Which sourdough starter should i keep?

I decided to make 2 sourdough starters, to see if one would come out better. I only want to keep one and I dont know which one to choose. One has formed a hooch, while the other has not but otherwise they are identical in size, consistency, and smell. Which one should I keep?

Best Answer

The easiest way to decide which starter works best for you and which one you like more is to bake a bread with each of them.

I would suggest to make them at the same time (or one after the other if you don't have the oven capacity), so you can have a direct taste comparison. Don't worry about having too much bread, you can freeze part of each loaf if you don't think you can eat it all while still fresh.

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Is it better to have an old sourdough starter?

But in general terms, there's no such thing as a starter that's too old, provided it's been cared for. 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).

How much starter should I keep?

When practical, you want to approximately double the amount of starter you have each time you feed it. However, if you already have a couple cups of starter on hand and typically use much less in your recipe, it doesn't make sense to have to double the existing two cups of starter.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it?

You must discard some of your sourdough starter each time you feed it. You'll discover that discarding is necessary to build a healthy and thriving sourdough starter - but it's not actually as wasteful as you might think.

Can you keep a sourdough starter forever?

Sourdough starter can be frozen, if you would like to store it for a long period without feeding. To do this, double the amount of flour added at feeding so that it is a very thick paste, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 year.

What Container do You Keep Your Sourdough Starter in?

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