Welcome back to bread baking and now with your very own starter! It is fun and certainly can be a learning experience so no need to become discouraged. There can be many questions! From the time the King Arthur Flour’s fresh sourdough starter arrives and the maintenance has been done, you could have fresh sourdough bread on the table within 1-2 days. Did you receive these instructions with your starter? It is not unusual to not have any bubbles after just 7 hours. Adding more liquid is fine for a looser consistency. Whole grains absorb more liquid! Since you are choosing to use WWW as your flour for feeding, it is important to feed more often than when feeding with all purpose flour. Every day or even twice a day at room temperature is necessary. If you are not a frequent baker, it is more sensible to store in the refrigerator and even so, you will be feeding more often than just once a week. It should not be necessary to add any yeast to the starter. Many bakers will add just a little yeast to the bread dough for a faster rise and better lift. When you plan to make bread, take the starter out of the fridge, discard all but 4 ounces, and feed it as usual with 4 ounces water and 4 ounces flour. Let it rest at room temperature for about 12 hours, until bubbly. Repeat as necessary, every 12 hours, until you notice the starter doubling or tripling in volume in 6 to 8 hours. That means it’s strong enough to leaven bread. And if the normal temperature in your home is below 68°F, we suggest finding a smaller, warmer spot to develop your starter. Good luck to you! Enjoy! Elisabeth@KAF

• Reply