2019-07-01_Bake_from_Scratch

SourdoughSourdough Discard Discard

You can’t just pour your discard down the drain—you did

know that, right?—so in the spirit of “waste not, want

not,” we worked our discard into a couple of recipes in

this issue. Note that both of these recipes call for more

discard than a single feeding will yield. To get the large

amount needed, save up several days’ worth of discard

in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake with it,

take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room

temperature before using.

Sourdough Discard Brownies

page 112

Berry-Filled Sourdough Discard Doughnuts

page 51

Bepatient.“Alotofpeoplethinkthat

if afterthesecondday,there’sno

activity,theydidit wrong,andthey’ll

throwit away.Dependingonthe

environment—thetemperature,the

humidity,etc.—itcouldtakeuptotwo

weeksforyourstartertoreallyhavea

regularactiveriseandfall.Don’tdump

it justbecauseyoudon’timmediately

seea difference.So,havepatience.”

The Starter Virtues withJoshua Weissman

WITHMORETHANHALFAMILLIONVIEWSONHIS“THEULTIMATESOURDOUGH

STARTERGUIDE”YOUTUBEVIDEO,JOSHUAWEISSMANHASSHAREDSOME

STARTERWISDOMWITHQUITEAFEWFIRST-TIMEBAKERS.FOLLOWHISTHREE

MAINVIRTUESFORAFAILPROOFFIRSTSTARTER.

Keepit simple.“Youdon’t

needspecialtyororganic

flours.Youdon’tneedany

fancyequipment.You

justneedthebasics—

flourandwater—to

makesomethingpretty

extraordinary.Although

a digitalscaledefinitely

helpsthings.”

Benurturing. “Allright,I’mliterallythat

guythatbringsmysourdoughstarteronplanes

withmeforlongtrips.Whilethatcanbeextreme,takeaway

this:themoreyoufeedyourstarter,thehappierit is.Storingit

intherefrigeratorfora periodoftimeis fine,butjustremember

you’llhavetospenda spellgettingit properlyactiveagain.

Onceyoudogetyourstartergoing,keepa regularfeeding

schedule,inroomtemperatureconditions,soyoucanhavea

moreactive,flavorful,andaggressivestarter.”

Refrigerating Sourdough Starter

Even the most dedicated bakers go on vacation—so what
to do with that active sourdough starter? You can cover
and store it in the refrigerator for a week without feeding
it. When you’re ready to bake with it, keep up a daily
feeding schedule for the next week, until it begins to rise
and fall at a steady rate again.