Alternative uses for Sourdough Starter

[erickso1]

Rather then throwing it out. What else do people here do with excess starter? I'll be doing pancakes this weekend, but wanted to start putting together some ideas for going forward.

 

[ian]

I’ve done pancakes, raised waffles, quick improvised flatbreads (3-4 hrs total?), chicken & sourdough dumplings. Find a bread product and put “sourdough” in front of it.

Or chuck it in the deep fryer?

 

[Carl Kotte]

Rather then throwing it out. What else do people here do with excess starter? I'll be doing pancakes this weekend, but wanted to start putting together some ideas for going forward.

Here’s one thing I’ve been doing lately following a local guru. I never throw away any starter. Instead I keep the amount of sourdough I have in my starter jar to about 25 g. When I know I’m going to make some bread I simply add 100 g of water and 55 g of rye flour and wait until the starter is ready to use (i.e. it doubles or triples in volume). While this method may not be ideal, it does save you a lot of flour (something my regular go to stores have had very little of lately).

Since I didn’t quite answer your question though, here’s something more in line with what you asked for: cinamon roles and pizza!

 

[Matt Zilliox]

i make pizza dough sometimes, my dogs really love to eat it on their food too. im always looking for new uses though. i like the waffles idea, as im often reviving in the mornings.

 

[Bensbites]

Here’s one thing I’ve been doing lately following a local guru. I never throw away any starter. Instead I keep the amount of sourdough I have in my starter jar to about 25 g. When I know I’m going to make some bread I simply add 100 g of water and 55 g of rye flour and wait until the starter is ready to use (i.e. it doubles or triples in volume). While this method may not be ideal, it does save you a lot of flour (something my regular go to stores have had very little of lately).

Since I didn’t quite answer your question though, here’s something more in line with what you asked for: cinamon roles and pizza!

I keep 20-30 grams of starter going. I feed it every 24 hrs and can sleep well even if I go through 20 g of flour a day.

 

[Carl Kotte]

I keep 20-30 grams of starter going. I feed it every 24 hrs and can sleep well even if I go through 20 g of flour a day.

Oh, I even let my 25 grams go hungry for days (or weeks) sometimes. It isn’t always in great shape when I start feeding it again, but it recovers after a few days of snacking.

 

[Michi]

I got tired of the daily feeding. I now have 150 g of starter in a jar in the fridge. Every Saturday, I remove 100 g and add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. Let it sit on the bench for an hour or two until it starts to show some activity, then it goes back in the fridge for a week.

That's 50 g of flour per week, which is cheap, and less work than the daily feeding.

When I need some starter for baking, I feed it the day before, and once more the following day, a few hours before baking, so it's going gangbusters by the time I add it to the dough.

 

[Michi]

Oh, I even let my 25 grams go hungry for days (or weeks) sometimes. It isn’t always in great shape when I start feeding it again, but it recovers after a few days of snacking.

Yeah. Just feed it before you try to use it

 

[LostHighway]

I got tired of the daily feeding. I now have 150 g of starter in a jar in the fridge. Every Saturday, I remove 100 g and add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. Let it sit on the bench for an hour or two until it starts to show some activity, then it goes back in the fridge for a week.

That's 50 g of flour per week, which is cheap, and less work than the daily feeding.

When I need some starter for baking, I feed it the day before, and once more the following day, a few hours before baking, so it's going gangbusters by the time I add it to the dough.

This is almost exactly the formula I used for my starter when I was in Maine. It was totally trouble free.

 

[Alwayzbakin]

Crumpets with old starter can be amazing! I used to use a 50:50 whole wheat/white starter when at 100%hydration. I started making crumpets with it in the Philippines: the whole wheat flour I was using there is crazy strong (I was able to make stretched roti with 100% WW!) and the crumpets there came out incredible! When I came to New Zealand I tried making it a few times and the texture wasn’t quite as nice. I’m pretty sure the difference was the flour but I didn’t play enough to know for sure. Either way it was still yummy and easy. The recipe I found online from a bakery in the Uk I can’t remember.
I haven’t made these in a couple years so my memory of the process isn’t as precise as I’d like.

Crumpets

6in. Pan (could scale down for thickness)
3 salt
3.5 soda
20 honey
270 starter

9in pan
3.75 salt
4.38 soda
25 honey
337.5 starter

I cook them in the whole nonstick sautee pan rather than rings cause it’s just easier and I don’t have rings.

Preheat your pan over low heat with a little oil or butter. Add all ingredients in a bowl and fold carefully but quickly: the goal is to distribute the baking soda evenly while knocking out as little air as possible. Pour into hot pan and cook over low heat until all bubbles are popped on top. Takes about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness. If you are getting too much colour on the bottom you could finish in the oven. Afterward I usually crisp the top and recrisp the bottom on medium heat for a few minutes. Cut into wedges and top with sweet or savoury goodness!

 

[Michi]

3 salt
3.5 soda
20 honey
270 starter

I'd like to try this.

What are the units here? Grams, ounces, cups? Also, I assume that "soda" means unsweetened soda water, rather than baking soda?

 

[ian]

I got tired of the daily feeding. I now have 150 g of starter in a jar in the fridge. Every Saturday, I remove 100 g and add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. Let it sit on the bench for an hour or two until it starts to show some activity, then it goes back in the fridge for a week.

That's 50 g of flour per week, which is cheap, and less work than the daily feeding.

When I need some starter for baking, I feed it the day before, and once more the following day, a few hours before baking, so it's going gangbusters by the time I add it to the dough.

Yeah. Just feed it before you try to use it

Weekly feeding(ish), fridge starter is what I do too. Sometimes I’m even lazy and make a pizza on Saturday that is supposed to use a levain that you build the night before, using a starter you fed the day before, and instead of the levain I just grab 100 g of the week old starter straight from the fridge (I usually keep around 150) combine it with some hotter than usual water, and bing bam boom or whatever, awesome pizza dough! Don’t tell the professionals, but if your starter is well established, it generally works just fine. Ssh!

(probably the flavor would be slightly better if I was more careful, but imo it’s still a better crust than I can get anywhere in Boston...)

 

[ian]

I'd like to try this.

What are the units here? Grams, ounces, cups? Also, I assume that "soda" means unsweetened soda water, rather than baking soda?

I’d guess grams, soda = baking soda.

looks tasty, @Alwayzbakin. I’m inspired.

 

[Paraffin]

I got tired of the daily feeding. I now have 150 g of starter in a jar in the fridge. Every Saturday, I remove 100 g and add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. Let it sit on the bench for an hour or two until it starts to show some activity, then it goes back in the fridge for a week.

Same here, with a rye starter I've maintained for 2 years now. Easy enough to convert to non-rye if I need it. I'm using 70g instead of 50g so I can peel off the alcohol "hooch" layer on top that this one likes to do, but it's the same idea. Weekly feeding with fresh rye flour and water, then back in the fridge for a week to go back to sleep until the next feeding.

 

[Alwayzbakin]

I’d guess grams, soda = baking soda.

looks tasty, @Alwayzbakin. I’m inspired.

Yep weight in grams and pan size in inches. I’ve been moving around too much I’m confused.
And soda as in bicarb or baking soda

 

[ian]

I'm using 70g instead of 50g so I can peel off the alcohol "hooch" layer on top that this one likes to do, but it's the same idea.

Oh oh! New thread idea:

Ideas for leftover starter hooch?

Any cocktail suggestions?

 

[LostHighway]

@ian, this doesn't appear to be the year but if you get up to Maine in the summer stop in a Head Tide Oven https://www.headtideoven.com/ in Damariscotta. The baker and her husband own some fishing camps in Patagonia and are only around during the summer. She usually doesn't open until mid-June and closes by last August or early September. All the breads are sourdough and her baguettes, while a bit less consistent, tend to be tastier than those of Maine's premier bakery, Standard Baking Co. in Portland (commercial yeast).
There is also a bread fair and "kneading conference" in Skowheagan in July http://kneadingconference.com/ , at least in a normal year.

 

[pleue]

straight as a green onion or kimchi pancake batter. Works with some grated nagaimo as okonomiyaki batter too.

 

[ian]

@ian, this doesn't appear to be the year but if you get up to Maine in the summer stop in a Head Tide Oven https://www.headtideoven.com/ in Damariscotta. The baker and her husband own some fishing camps in Patagonia and are only around during the summer. She usually doesn't open until mid-June and closes by last August or early September. All the breads are sourdough and her baguettes, while a bit less consistent, tend to be tastier than those of Maine's premier bakery, Standard Baking Co. in Portland (commercial yeast).
There is also a bread fair and "kneading conference" in Skowheagan in July http://kneadingconference.com/ , at least in a normal year.

Excellent, thanks for the recs! I’m a fan of Standard Baking Co, at least. My family of 3 goes up to Portland periodically (once every year or two) to eat the food and visit the children’s museum. Visited strata last time I was there. Wonderful place.. can’t wait for the webstore.

 

[Michi]

Sourdough crepe suzette:

 

[Carl Kotte]

Yeah. Just feed it before you try to use it

Thanks for reminding me Michi !

 

[Michi]

Crumpets with old starter can be amazing!

I just tried this. Came out very tasty. Thanks for the inspiration and recipe!

 

[SomeRandomDude]

I have just this week discovered sourdough starter. I fried some with oil and salt into a pancake. Upon tasting it, my wife went from "urgh, what is that crap your are brewing?" to "HOW DO I MAKE MORE!?!?!" - hilarious.

 

[tkern]

I've been cooking off the alcohol in different whiskeys and adding that to my starter. I'm actually right in the process of rolling a boule of it into a dutch oven to bake. Haven't tried this method before.
You could use the left over starter to make crackers. Sheet pan lined with a silpat and nonstick cooking spray. Spread it all over and season with whatever herbs or spices you want then bake.

 

[Michi]

I've been cooking off the alcohol in different whiskeys and adding that to my starter. I'm actually right in the process of rolling a boule of it into a dutch oven to bake. Haven't tried this method before.

That's an interesting idea! I imagine that the results would be similar to beer bread. After all, whiskey is basically distilled beer. Whiskey has more complex flavours than beer; I don't know how much of that would come through in the finished bread though.

Let us know how this goes please!

 

[tkern]

The whiskey didn't come through but maybe if I kept feeding it whiskey over a week or so it would. Honestly, I just drank the whiskey I had set aside instead of metering it out for the starter. The dutch oven method though worked great. Nice chewy interior and crisp outside. I did put a pan full of water on the bottom rack with the dutch oven on the middle. 450 degrees for 10 minutes drop down to 375. Removed the lid after 30min. 45 more minutes after reducing heat.

 

[Jimboss]

Same here, with a rye starter I've maintained for 2 years now. Easy enough to convert to non-rye if I need it. I'm using 70g instead of 50g so I can peel off the alcohol "hooch" layer on top that this one likes to do, but it's the same idea. Weekly feeding with fresh rye flour and water, then back in the fridge for a week to go back to sleep until the next feeding.

I use this method and it works well and saves a ton of waste. Even if you leave if for a really long time in the fridge and neglect it, it will come back to normal within a couple days of feeding (with rye) outside the fridge after removing the hooch.

 

[Michi]

Honestly, I just drank the whiskey I had set aside instead of metering it out for the starter.

That was a smart move, I thoroughly approve!

The dutch oven method though worked great. Nice chewy interior and crisp outside. I did put a pan full of water on the bottom rack with the dutch oven on the middle. 450 degrees for 10 minutes drop down to 375. Removed the lid after 30min. 45 more minutes after reducing heat.

I've just been using my dutch oven, no water. Plonk the loaf into the pre-heated dutch oven at 260 ºC, lid on, and bake for twenty minutes. Then turn temp down to 230 ºC, remove the lid, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until it looks right. This seems to work fine; apparently, enough water comes out of the dough for it to generate its own steam inside the dutch oven.

 

[ian]

Nice to see someone frying up the starter on video, at 2:20.

 

[ian]

Fried up starter, as above. Super good.