New to sourdough -- someone just gifted me a starter

[Anonymous]

The starter is in my fridge, and I'm reading on the Internet what to do with it and feeling overwhelmed. Are there any sourdough experts that can explain in very basic terms how I go from what I have to a loaf of bread or something else? Also, is the goal to always preserve a little bit of the starter so I always have something to work with? How much attention should I be paying to the starter? (Sorry for the dummy questions. I know people will say "google is your friend" but in this case, I feel like google is overwhelming me.)

[Anonymous]

Would you find a book easier to use?
Tartine bread explains the process of baking naturally leavened bread quite well, and has good recipes too.

[Anonymous]

Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

[Anonymous]

NP
Thank you

[Anonymous]

NYT cooking has a great, step by step tutorial on how to make sourdough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

Hi PP, can I use gluten free flour with the above steps?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

If i fridge ferment I do 2:1 flour to water by volume, like 1 cup flour to 1/2 cup water because there it's so much condensation in a fridge 1:1 makes the starter too wet and easier to mold. OP you might want to experiment with that

I like this recipe for GF sourdough https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/gluten-free-sourdough-bread-recipe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

Hi PP, can I use gluten free flour with the above steps?

I don’t think so. I believe it needs the proteins (gluten) from traditional flour to continue. In a gluten free baker, and every sourdough recipe is a mock one that uses apple cider vinegar instead of real sourdough starters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

Hi PP, can I use gluten free flour with the above steps?

I have no idea, as I don't cook gluten free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

I need to correct this.

I feed 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water.

It was late and I typed it backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it is super easy.

Once per week, pull the starter out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

When it gets to room temp, stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup warm water.

Put a loose paper towel over the container, then let it sit until bubbly and doubled in size.

Stir.

Scoop out around 1 cup of starter and put it in a large bowl.

Cover the rest with a paper towel (secure w a rubber band) and put that back in the fridge to repeat the process next week.)

Add 1-1.5 cup warm tap water to the sour dough starter in the bowl. Stir to mix.

Add 1 tsp salt. Stir. (Later when you get more skilled you can add stuff like garlic rosemary, olive oil, etc at this point, but for now just add salt.)

Add in roughly 3-4 cups of flour, one scoop at a time. You can do all white flour, or a mix of flours such as white/whole wheat or white/high gluten pizza crust flour.

Stir in the flour one scoop at a time until is gets to a soft dough texture and sticks together. Not as dense as cookie dough or playdough, but enough that it forms a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.

Knead it lightly with floured hands to form a ball.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, or dust it with flour (flour will give you a crusty crust, olive oil will give you a crispy chewy crust)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside until doubled. This can take several hours depending on how warm your house is.

Once it is doubled, punch it down, knead it briefly, form a loaf and put it into a greased pan (I use a cast iron skillet) or on a cookie tray covered in parchment.

Cover and let rise overnight until doubled.

Heat oven to 450°

Bale until golden, around 30 minutes. If you flick the crust and it sounds hollow, it is finished.

** Some recipes say to put it in a dutch oven and cover when baking. That makes a great sourdough, but if you aren't that fancy, you can just bake it. It is difficult to screw up.

If i fridge ferment I do 2:1 flour to water by volume, like 1 cup flour to 1/2 cup water because there it's so much condensation in a fridge 1:1 makes the starter too wet and easier to mold. OP you might want to experiment with that

I like this recipe for GF sourdough https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/gluten-free-sourdough-bread-recipe

YES.

Good catch!

I should have typed it in reverse. I did not proof my post and got the ratio backwards.

[Anonymous]

I like the recipes in this blog a lot, especially the discard pancake recipe https://www.theperfectloaf.com/
Since you have a mature starter you don’t need to throw out the discard. I use mine and follow the scrapings method, basically using nearly all the jar and then feeding 1:1