Milk instead of water for sourdough?
I have a nice, healthy Type 110 wheat-based sourdough starter that I use to make bread and pancakes.
I've recently discovered that it may be possible to feed the starter with milk instead of water. Is this true? I'm a bit paranoid that rotting milk will introduce unwanted bugs that rotting flour won't. How would it affect my starter? Or should I just stick to water in the starter, but add milk to the bread, instead?
Best Answer
Adding milk works because milk is mostly water. It might even work better, as it also contains sugar (lactose) which will be eaten by your starter's yeasts and bacteria.
But it also contains other stuff, such as fats. And fats, after some time, get rancid. You probably won't want that taste in bread or pancakes. I would stick to water (which quite probably you'll find cheaper than milk).
Don't worry about rotten milk: your starter is already rotten. And it's a hostile environment for most microbes. It's very very improbable new microbes would survive there. But if they do, they'll be quite similar to the already existing ones.
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Quick Answer about "Milk instead of water for sourdough?"
Adding milk (and a little butter) will give you a more moist sourdough crumb. You can swap some or all of the water in a sourdough recipe for milk to add moisture to the crumb.Is it better to make bread with milk or water?
Milk changes bread recipes by producing a softer loaf, due to the milk fat content, which also gives bread a richer flavor. Bread made with milk browns more easily than bread made with water, as lactose or milk sugar will caramelize as it bakes.What does milk do to bread dough?
Milk is used to add flavor. It enriches the dough and gives the bread a creamy color, soft crumb and a golden crust.Can I feed my sourdough starter milk?
To feed the starter and keep it going. For best results, try to feed the starter at least once a month, even if you're not baking. To feed, add warm (90\xb0 to 100\xb0) nonfat or low-fat milk and all-purpose flour to the starter, each in quantities equal to what you'll be using in the recipe.What alternative liquids can you use in the sourdough bread? | Foodgeek
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Answer 2
I have always fed my sourdough starters milk and flour. I have tried it with water, but I feel it was not as tangy as the milk started bread. As far as the dough goes, I usually use water or milk, depending on what I have on hand. That doesn't make nearly as big a difference.
Answer 3
I agree, milk makes a better starter - much more sour. If you want you can use nonfat milk, too! I use 1% - have done so ever since I started -- 10 or more years -- I tried switching to water, just didn't work well.
Answer 4
I use curdled milk and cream for my bread and pancake recipes. The thing you want to watch out for is mold. Watch out for Google images of moldy starter, because many of them are showing normal starter that has gotten bubbly, has alcohol floating on top, or just has a dark grey color. All these are normal for mother. Whether you use milk or water with your starter, just check for black or green spots to know if there is a problem. Remember, you are not supposed to eat raw bread dough (although I do every time), and certainly do not eat your starter unless it has been cooked first. The easiest thing to do is have a water/flour starter. Now when you want a different effect, you just propagate your starter by mixing a different flour/liquid combination and then let it set until the mix becomes bubbly. There is not one better than the other, it's just what you want for the particular recipe. On the other hand, if I do a milk bread recipe using 90% milk and 10% water from my water/flour starter, does the final bread really know the difference. You'll need to experiment to find out.
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