What happens if I use my sourdough starter too soon?
What happens if I use my sourdough starter before all of the good yeast and bacteria are fully developed? Would the bad bacteria make me sick? Or would cooking it kill all of the bad bacteria and make, whatever it was I made, safe to eat? For instance, I hear that you can make pancakes from the stater you would normally throw away during feedings. I'm not entirely sure my starter is ready for its debut, I just began growing it 5 days ago from course flour and water.
Best Answer
It won't be viable to leaven bread. Too soon and you'll just be using it in the leuconostoc stage which is bad bacteria and isn't good for anything. I wouldn't use the starter or discard till it becomes viable.
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Quick Answer about "What happens if I use my sourdough starter too soon?"
Once the sourdough starter has peaked, it will start to run out of food, and hence start to lose its leavening power. In fact, using it at this time will actually be when the starter has the least amount of leavening power (whilst still remaining active enough to raise the dough).How soon can I use sourdough starter after feeding?
The optimum point to use a sourdough starter is when it has risen to its highest point. Otherwise known as the peak, the highest point of the rise should be reached 3-4 hours after being fed.Can I use my starter early?
If your starter was fed a day or two before, it's possible to use the starter straight from the refrigerator. Give it a float test to make sure it's active. The dough may take a little longer to ferment since the temperature of the dough will be colder.Can you use sourdough starter after 2 days?
Depending on the strength of your starter you can go between 2 days and 1 week between feedings. Feed as normal, leaving the starter out at warm room temperature to ripen for 6-8 hours before refrigerating.Does the age of a sourdough starter matter?
Does sourdough starter get more sour as it ages? Yes. A more mature starter will have a better established colony of lactobacillus (the good bacteria that give you the distinctive sourdough flavor). So as your starter matures and ages, it will develop a much stronger sourdough flavor.When Is Your Sourdough Starter Ready For Baking? #AskWardee 145
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Answer 2
It will be safe to eat, as long as it isn't moldy, or has other signs of absolute 'spoiled', which for the most part, we are all aware of. If it simply doesn't 'smell tasty'...smells like turpentine, or who knows what, it is likely safe for consumption. I wondered, too, when starting my sourdough starter, how something that sits on the counter for days can be 'safe' to eat, but a sourdough starter needs to do just that.
An 'immature' or 'young' starter will probably just have no strength built up in it yet, and yes, you could use it for pancakes, but it might not help them be light and fluffy. I made some pancakes out of my 'discard', and while they were good, with a terrific flavor, then weren't quite as fluffy as other recipes or a pancake mix.
I have adapted to using the 'float test' for now, to be sure my starter is ready and able to do what I am asking of it: be the natural substitute for packaged, commercial yeast. I'm getting to the point of knowing when it is ready, but that's taken a week or two, and I have a very young starter... meaning I initially began this starter on Jan. 12, 2017. Yes, I used it at about 2 weeks old, but there wasn't much depth of flavor in it. Yes, it 'floated', and it made bread for us, but now I have noticed it is getting...yummy!! For your 'float' test, take out about a TB or so, and drop it into a wide mouthed glass of water. If it sinks, feed it, then recheck when it is good and bubbly again.
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