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#### Keeping Starter on the Counter
NOTE: This method works well for those who bake sourdough bread
muliple times during the week, and who also like making other baked
goods with leftover starter. In this chapter, a stiff starter (60
percent hydration) is discussed, but these techniques will work just
as well for a wet starter (100% hydration). This personal account was
written by JMonkey.
This is how I maintain my own starter, which I created in 2005. I'm a
telecommuter who works from home, and I bake bread for the family two
to three times a week. Occasionally, I'll make a loaf with commercial
yeast, but typically, I make sourdoughs. Also, on the weekend, I like
to make sourdough English muffins and sourdough waffles.
Keeping my starter in the fridge meant I was constantly trying to
remember when I needed to take the stuff out to rev it up for bread,
and I'd often realize too late that I didn't have enough starter for
the muffins or waffles.
After some tinkering, I finally decided to keep the starter on the
counter and feed it once or twice a day, which means I've always got
at least enough active starter for my overnight whole grain sourdough,
and, if I'll need more for a daytime sourdough, I've got enough to
seed a bigger amount that can ripen while I sleep. The regimen that I
now follow also has the advantage of not wasting anything, because I
use all the extra starter stored in the fridge to make all the waffles
and English muffins I want. Since both of these recipes derive most of
their rise from the interaction of acids and baking soda, using
week-old starter from the fridge has enough oomph for leavening and
flavor, given that it's gotten pretty acidic already.
Anyway, I'm not saying this is *the* way to maintain a starter - it's
just what works for me at this time in my life.
I usually feed it twice a day, once in the morning and once again
before bed. Sometimes I forget, though, and only feed it once a day,
but it doesn't seem to mind much. I keep it at 60% hydration, which is
pretty stiff, but I find it's less messy and stands up a bit better
that the wet stuff would to a missed feeding here and there, due to my
forgetful nature. Here's how I feed it (it's a 1-3-5 ratio for
starter-water-flour by weight).
In the morning, it hasn't risen much, but it feels puffy, and when I
break it open, it's clearly aerated inside. Sometimes, it actually
blows the lid off the plastic container.
It weighs about 45 grams, so I take 5 grams of it (about the size of a
small marble) and put the rest in my fridge bowl. These leftovers will
find their way into waffles or English muffins later in the week.
Then I add 15 grams (1 Tbs) of water and mush it up until it's soft
and the water has turned somewhat milky in color.
Then I add 25 grams (2 heaping Tbs or 2 Tbs + 1 tsp) of whole wheat
flour.
(If you're maintaining a wet starter, simply increase the water to 25
grams)
Finally, I mix it all up with a spoon, take it out and knead it a bit
in my hands, which consists of folding it over on itself four or five
times. I then roll it into a ball, snap on the lid and let it work.
That's it. I've found it's not that much of a hassle to feed it twice
a day and is much less annoying than realizing I can't make a
sourdough because I forgot to take my starter out of the fridge and
feed it.
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