Hi bakers
I write to draw your attention to the sad and neglected sourdough starter possibly lurking at the back of your fridge...
But not to make you feel guilty, instead to reassure you that all is not lost; you absolutely can rejuvenate it in only a few days, and get back into baking beautiful, wholesome loaves to have with your winter soups and newly-made marmalade. Isn’t that cheering news?
The yeasts and other micro-organisms which populate your starter are very resilient. So even if you haven’t fed it for weeks and it has separated in it’s container into a layer of apparently lifeless sludge and an unappealing grey liquid, it is most likely not dead but hibernating. Who can blame it; which of us doesn’t feel sluggish and unenthusiastic for much of January?
But spring is on it’s way, I promise, and even if your New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside, the sight of snowdrops and the smell of a warm loaf fresh from the oven will remind you how joyful life is….
So, as long as that jar isn’t harbouring any particularly nasty mold – anything furry should really just be chucked – here’s the plan:
First off, you’re going to gather 2 clean, lidded containers, which can just be well-washed jam jars or small Tupperware pots. Now, you need to give that poor starter a really good mix, and then spoon barely a teaspoonful out into the smaller clean pot. To that you’re now to add 15g flour – either bread flour or just plain flour if that’s all you have in – and 15g water, and mix the whole lot together into a paste. If you’re too lazy even to get your scales out, a level tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of water will do.
Often at this time of year the water coming from the taps is really cold, so although the water you use doesn’t need to be actively warm, it should anyway be room temperature. Preferably it will have been boiled and then allowed to cook back down to room temperature.
Just to be safe, for now return the old starter to the fridge, but put the lid on the jar containing the new mixture and leave it out on the kitchen worktop for about 12 hours. After 12 hours, you’re going to refresh it, by pouring almost all of it into the second container and mixing the scant teaspoonful you’ve left in the jar with another tablespoon each of flour and water. Leave on the warm worktop for another 12 hours, then repeat, again discarding most of the contents of the new starter jar into the second pot, which you will store in the fridge. After a few days of 12 hourly feeds, you should find that the pot is once again bubbling and lively, and smelling a little sour but also a little sweet. At which point, it’s ready to build up into the starter which will go into a loaf of bread…
And at this stage, you can now chuck the contents of that sad old starter pot into the compost and forget about how bad it made you feel for neglecting it.
And you can use the pot of discard you’ve collected to make a batch of truly excellent pastry, using the following recipe:
Sourdough Pastry
Grate 125g cold butter into 125g plain flour, , and rub or cut the two together lightly until you have a rough breadcrumb texture (a table knife is easiest for this). Mix in ½ tsp fine salt, ½ tsp granulated sugar and 1 tsp white wine vinegar, before adding 125g discarded starter – cold from it’s pot in the fridge – and bring the dough together without over-working. Shape into a disc or block about 3cm thick, then wrap and chill for at least an hour before using. It will feel very sticky when newly made, but with resting chills into a deliciously flaky case for either sweet or savoury fillings. Keeps for several days in the fridge and freezers well.