Hi All and happy New Years
I have a question and I’m hoping someone can clarify it for me.
This is my first adventure in sourdough starters and looking forward to trying some of the great recipe on this site. I’ve built my starter to a sufficient quantity for baking now. However I’m a bit fuzzy on storing it. Did I read the instruction right on NOT to storing it in a airtight container?
It seems counterintuitive but like I say this is my first time around.
Thank You for your Time
Dennis
@djames7479, Hi Dennis. Happy New Year!
I’m fairly new at sourdough myself but even though it sounds a bit strange, do NOT store your sourdough in an airtight container. It’s a living organism and as such needs access to oxygen. I store my sourdough, named Cyril, in my refrigerator in one of these jars I bought here on Breadtopia. https://breadtopia.com/store/sourdough-starter-jar/ It’s the perfect jar for storing sourdough! By making sure the rubber ring on the lid is removed it allows the right amount of air to circulate while keeping debris and unwanted elements out of your sourdough when the lid is closed. I feed Cyril once a week, more if I’m actively baking. Cyril loves it and is a happy starter.
Enjoy your bread journey and enjoy your sourdough starter.
Leah
Some of the little beasties in starter do need oxygen. However, the fermentation process by which yeast “eats” flour and produces gas bubbles is anaerobic (which means without oxygen). For that, you want a loose container cover to let the carbon dioxide gas fermentation product OUT rather than building up pressure in the container.
Thanks you guys that helps a lot and make sense too…
Happy baking
Dennis