Stiff Starter

What is a Stiff Starter?

A stiff starter is when you feed your starter at a lower hydration, usually 65% or less. The means if you use 100 grams flour you only use 65 grams of water for a 65% hydration starter. 

I keep my starter at 60% hydration and my the ratio I use is 1.5.3 

The order goes: Starter. Flour. Water  (some people do it another way around, but this is the order I use)

I always use a scale and go by weight, a cup of flour and a cup of water do not weigh the same and every time you measure a cup of flour the actual amount may vary. A scale is much more accurate way to measure for consistent results.

What do the ratios mean?
1.5.3 means for every 1 amount of starter I use, I use 5x the amount flour and 3x the amount water. For example 10 grams starter. 50 grams flour. 30 grams water. 

How do you calculate how much you end up with?
To calculate how much you will have when you mix your starter, flour and water it is pretty simple just add it up. For example 10 grams starter + 50 grams flour + 30 grams water = 90 Grams. Keep in mind some liquid may evaporate and a little bit of starter will be stuck to the jar. 

How do you mix your starter when it is so stiff?
Because this is a low hydration starter, I always mix the starter with water before I add flour to ensure that the microbes are spread evenly. I often end up kneading my starter by hand to get an even mix. 

It takes about 6-8 hours after feeding for it to stop rising, but it isn't peaking yet! When you mix your starter again, it disperses the bacteria and the yeast, allowing it to consume more nutrients. This will cause the starter to rise again,  and this time, it will likely rise even higher as well as much faster than the first rise. You do not need to mix it again, but this is something I like doing once in awhile<> and I noticed it gives me slightly better results. 

Why do you have a stiff starter, and what are the benefits?

I like my stiff starter because it gives me a larger window of opportunity to bake bread while my starter is at "peak". Keep in mind though that even-though the starter has stopped rising and can stay still for hours, there is still a lot of activity going on and the starter is becoming more acidic with time. 

The low hydration and the high feeding I use give my starter an ideal balance between lactic acid bacteria and the yeast.  This prevents my starter from becoming acidic and weak. A 1.1.1 ratio is almost famous for creating a weak and acidic starter at this point, yet it is the way that most of us will establish our first starter.

Because I don't bake every day and often place my starter in the fridge for 2-4 days at a time ( sometimes weeks ),  the high feeding and low hydration has kept my starter strong, a stiff starter is much more durable in the fridge I used to have a wet starter 1.2.2 ratio. This starter couldn't handle being left in the fridge and became acidic. 

If you are able to feed your starter every day then a stiff starter might not be for you, but if you are like me and frequently use the fridge, this might save your starter!

What do you do when you bake?

I sometimes bake directly with my starter and other times I create a levain. It really depends what I am up to that day timing wish and the outcome I am looking for.

What is a levain? 

A levain is the starter you create from your mother starter,  which you will use to bake with. While your mother starter typically will be fed a regular scheduled ratio,  your levain can have more freedom and you can attempt to feed it at time to have your starter peak when you plan on baking. Like about 4 hours ahead of time at 1.1.1 ratio or perhaps 6 hours at 1.2.2

George is my mother starter and stays at a 1.5.3 ratio, while a levain is a one-time use at a different ratio.

This is how I'll create a levain to bake with:

I'm going to take about 90- 100 grams of George and mix with 100 grams of flour and 100 grams water.  I'll get a little under 300 grams starter that I will bake with in a few hours to make 2-3 loaves of bread. 

 The rest of George will be fed at 1.5.3 ratio

That means if I have 12 grams left, I'll feed George with 60 grams flour and 36 grams water.  Because 12X5=60 and 12x3=36 

If I have 10 grams left, I will feed George 50 grams flour and 30 grams grams water.

The next time George peaks, I will go over the same process again. If I need to slow it down, I'll put George in the fridge right before he's about to peak. 

If you think your starter might be acidic, if you're struggling with keeping your starter strong after a long period in the fridge then a stiff starter might be for you! Finding the correct ratio is very individual as we all have different conditions in our homes. You don't have to follow my exact ratio as there are many different stiff starter ratios you can choose.