The living starter

Lesson 3 of 4

Work with a stiff starter

A 50%-hydration starter feels like a small piece of dough rather than pancake batter.

Ingredients for this learning path

• Unbleached flour
• Whole rye or whole wheat flour, optional
• Water
• An established healthy starter, or flour and water to begin

Equipment

• Digital scale
• Clean jar with loosely fitted lid
• Spatula
• Elastic band or marker

The lesson

1. To build 90 g of 50%-hydration starter from a 100%-hydration culture, mix 20 g seed starter, 50 g flour and 20 g water. The total contains 60 g flour and 30 g water.
2. Knead into a firm dough and place in a clean container with room to rise. Mark its height and loosely cover.
3. Judge ripeness by expansion, aeration and a pleasantly fermented aroma. Stiff cultures can rise differently from liquid ones; learn your flour and temperature.
4. When adapting a recipe, account for the flour and water already in the starter. Keep total flour, hydration and salt consistent.

The baker’s note

Sol & Sahara’s stiff-starter approach is a useful option, not a requirement for all good sourdough.

Practice

Build a small stiff levain and calculate its total flour and water.

Technique lessons may require a separate complete formula. Read the full path before mixing.