Refrigerator starter time to feed

Baking Techniques
1

A week ago I put fed starter in fridge. It doubled in there but did not fall or get hooch. Is it hungry?

2

@Crystalview, If your starter is living in the refrigerator, IMHO you can safely stir it down to remove excess air bubbles and give it a good feeding once a week. At least, that’s what I’ve been doing with Cyril. I leave Cyril on the counter a minimum of 6 hours (in the summer) to feed before putting him back in the refrigerator. Once I’ve stirred him down and given him a feeding I use a sticky note to mark the level he’s at on the jar he’s in. That way I can see how much he’s growing during the time I leave him out on the counter. if I’ve fed him early enough in the day I’ll wait until I see him collapse a bit in the jar (after he’s risen, of course) before putting him back in the refrigerator. As long as your starter has risen nicely (double in size is what you’re looking for) but honestly, Cyril doesn’t quite double in size. He comes close though. If you’ve gotten a fairly good rise and it’s getting to be bedtime, go ahead and put him back in the refrigerator for safe keeping. BTW, Cyril doesn’t get any hooch or liquid either and he’s a plenty happy little starter. I think the basic rule of thumb is to feed once a week if your starter is living in the refrigerator. The more you bake, the more often you’ll have to feed. Make sure you have at least 30 grams of starter to feed so you can grow more. So remember NOT to use up all your starter in your jar. Save some to grow more. I do tend to keep a larger amount of Cyril around, but that’s just what I want to do. Lots of people don’t keep as much starter around as I do.

Leah

3

Leah thanks for the words there comfortably helpful

1 Like
4

Ok! Did you mean “stir down”. During the week or just on feeding day? Saturday I divide in half and start some for a friend. It has cool off here too, so I will watch for the rise

1 Like
5

@Crystalview, I stir Cyril down before I measure him out to use for baking and before feeding. Some people also recommend stirring down in-between while your starter is just inactive in the refrigerator to release air bubbles and help the starter “breathe.” Stirring down at any time does not hurt your starter at all and may even help it. Whatever works for you and your starter! Enjoy!

Leah

6

Oops forgot to fridge feed for three weeks. Whats next? Thanks!

7

This shouldn’t be a problem at all. I’d pull out to room temp, discard some and feed the remainder. Probably 1:1:1 and leave it at room temp. If it’s slow to grow; wait until it peaks, refeed at room temp.

1 Like
8

hi Melissa,
I am also in the new boat of starters.
I had to put my starter in the fridge as I awaited my other flour to arive.

I don’t know what to do now or where it is at in terms of being ready to proceed with the Miche Recipe.

Please help.

9

When you put your starter in the fridge was it nice and active? Give a brief history of your starter and how much of it you have now.

10

okay.
I got the active starter from Breadtopia.
I was feeding it as instructed to make the Miche bread.
I got to a step where I was to do something with all three flours and realized, I did not have that 3rd flour…
I asked if I could you regular wheat flour but the terminology in replies through me for a loop that I did not understand.
so now, the flour is here because I have to make it as the recipe states because Im new to the process.

I can’t substiture this for that and doing ratios and not understand what the heck I"m doing it for.

so, it was fed about 3 times. and then I put it in the fridge because I did not have the needed flour.

the flour is here and now I’m ready to begin again.

I don’t know what I am to do with the refridgerated starter at this point and then to proceed to the next steps in the recipe.

11

Ok… think I understand. You’ve activated and fed the starter from breadtopia. Got it nice and active but didn’t have the correct flour for the miche recipe. It’s been sitting in the fridge waiting for your flour to arrive.

Just had a look at the miche recipe on this site which I presume is the one you’re referring to. It starts with a pre-ferment using 100g starter…

Preferment

Mix up the preferment in a small bowl with space for tripling, cover, and let it rise overnight (8-12 hours) at room temperature. If your home is warmer than 75F or your starter is ripe, use cold water. (I’ve used slightly overfermented/deflated preferment, and the dough turned out fine.)

So 8-12 hours before mixing the final dough prepare the pre-ferment using 100g of your starter. Once it’s active, bubbly and has a nice aroma then you’re ready to go onto the next part of the recipe.

I’m assuming you have more than 100g starter in your fridge.

12

I don’t know what’s in that jar… but it is very close to begining. I think it’s at least 100 g.

Do I wait for this starter to come to room temperature before doing this Preferment part?

Please explain what Preferment means and why I’m doing this. Now remember, I don’t know SD terminology so you may have to use other words until I understand what I’m doing. :slight_smile:

13

Well you’re going to need more than 100g starter. 100g starter for the recipe plus extra to keep going. So first thing I suggest is finding out how much you have. If more than 100g then fine. If not then you will need to feed it and allow it to mature before using in the recipe.

Starters can be used a number of ways. Pre-ferments can be thought of as off-shoot starters custom built for the recipe being followed. And your actual starter is what you keep going but isn’t necessarily built to any specific recipe.

That’s a very simplified way of explaining it.

Everyone keeps their starter slightly differently and giving a pre-ferment also allows a recipe to bring everyone who’s following it in-line with the recipe.

There’s a number of reasons but in reality there’s no one correct way. Someone developing a recipe can use different techniques taking into account how they wish the final loaf to turn out. The only real way to understand, what seems so complicated now, is simply to use your starter and follow different recipes/techniques. The more you do this the more you’ll understand the why’s.

14

Gottcha, and thank you.
I get it. i"m planning on 1/2ing the recipe as I don’t want to large bread flops if it doesn’t happen and It’s only for me, no family or friends.

So, I know I do have at least 50 grams of starter.

1 Like
15

Best of luck. Looking forward to seeing the results.

16

wait a minute… lol.

what do I do, let it come to room temp or feed it ?

17

I don’t think it matters much whether you let the starter warm up first. If your house is warm, like over 75F, then maybe don’t warm it up before feeding.

Here’s a simple outline of what you’re doing:

  1. Nourishing overnight a levain/starter/preferment i.e. huge population of microbes

  2. Mixing everything together into a dough and refrigerating it for about 24 hours i.e. allowing the microbes to multiply even more, and ferment the bread dough (eat the sugars, create CO2 bubbles, strengthen stretchiness)

  3. Shaping the dough into a loaf
    (I don’t remember if I wrote in a preshape and bench rest, but feel free to skip those steps if you want, and just form the dough into whatever shape your proofing basket and baking vessel support.)

  4. Letting the dough rise a little more while it’s in the form of a loaf (not a lot though)

  5. Preheating and baking the loaf in an enclosed vessel that traps steam and makes an awesome crispy crust.

Enjoy!

18

Doesn’t need to have been refreshed. But it’s up to you. Before you refrigerated your new starter had you nurtured it to good health? Was it active? If yes, then just go onto the pre-ferment. If you think it needs some more tlc then it can only benefit.

1 Like
19

Got it mixed and covered and set on stove with plasic on top.

do I feed the remaining starter and put in fridge or just put the remainder in the fridge as is?

20

Up to you. If you have a lot left and it hasn’t been too long since it was last fed then you can put it back in the fridge. If you’re running low and it’s been a while since the last feed then you can feed it, 1:1:1 or higher, allow it to double then put it back in the fridge.

Over time you’ll find your own way if keeping the starter. Don’t wish to confuse you as there’s no one correct way for this either :dizzy_face:
Best way is to find a maintenance schedule that suits you and keeps your starter healthy.

Typically I build 100g max, allow it to double then refrigerate. When it comes to baking I’ll take some off to build a pre-ferment. When it runs low, down to 10-20g, I’ll feed it topping it back up to 100g, allow it to double then back in the fridge it goes… and so on.

That’s just my way though. You can try it but i’m sure before long you’ll find your own way. Getting used to maintaining a starter comes with time and before long you won’t even think about it.

1 Like