How to Feed a Sour Culture
I'm following the instructions in The Rye Baker to start a rye sour culture. After the first week of daily refreshing, it says it can be left in the refrigerator and fed once or twice a week. There are proportions for a "maintenance refresh", but no specific instructions for feeding. Am I just supposed to dump flour on top? With water?
Specifics: The first step is 70g whole-grain rye flour and 70g warm water. Daily for the next week is 70g of preceding culture mixed with equal amounts flour and water. (I'm using King Arthur Pumpernickel flour.) The maintenance refresh is 7g sour culture and 70g each of flour and water, which seems to be rather wasteful for "feeding".
In searching this site, this question got the closest to an answer, but it's asking about feeding after taking some out for bread; I'm not sure if regular not-baking-anything feeding is different, or if an all-rye culture is different.
Best Answer
The feeding/maintenance of your starter is the same regardless of flour. Remove and discard (or use elsewhere) half or more of starter. Add fresh flour and water in the desired proportions. Stir. As your starter matures, it becomes acidic. Too much acidity interferes with yeast activity in the bread making process. That is why you need to remove a portion of the "spent" starter each time you feed.
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Quick Answer about "How to Feed a Sour Culture"
To start a Sour Culture, combine equal quantities of organic flour and water, and then feed it daily with half its weight of flour and half its weight of water.How do you properly feed a sourdough starter?
Add 1 scant cup (113g) flour and 1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm water to the 1/2 cup (113g) starter in the bowl. Mix until smooth, return to its jar or crock, and cover. Repeat this process every 12 hours, feeding the starter twice a day.How much should I feed my sourdough starter?
Feed the starter 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water and a scant 1 cup (4 ounces, 113g) all-purpose flour twice a day, discarding all but 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) of the starter before each feeding. It should soon become healthy, bubbly, and active.How often do I feed my sourdough starter?
Refrigerated sourdough starter requires weekly feedings. When maintained at room temperature, the sourdough starter should be fed every 12 to 24 hours, depending on the specific starter and culturing conditions.How do you feed a sourdough starter from the fridge?
When the starter is cold from the refrigerator, I feed the starter using fairly warm water, warmer than body temp. The warm water will jump-start the cold starter. If the starter has been fed within the last 2-3 days, and has been refrigerated, you can probably go ahead and use it without feeding.TUBIFEX CULTURE- WHAT'S THE FOOD FOR TUBIFEX?
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