No discard sourdough starter

Make a no discard sourdough starter at home with our easy and hassle-free step by step recipe and video.

this recipe

You won’t have to worry about unfamiliar terms and complicated ratios, percentages, daily temperature and stuff like that, because we will show you the easy way to make sourdough starter and make your favourites baking goods in no time!

And what about the feeding and discarding? Have you heard about how you need to throw away some of your sourdough every day in order to keep it “alive”?

I know, is just flour and water, but friends I don’t know you, but here in Italy we had a small period of time where we were short of flour supply. It was scary, I tell you. So I don’t really want to throw away my flour, even if it’s in small amounts.

The sourdough scraping method

Most recipes ask to feed your starter every day and sometimes even twice a day, but not only. In order to have a healthy and happy starter, those recipes tells you to discard a good amount of it.

Come on…I don’t even need to tell you how wasteful is that. Sure you can use discard in many recipes, but most of the time you end with jars and jars of discard in your fridge and no time to make all those recipes you want.

So, with this recipe there’s no waste involved. You will use only flour and water but be assured that you’ll use until the last bit of it.

What is the scraping method?

The scrapings method involves keeping a minuscule amount of  sourdough starter in a jar and only feeding it when need it to make bread.

In the scraping method, you’ll feed that tiny amount of  starter that is stuck in the jar bottom with the amount of flour and water needed to make your recipe.

Then you’ll have to remove ALL and leave only the scraps that are need it for the next time you make anything with your starter

And I know you want to make sourdough bread at home by your own. I know that you want to slice a still-hot bread which was just pulled out the oven and spread it copiously with scrumptious butter.

I know and I get you friend. I wanted that too, but I wanted it in a easy and hassle-free way. Because, well, I sometimes forget to brush my hair in the morning,  lets figure having to take care of ONE MORE THING in my life.

So, let me tell you something: Making a no discard sourdough starter is easy. Period. Don’t need to calculate anything, don’t need to chase the good weather, don’t need to learn how many types of flour are out there, or what is the best water to use.

Follow those simple steps, don’t overwhelm with information, just not right now. You can learn on the go, slowly and at your peace. Anything about how to do a sourdough starter and how to have it ALWAYS available is write down here. So, keep reading.

Simple tips to make a no discard sourdough starter using the scraping method:

Use a strong flour

Yes, you can make a starter with all-purpose flour but it’s gonna take longer and you will feel discouraged after the first 4-5 days of not noticing any changes. So, if you want to have a fool proof starter use rye or whole wheat flour. You’ll start noticing some changes after the second or third day and that my friend, is inspiring! Just, be sure you use new and fresh flour, don’t use a bag of flour that you have sitting in your pantry for a year.

Use filtered water

Is better to use a water without chlorine because it can inhibit the fermentation. Use filtered tap water and you starter will develop just fine.

Use a kitchen scale

Use a kitchen scale to have more control of your starter and have better results. Scales are a must in everyone’s kitchens and you can find some nice deals like for as little as 13.99 dlls! If you don’t know or feel overwhelmed about what kitchen scale to buy, read this article about choosing the best scale for your kitchen.

How do you make a no discard sourdough starter:

Day one

Get a clean jar and add 25 grams of whole wheat flour + 25 grams of filtered water at room temperature. Mix throughly and cover the jar loosely. Leave the jar in the warmest room of your house (the kitchen for example). If it’s winter or your home is really cold, cover the jar with a table cloth to keep it a bit warm and cozy.

Day two

24 hrs later, put the jar on the scale and add again 25 gr flour (same as before) and 25 gr filtered water. You will noticed a little sour smell so mix again until combined and leave the jar to rest in the same place. The process of adding more flour and water is called feeding, so, you better get used with this simple term.

Day 3

24 hrs later you’ll notice that your mixture has tiny bubbles and the smell is REALLY strong! But not worries, is something totally normal because it means the dough have started its process and the bacterias are active and rolling . So, add again 25gr flour + 25 gr water, stir well and leave it to rest for another 24 hrs.

Day 4

This day you’ll probably notice changes in the smell (is almost gone or a lot better) and consistency of your starter, all those bubbles means everything is proceeding just well. If you see your starter is a bit different than the one i am showing you in the video, no worries, it just means your starter is acting a bit different but it will be good anyway. Feed it again with 25 gr of whole wheat flour and 25 gr of filtered water. Give it a good stir and leave it to rest in the same warm place.

Day 5

By this day you’ll be almost to rock your sourdough starter. Mine for sure was ready with lots of bubbles and a fluffy texture,  I was so excited that I almost used it!, but still decided to give it another day and repeat the process of feeding it with 25 gr flour + 25 gr water.

Day 6 – Ready to rock!

The sixth day your sourdough starter will be ready to rock. So, lets use it. Feed it with the same amount of flour and water you used before, mix it and let it rest for 2-3 hours or until you see your starter has doubled its size. Then use it in your recipe.

FAQ’S

How do I use my sourdough starter?

Lets says the recipe for making that wonderful bread calls for 150 grams of sourdough starter. So, you will need to have available that amount of sourdough in your jar, in this case you’ll have to feed with 75 grams of flour + 75 grams of water and there you go: You have now 150 grams of sourdough to use in your recipe.

How much sourdough do I need to use to make bread?

It depends, recipes may vary but if you’re in your path of learning how to bake bread at home and how to use sourdough in your bread. You may start adding from 15 to 20 % of sourdough based in the amount of flour you use in the recipe. Lets say your recipe calls for 500 grams of flour (any kind), then you’ll need anything between 75 and 100 grams of sourdough.

What about all that sourdough I have from the beginning in my jar?

Use it! If you follow my recipe, by the end you’ll have around 300 grams of sourdough, counting the last feeding in day 6. So, use it all in your first bake (2 loaves of bread will be enough to use all your sourdough). Then start the scraping method! your sourdough will be always available without having to worry about feedings and such.

How long can I keep my jar with scrapings in the fridge?

As long as you need. I once forgot about my sourdough for like 2 months, then I used it again with no troubles at all. You might notice that your sourdough is a bit sleepy if you haven’t use it in a long time, but don’t worry, feed it 2-3 days in a row and it will rock again.

I used the scraping method and everything but I still ended with a bit too much of sourdough. What do I do?

No worries, there are LOTS of recipes to use sourdough discard, like pancakes, crackers, banana bread and even tortillas! Check out here to make my wonderful soft sourdough tortillas, made with sourdough for a flavour kick, believe me, you’ll be addicted from the first time!