Any Home Bakers Here?

[Aria]

Lol...I feel like I'm back in school and hearing chants of "Doooo It! Doooo It!"

SnapdragonQ, When I first started with Sourdough Starter 2016...I did
what most people do. Like you, ask a lot of questions and want to do
what is correct. Jut ask and someone will give you the correct way. You
WILL master it and it is FUN. Aria

 

[ronott1]

When you (general you) are building a new sourdough starter, can you keep the discard in a jar in the fridge (or where ever) and add the subsequent discards to it until you have enough discard to make something with?
What I mean is when I tend to make pancakes or something simple, I make a lot at once, like a triple batch, so I can freeze the extras and then they are easy grabs for kiddo for breakfasts.
Can the discards be saved up for a mega batch of something?

When you start from scratch, you will have to discard until the starter starts bubbling. Sometimes it can be fast but it can take 3 to 5 days to get going.

After it starts bubbling you rarely have to discard the extra starter. The discard is the part that you use to make something LOL. Then you feed it with flour(GF flour in your case) and water and then let it bubble before putting it into the fridge.

You can make crumpets with the first couple of discards after bubbling. You need the sour from the lactobacillus to react with the soda in the crumpets or pancakes

 

[Aria]

I bake usually once a week....I use my starter in the baking. Feed
the starter with same amount I removed ...let it sit out for a few hours...
give it a time to Eat (the flour and water added) and then put it back
in the refrigerator....until I bake. YOU will get a schedule....that works
for you. You will be in charge. ENJOY. Aria

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I never really have discard for Sour Dough. I take the jar of starter out of the fridge, feed it, and let it sit overnight. I remove what I need for baking and put the rest back in the refrigerator. If I use most of it for baking, I will feed it again, let it sit overnight and then refrigerate.
If I am not baking for a while, I will take it out and feed it, let it sit overnight and then put it back in the fridge without removing any. If I eventually get too much starter in my jar, I make Amish friendship bread or cherry (or apple) sourdough coffee cake to use the extra up.

Once in a great while, I will pour the extra down the drain to give the septic a treat, lol.

Ok. This for once it's established, right? And that makes sense if you have a big jar. (love me some half gallon mason jars...lol)
Won't I need to take some of it off when I'm going through the process of making it from scratch?

Are the starter packets worth it? I've found a GF culture here-
https://shop.culturesforhealth.com/

This place has all kinds of cool ctarter cultures. If anyone makes cheeses, kefir, yogurts, or the like they have them. I used to make cheese and yogurt a lot.

 

[ronott1]

Ok. This for once it's established, right? And that makes sense if you have a big jar. (love me some half gallon mason jars...lol)
Won't I need to take some of it off when I'm going through the process of making it from scratch?

Are the starter packets worth it? I've found a GF culture here-
https://shop.culturesforhealth.com/

This place has all kinds of cool ctarter cultures. If anyone makes cheeses, kefir, yogurts, or the like they have them. I used to make cheese and yogurt a lot.

With the way shipping is going now, Starting a new one might be much faster

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I think I'm confused...is there a difference in the starting of the starter discards ...vs...the regular maintenance discards?
Can the beginning discards while you are first building it be used for anything?

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I used to have once once...back in like the late 90's I think. Loooong time ago.
(man, I just dated myself)

 

[ronott1]

I think I'm confused...is there a difference in the starting of the starter discards ...vs...the regular maintenance discards?
Can the beginning discards while you are first building it be used for anything?

When you start a brand new starter, the yeast gets into the starter from the air. The directions usually have you tossing part of the starter in the morning and the evening for several days until the yeast colony is established and lactobacillus is bubbling in the starter too.

During the establishing time, the starter is merely flour and water without the buggies that make it sourdough

 

[SnapdragonQ]

When you start a brand new starter, the yeast gets into the starter from the air. The directions usually have you tossing part of the starter in the morning and the evening for several days until the yeast colony is established and lactobacillus is bubbling in the starter too.

During the establishing time, the starter is merely flour and water without the buggies that make it sourdough

That's what I was wondering. Everything I can find said to toss the discards for the first days while getting it started.

My flours are generally 6 to 10 times more expensive than typical flours, can the un-bubbly dud discard be used for anything? I know it won't have that sourdough taste yet but the idea of dumping a few bucks every other day is a little ouchie.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Thinking about a fresh raspberry coffee cake here