Welcome to Hotline Roundup, the weekly series where we gather up your questions from the week (and pepper in some from the Hotline archives) about a specific culinary topic. Sourdough is the pinnacle of baking projects, and as such, people tend to have a lot of questions about how to tackle it. The Hotline is here to give you some guidance and couple of key answers:
Can I buy a sourdough starter?
Yes! While we think creating your own starter is really simple (and we have a super comprehensive guide for doing so), we know it can be intimidating. Buying a happy and healthy starter can be a great way to get into sourdough baking.
As you may have heard, the flavor a starter gives your bread will grow in complexity as it ages. Using a friend’s starter that they’ve been maintaining for 5 years can be a perfect shortcut. Also if you’re truly obsessed with the bread at your local bakery, you can often buy a bit of starter from them.
Why is my sourdough so dense?
This typically means your dough was underproofed which could be caused by: an underactive starter, not enough time on your counter, insufficient kneading, and/or low hydration levels.
The three ways to most effectively tell if your starter isn’t active enough for baking is if the starter no longer contains bubbles, has no sour smell, or the temperature has gone below 70ºF.
You can also do what’s called the float test: drop a small bit of starter into a glass of water, if it floats, your starter should be ready to use.
Is it ever unsafe to revive a starter?
Unless there is visible mold on your starter or it has developed a strange color (other than the hooch, a thin liquid layer that can form on top of your starter), you are clear to revive it!
If it's dried out, you can pulverize or blend it, then rehydrate it. Otherwise just start the feeding process over again with equal parts flour and water.
What else can be made with sourdough?
So much! Many of the best pizzerias forgo yeast for a sourdough starter to get that iconic tang. It’s also great in baked goods like chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, and pretzels.
Best flours for making a starter?
AP Flour is the most accessible and reliable flour for making starter, but things like whole wheat or rye can be added to impart additional microbes, nutrients, and of course, flavor.
Any tips for high elevation?
Super high elevations can cause faster fermentation, so you may find that you have to feed your starter a bit more frequently. You may also have to slightly increase the hydration of your starter and dough to compensate for the drier air.
Have any more questions? Ask away on our Hotline or drop us a line at 1 (877)-52-HOTLINE.
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