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Mark0820 · January 13, 2014

I too am a big fan of sourdough starter. King Arthur has some good tips for starting a sourdough starter. They begin with rye flour, but then primarily use white unbleached flour to feed the starter. They believe a starter fed with white unbleached flour produces a higher rise and softer texture in the bread.

At first I was hesitant to follow these instructions because I like to use whole grain flour. However, after thinking about it, I decided the starter is a relatively small proportion compared to the whole wheat flour I use in the bread recipe, so maybe a little white unbleached flour wouldn't matter too much.

Secondly, I have discovered that if I mix some sourdough starter with 2 cups of whole grain flour and water, and let it sit for 24 hours, then added the final 1 1/4 cups of flour, water, salt and more sourdough starter for the final loaf of bread, I get a lighter texture and a better rise than if I just mix all the ingredients together before baking the bread on the same day.

January 13, 2014	#22
Mark0820 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 907	I too am a big fan of sourdough starter. King Arthur has some good tips for starting a sourdough starter. They begin with rye flour, but then primarily use white unbleached flour to feed the starter. They believe a starter fed with white unbleached flour produces a higher rise and softer texture in the bread. At first I was hesitant to follow these instructions because I like to use whole grain flour. However, after thinking about it, I decided the starter is a relatively small proportion compared to the whole wheat flour I use in the bread recipe, so maybe a little white unbleached flour wouldn't matter too much. Secondly, I have discovered that if I mix some sourdough starter with 2 cups of whole grain flour and water, and let it sit for 24 hours, then added the final 1 1/4 cups of flour, water, salt and more sourdough starter for the final loaf of bread, I get a lighter texture and a better rise than if I just mix all the ingredients together before baking the bread on the same day.