Sour dough starter myths drive me crazy after 5 years of baking

I keep seeing people say you have to discard half your starter every feeding or it'll die. Last month at the Portland farmers market bakery swap, I met a guy named Dave who's been using the same starter since 1992 and he never discards more than a spoonful. I tried his method for 3 weeks now and my bread actually rises better. Am I the only one who thinks discard culture is just a way to sell more flour?

3 comments

3 Comments

violag8019d ago

My grandma used to keep her starter in a mason jar in the fridge and just top it off with flour and water whenever she remembered, lol. She'd go months without feeding it and it was totally fine. Makes you wonder how many people are just stressing over nothing.

the_viola19d ago

Did a buddy of mine actually name his starter "The Unicorn" because he feeds it like once a month with just a splash of water and a pinch of flour? He left it in his fridge for 6 weeks while on vacation, came back, fed it once, and it bubbled right up like nothing happened. So yeah, discard culture seems like a marketing gimmick to me.

williamhenderson19d agoMost Upvoted

The yeast's not dead, it just slows down when it's cold, same as any living thing.