Thanks. I take it then that the formula for using stiff starter in a recipe that calls for wet is to add half the amount (by weight) of water to the stiff starter so that they add up to the recommended weight of wet starter? That should, by my reckoning, produce the equivalent of a 100% hydration wet starter. I gave up on the converted stiff starter that failed to rise after the second feeding and started again with new wet discard and now have a stiff starter that behaves properly after the first feeding. I have baked with it successfully, but I can’t say the tanginess is noticeably different – perhaps it will mature more in cold storage. I will continue to experiment. (For the record, I have also been extending the pre-ferment to 24 hours and leaving my loaves in the fridge for a long rise, with only subtle enhancement of tanginess. Nothing has yet approached the perfect zing of my first attempt, which simply followed the “Extra Tangy” recipe on this site but using bread flour (one cup of which whole wheat) and adding 3 Tbsp water when adding the last flour to the pre-ferment. The fact that I produced super-tangy bread without any of tweaks at the making stage leads me to believe it was the quality of the starter itself that gave it the tang.) Can I just ask you specifically at what stage I should be putting my stiff starter in the fridge for storage, and how exactly to determine when it is ready for baking? I have noticed that seemingly everyone who has ever baked a loaf of sourdough has a blog on the subject, and they all say different things – some say to refrigerate right after feeding, some say wait a few hours for fermentation to get a good start, and others to let it reach its peak before refrigerating. Similarly, some say to mix stored starter straight from the fridge, others to let it reach room temperature and yet others to revive it by feeding a couple of times. Given that one of my goals is to cut down on the amount of discard I’ve been drowning in, and my hope is that by keeping my starter cold it will produce tangier bread, what would you recommend on both fronts?

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