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FEED SOURDOUGH STARTER
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How to feed sourdough starter with another type of flour

This is part II of our sourdough starter guide. There are several reasons why people want to switch flour for their sourdough starters. Whatever reasons you have, it is very easy to so!

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale
  • 1 500g Glass jar with lid heat-resistant, canning jars
  • 2-3 Metal Spoons long-enough for the jars
  • 1-2 Bowls

Ingredients you need

  • 25 g Warm water for stiff sourdough starter ~ 40 °C or  50g warm water for liquid starter
  • 50 g All-purpose flour or the type of flour you baked with the most
  • 10 g Cold and active rye sourdough starter see Part I
  • Boiling water clean all utensils

Feeding sourdough starter

  • 25 g Warm water ~ 40 °C
  • 50 g All-purpose flour or the type of flour you used
  • 10 g Active sourdough starter
  • Boiling water clean all utensils

Directions

Switching flour for your sourdough starter

  • In a small clean jar, add 50g of all-purpose flour (or flour of your choice) into 25g of warm water. Thereafter, add 10g of the active rye sourdough starter (see Part I)  into the jar. Do not throw away the rest of the rye sourdough starter until the new sourdough starter has grown successfully. In case, the new sourdough starter did not work out, you can switch the rye sourdough starter again. In addition, it is also possible to own several types of sourdough starters for different types of sourdoughs.
  • Mix the ingredients with a clean spoon until you get a smooth texture.
  • With the help of a second spoon, smoothen the top of the mixture until you get a flat surface. Mark the height of your mixture with a permanent marker.
  • Gently place the lid on the jar, without screwing the lid. Simply cover the mixture with the lid.
  • Place the jar in a warm place (between 26 °C and 30 °C) for about 8 to 12 hours. Sometimes, it takes shorter time for the sourdough starter to rise, if you see the signs from number 6.
  • The height of the sourdough starter should at least be doubled. In addition, there should be many bubbles in the starter. The starter has risen to its maximum and fallen a little. The sourdough starter should start to produce a mild fruity and citrusy smell.
  • Using the new sourdough starter, repeat the whole process for another three to five times to strengthen your sourdough starter.
  • Keep the jar with the lid (loosely place on top of the jar) into the refrigerator. Feed your sourdough about once a week.

Feeding sourdough starter

  • In a small clean jar, add 50g of all-purpose flour (or the flour you used in previous steps) into 50g of warm water. Thereafter, add 10g of the sourdough starter into the jar. Do not throw away the rest of the old sourdough starter until the new sourdough starter has grown successfully. In case, the new sourdough starter did not work out, you can refresh the old sourdough starter again.
  • Mix the ingredients with a clean spoon until you get a smooth texture.
  • With the help of a second spoon, smoothen the top of the mixture until you get a flat surface. Mark the height of your mixture with a permanent marker.
  • Gently place the lid on the jar, without screwing the lid. Simply cover the mixture with the lid.
  • Place the jar in a warm place (between 21 °C and 26 °C) for about 6 to 12 hours. Sometimes, it takes shorter time for the sourdough starter to rise, if you see the signs from the next step.
  • The height of the sourdough starter should at least be doubled. In addition, there should be many bubbles in the starter. The starter has risen to its maximum and fallen a little. The sourdough starter should start to produce a mild fruity and citrusy smell.
  • Keep the jar with the lid (loosely place on top of the jar) into the refrigerator. Feed your sourdough about once a week.