the feeding process the way you just did. Thank god. Saving this short.
A great explanation of why it’s more wasteful to not discard for those still maturing their starter. I like to feed my starter, allow it to get bubbly and active for a couple of hours, then stick it in the fridge to stay. On days I bake I only pull out the amount of starter I need for my recipe and then make a levain with it to use in my recipe. Works a charm and no waste (assuming you have a mature starter, of course).
All u have to do with ur starter is put it in d fridge it will never go bad and all u need is a tablespoon of starter left over in the jar. U can even freeze some starter for ur own security even yrs later it will still be good in ur freezer. When ur ready to bake u pull it out and feed it the day before u need to use it. No need to feed starter often or discard or stress to bake something because u dont want waste. Even when i dont bake for 2 months my starter is still good. If u have it months in the fridge with no feeding just feed it for 2 days before using it. U only need to feed ur starter when u need to use it if u keep in in d fridge.
I REALLY needed this explanation. Thank you so much!
I do not follow this rule at all and I make beautiful sourdough. I barely discard any of the starter and just add a little flour with half that amount of water. 🤷🏻♀️ been doing it for years.
Same!
Please explain more, I'm scared to use sourdough because I don't understand how it works fully
Exactly they overcomplicate it
Same! But i also never rack up 900 grams of starter cuz i use it before it gets to be that much.
@@godschild5587sourdough is exactly like making bread with store bought yeast except you are using the wild yeast that is naturally in the flour to begin with. Water activates it. Rye flour is really good. Basically....you are creating your own yeast.
I had this question and now it makes sense. When I made milk kefir, if I didn't discard some kefir grains each time they would multiply like rabbits and I would end up with kefir grains coming out of my ears. Same concept💡
Thanks, this helped!
I threw the kefir grains in my oatmeal each morning.
Thank you so much for making that clear!!! I appreciate it.
Dear everyone! There are some great recipes online for how to use your starter discard. I highly recommend flatbreads and pancakes! Super tasty and zero waste!
Lately I've been simply pouring off the discard into a hot, greased cast iron skillet, and then I sprinkle it with salt and other seasoning, maybe drizzle some olive oil on top before flipping! My kids love it.
FINALLY someone who explained this in a way I understand. Thank you 🙏
Making and keeping a STARTER is very similar (not same!) to KEFIR, but it is different in that you have to GET the KEFIR GRAINS from someone who have them or buy them on the Internet. My Kefie Grains have been with me for TEN YEARS now! Kefir drink is delicious.
I cook a lot and I'm a relatively smart person but, for some reason the I haven't understood any of the video's explaining the discard reasoning, until I watched this video. It clicked and makes total sense now. Thank you!
I was wondering why but it obviously makes perfect sense
Just refrigerate and u don’t need to feed for months just use what needed and refrigerate remaining starter. Some people cover top with flour then refrigerate longer.
Thank you for explaining that. Now I finally understand and know why I keep getting unpredictable results. 🙃
OMG thank you for explaining this. It’s so simple.. but if you’ve never made this bread it doesn’t make sense without explanation. So many pages teach but leave out explanations. So thank you!
Please read the other comments. There’s no need to discard.
Thanks for the solid information! Really helpful
Or you could keep very little starter and feed it enough to just build more than your recipe by a tiny bit that way you don’t have all this left over and you don’t have to waste any.
Actually you could do both! Keep a small starter, and keep it small by discarding. It won't be an issue once your starter is ready to be baked with - like you said you can feed it just enough plus a little extra for your recipe.
I use the no discard method. Only keep 50g of starter and feed it 50g flour/water when I need to bake which is three times per week. Never have any discard.
Exactly. I never discard. I keep a half oz in a small jar in the fridge. I give it a huge overfeeding the night before I make the dough. Been doing this for years and my starter will be 14 years old in July.
When you do the huge overfeeding night before, do you leave it out on the counter for a certain amount of time to get it active before baking? @@beachguitarschool
Thanks for explaining this.
Finally! Now it makes so much more sense , thanks!
That's a lot of math for bread. My brain is gonna explode.
1 to 1 to 1 is a lot of math?
Feed even amounts of flour and water by weight. Make sure You're feeding at least as much as the amount left in your jar. I do 5 times as much, but it can be scaled up or down
This explanation really helps thank you
I was so confused as to why everyone kept saying to discard half 😅. But this makes total sense. Thank you so much for explaining this process.
i think this would keep the started very active. I can feed my starter once every 2 weeks about 2tbs flour and it does fine (keeping it in the refrigerator). It does take it awhile to activate it for cooking then something like 8-12 hours (depending on room temp)
Old timers never wasted a bit! We could all learn this old time technique.
EXACTLY!
If a bunch of cowboys on the range could keep sourdough going, it can’t be that hard. 🤠
Use it instead of discarding. Use it for bread, chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, crepes etc...
And suddenly it all made sense to me. Thank you! ❤
Bes explaination of the ever elusive sourgough starter.
Thank you for this video.
Thank you for the clear explanation!
That's if you aren't using any of your starter if you're using it you don't necessarily have to discard every time
'Discard' IS 'use'
Finally someone who explains this. Thank you!
I only keep a "seed" of starter, in my fridge, and build it up over 2 or 3 feedings to just the amount I need to bake bread. The amount left in the jar after taking what I need is enough to get the next batch going. So I have NO discard.
Watch my latest video.
dry discard and grind it to "flour" the loafs to prevent stick
That’s actually brilliant
Yes that is such a simple way to do it...then you just make it when you need it.
You can preserve this dried discard in your freezer I think too. Good backup for your starter if it dies or whatever. Just rehydrate and feed and poof!
Thanks so much for explaining!!!
Super clear explanation..Thank you 😊
💡Thank you for explaining this!
I heard one youtuber saying that if you dont discard it gets stronger and more sour. I put mine in the fridge and only feed it again once i need to use it again.
Thank you for this explanation. Apparently I’ve been making my starters wrong because no one ever explained you need to put a 1:1:1 ratio 🤦🏼♀️ Everything I read and watched said to just put the same amount you put in the first time
I never understood this until now, thank you!
There are people who don’t “feed” it and still use it for baking, you store it in the fridge it will get more sour and your bread will take longer to rise but it will rise and you can bake a loaf with it.
You aren't explaining why you have to keep feeding it, though.
If you put flour in until it is thick, and then put it in the fridge, you don't have to keep feeding it. It'll be OK until you need to use it again. Pull it out, add warm water until it is runny again, and let it wake up. If you put it to bed in a strong healthy state, you are gonna be good to go.
How much starter do you need to bake. I'm still waiting for the 2 weeks to end. I ordered starter. Now I find out how easy it is to start your own.
@@hollynoel7736 You need to have enough MATURE starter for your recipe. Since I don't have access to your recipes, I can't answer your question about how much you need.
@@keepdancingmaria Thanks. So I guess I will just look for some recipes. This is all new to me. Thank goodness for YT.
@@hollynoel7736it's gonna vary some. Usually when I make bread I will create a levain ( basically another starter that gets used up) for the recipe the day before. Doing it this way I could keep a very small amount of starter on hand
@@helloneighbor11 Thanks for the tip.
Use many jars for a week then spread the extra starter on parchment and dry it out for long-term storage.
Plenty of Gen1 starter to rekindle the next batch.
Explained so perfect and simple
The breadcode has interesting videos of the sience behind the fermentation and all this around sourdough. He mentions a ratio 1:5:5 for feeding the starter. By this you have way less discard. Also of course discard does not mean to waste it. If you have fed your starter and baked with a big amount of it, you can put the other part un the fridge for the next feeding or to use the discard for baking with a little bit additional fresh feed starter.
Great explanation. Thank you
Thank you. Many really good channels recommend discarding, but don't explain why. I could look it up, but then I've moved onto something else and forget to. Thank you.
Thank you for explaining it!
I don’t discard. I just use it. So I take my starter out the fridge. Use it straight from the fridge. Even though I’m using my starter straight from the fridge into a bread recipe, it works beautifully. After I take the amount I need. Then I just feed the remaining starter when it doubles in size I put it back in the fridge.
Thank you for explaining.
Thank you for explaining this! I am starting (again) on sourdough. When I eat anything with flour I have a horrible painful “tear” feeling. I’ve tried going to the doctors but they just blow me off. I’ve watched healing videos for suggestions. Apparently sourdough doesn’t do the same as yeast, in short. Ive bought sourdough bread at the stores but it’s almost just as bad. I’m not at the giving up point yet but this whole “exact” or “down to the science” is why I am not a baker. This very simple explanation made it “click” for someone that cooks not bakes. Thank you!
Sourdough from the stores is not true sourdough. They are still using yeast and preservatives etc. you would need to bake your own essentially, any kind of commercial bulk baking will be processed.
Good luck! I also have a rough time with the "baking is a science" part. I can't stand following recipes or measuring ingredients....it stops feeling like cooking and makes me feel like i didn't actually make the thing I'm cooking.
That being said I love to make pizza, and through lots of trial and error have come to be able to eyeball my ingredients, and adjust temp and time to achieve my desired dough(for pizza as well as loafs, flatbread, ect)
If you're a perfectionist and want everything to look like a movie then it's hard, but if you're flexible and open to experimenting with new textures and flavors it's super satisfying even if it doesn't look or feel like what you initially set out to do.
You can make gluten free sourdough bread. If your homemade bread still bothers your stomach you are probably gluten sensitive or even celiac and gluten free might be a better option.
I saw a video where they said that people in Italy use totally different flour than the USA. They said that bleached flour and a few other things that we do in the USA isn't allowed in the flour in Italy. They said that they don't have the gut issues there like the USA does.
You can use the discard for other recipes and I hear it’s really good for plants
Ohhh now I’m understanding the discard. I just got my first sourdough starter and was confused as to how much to feed. Thank you for the explanation.
So is that why you have the rubber band there. To show that’s where the 100g of starter is? I’m just brand new so trying to learn !
Glad it was helpful! You can use the rubber band that way, but I use it to mark the height of the starter after feeding so I have a clear visual indication of when it has doubled in volume.
Use the throw away to make pancakes and muffins, even waffles. You can freeze and ready for just heat n serve for a rush breakfast or lunch.
There is no throw away. Ever.
This was so so helpful thank you
I don’t discard or measure. I just eye ball. I make a runny-ish dough, make it make a few days in the fridge and once i notice slight bubbling, i keep it out and throw in handfulls of flour and a bit of water if needed, and honestly works for me really well.
She right but i hate that she says you “need” to discard your starter. Theres plenty of good ways to use it, and if you dont want to do any of that, i recommend keeping a much smaller amount of starter that 100. Maybe 25? You can do even less if you have a precision scale and you dont bake often. It just means you have to plan ahead for when you want to bake and then dont discard and make it grow exponentially as she says so you have enough.
You really do need to discard your starter when you're first getting it going. The starter doesn't have enough strength to raise anything, and if you don't discard it will grow and grow. Even if you start with 10 grams each of flour and water, since you're needing to feed it 1-2 times a day for a week when you're getting it going, it will still be massive. But you can keep that discard in a jar in the fridge and use it to make pancakes when you have enough. Discarding does not necessarily mean throwing into the trash. It simply means pouring off of the main starter. I used 100 grams as an example because it's easy to understand the math. In my other videos I talk about keeping a small starter. Maybe I should do a video explaining keeping a low/no waste, small starter.
If you had 100g starter, and fed it 200g flour and 200g water once, it's the same as feeding 100g flour and 100g water twice. You don't need all these feedings if you're overfeeding. The man's correct, there's no reason to waste.
I saved 1g starter 1g water 3-5g flour in the fridge. Lasts weeks in the fridge and I just use a splash (3-5g) water to rehydrate and then feed it into the amount I need a few hours later
@@jennaleigh6049yep, I made my starter with a tsp of flour so even getting it started I barely had anything to discard, and now three years later I also don’t discard but feed it when I need to and put back in the fridge.
I never waste one drop of my starter. I keep it in the refrigerator when I’m ready to make a loaf of bread I feed it I let it rise. I take about 75% of it and throw it in my bread that I’m making and the other 25% I put back in the refrigerator Until the next time I need it. Then I feed it again. There’s not one bit of Waste and I don’t measure water ratios and flour ratios. I just eyeball it and mix it up to approximately the wetness that I like in my starter. Just like in my bread. People are kind of obsessed with ratios And then after they give you all the ratios, they tell you if you need to add more water or if you need to add more flour do that. That negates all the ratios. Just eyeball it and see how much water you want in it slowly adding it until you get your dough as wet as you would like it to be.
Beautifully explained
I only discard if it won’t fit on my container, or I need it super duper strong… when I discard I don’t even measure, just dump a little and add equal parts of flour an water… it works
Exactly what I do. Works for me.
So helpful. Thank you!!!
You can use the “discard” in all kinds of dishes! Especially things like pancakes
very helpful for a newbie. thank you.
"We could not let the box of starter ruin our lives" Mike Hannigan
How long can we keep using and feeding our starter? I was confused about it being called “discard” as well. Why would I want to waste it.? Aren’t I using it in a whole range of goods?
The starter got that manifest destiny
Without any knowledge of making homemade bread, this sounded very foreign to me. But I love your channel🩷
So could we use that last “ discard “ to make more starter?
Yes
It’s not necessary for the same reason she’s saying discard it. Then you have two starters to feed for what end game? Same extra volume of starter taking up room and resources. Tho you could convert the new starter to a new flour like rye or whole wheat and have two different starters going /shrug. I have an AP and a rye starter on my fridge. Rye makes way better crackers
That makes sense. And it expands too
Best explanation. Ty. 👏 👏 👏
Great information! Thank you.
Thank you!!! I was wondering.
Hi, I like to use my discarded sourdough starter in different recipes and not waste it if you have any recommendations? Thank you
You really do need to look into the scrapings method of using sourdough.
Start with a tablespoon of sourdough. Tare your scales, and say you need 100 grams of starter the next morning. Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Next day, use your 100 grams of starter, leaving just the 1 tablespoon in the jar. Put that in your fridge for the next time. No need to discard anything.
That's great when your starter is well established. I'm talking about when you're first getting it going.
@@ButteredSideUpbake with Jack does the scraping method and that’s who I learned it from. The first 4 days when you are starting you starter you just do 25 grams of water and flour. After the 4th day you will have 200 grams of starter and it’s all bubbly and awesome with zero discard. Then you are ready to make 2 loaves. The scrapings will be left in the jar and put in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The night before you plan to make your bread you just add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water and leave it on the counter over night by morning it’s bubbly and ready to use. It works from the very get go. No need to discard even a new starter.
@@LivingtabithaIf you start with a tsp of flour and water, you don't have to discard much by the time it's going. And you can always keep that bit to be that much ahead if something goes wrong and you need to start over. Or just throw it in a straight dough. ❤
First time someone has mentioned 1:1:1 ratio! What an epiphany!
I only feed just before I bake. I never discard any starter. The starter does not need to be fed often when kept in the frig. My starter is almost 4 yrs old
Thank you
I now understand why
Again
Thank You 😊
I despise when people use the word "discard" when talking about an already established starter. This lady is correct, but you do not need to keep that much starter on hand all the time. If you don't want the responsibility of feeding it every day, put it in the fridge. No need to waste ingredients because you feel the need to throw away perfectly good starter. plenty of recipes to use it up! Its all about balance, and it's up to you how much starter you want, just plan ahead accordingly! ProTip: you can underfeed your starter, but you can NEVER over-feed it!
When you begin a starter from scratch, at what point do you consider it mature, like in 1 week?, enough to begin discard?
thanks for explaining
Or, you could do a different method that doesn't need to have discard. The "scraping" method works very well, especially if your starter is active and healthy.
With this method you only store about half of what you would need for a typical starter recipe. Then when you feed it, it gives you just enough for your recipie, plus a bit left to feed it again later. No discarding necessary, and it's very easy to increase the amount of starter necessary for a bigger batch if need be.
I've used this method successfully for over 2 years and I made sourdough bread in larger batches for the Farmer's markets during the summer. I'm now back down to my smaller amount.
I think that starter equal to water and flour is an unnecessarily high proportion. 1:5:5 or 1:10:10 works fine (unless you are in a big rush to have a quantity of starter), and reduces wastage.
Which I why said *at least* and *you can over feed it.* 😊
Why can’t I discard it into another starter jar and then feed it separately?
That’s what I do
I hate eating it!! I’ll freeze pizza dough, give it away. Anything not to waste it…
Makes sense. Thank you so much