What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, meaning it does not contain ANY commercial yeast.  Instead, it uses a "sourdough starter" which is a mixture of flour, water and all-natural wild yeasts (lactobacillus) and bacteria that live in the air.  The lactobacillus produce lactic acid, which in turn gives your bread that slight sour taste.   The sour taste can be adjusted by feeding different types of flours and by even extending feeding times.   Just remember, sourdough DOESN'T have to taste sour.  The role of the sourdough starter is to give your breads and doughs spring, taste and texture!

What ingredients does your Sourdough Starter contain?

The ingredients our starter contains are:  Flour, Water, wild yeast from the air. MAY CONTAIN traces of RYE flour, barley, oat, mustard, soy as per the bread flour we use to maintain our heirloom starter.

What flour do you recommend I use?

I recommend a white bread flour such as Great Plains Strong Bakers Flour by P & H Milling Group, which I buy from my local Costco Warehouse offers high protein content, which is essential for keeping a sourdough starter healthy and active. The protein feeds the natural yeast and bacteria in the starter, promoting strong gluten development and a robust rise. I’ve found that this flour provides consistent results, which helps maintain a vigorous, bubbly starter that’s perfect for baking!  I use this flour to not only feed my sourdough starter but I also use it as the flour in my recipes. Its higher protein content gives sourdough bread great structure, a chewy texture, and an open crumb, which are all hallmarks of excellent sourdough. This flour is versatile, reliable, and creates beautiful, consistent loaves with a great flavor and crust.

If you don't have access to a white bread flour - I suggest using a high quality All Purpose Flour with similar protein content. Protein content in flour is critical for sourdough starters because it directly impacts the strength, structure, and activity level of the starter.  In a sourdough starter, wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria need nutrients to thrive, and these are mainly provided by proteins in the flour. Protein is the building block of gluten, which forms when flour is mixed with water. Higher protein flour results in more gluten, giving the dough elasticity and strength. This elasticity allows the starter to trap gas (carbon dioxide) produced by the fermenting yeast, resulting in a bubbly, airy starter with a good rise.

What are your best tips for rehydrating Summit Sourdough Starter?

• Flour:  Choose a white high protein bread flour (13%-14% protein) for the best results. Substitute high quality All Purpose if needed. Protein content is essential, as it feeds the culture and promotes activity. Low-quality flour = low quality activity. Do not rehydrate with whole wheat or rye, instead slowly switch over once the starter is active and past day 7.
• Water:  Use tap water or bottled drinking water, as they contain important minerals for fermentation. If your tap water is high in chlorine, allow the water to sit out overnight to dissipate. Avoid distilled or reverse osmosis water, they lack the minerals needed for fermentation.  Room temperature water works best.
• Consistency Matters:  Aim for a consistency similar to cold honey when rehydrating your starter. It should be thick and take some elbow grease to stir. If the mixture is too thin, it will not be able to rise. Small bubbles should form along the top and sides of the jar.
• Stir Regularly:  Feel free to stir your starter once or twice throughout the day to incorporate oxygen and encourage activity. Stirring also helps knock down the starter if it begins to rise too much, and might spill over the top of the jar.
• Use a Scale:  Day 7 and beyond using a scale is crucial to maintain balanced feeding proportions. The Scale ensures the starter is being fed enough food. Feeding should always be by weight in grams day 7 and beyond 1:1:1 or 1:2:2 your starter will not perform without switching over to scale measurements

Will the starter only make 1 recipe?

No!   Your starter, if maintained with our instructions will last you for years to come, creating a plethora of goods.   The key to sourdough starter is to always have some left in the jar to feed again, to start the process over.   You'll be able to create breads, cookies, cakes, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, cinnamon buns and more.   The sky is the limit.

How do I rehydrate the Summit Sourdough culture?

When you order our starter, you'll receive detailed instructions on how to rehydrate the starter.  To start the process you'll need a 1L jar, flour, water and a kitchen scale (for day 7 and on).   The process will take you 7 or 8 days to have a fully functioning and active starter to bake with.   

Do I have to feed it everyday?

Yes, your starter will perform it's best if you feed it every 24-36 hours, once it's been rehydrated.   During the rehydrating process you will be required to do small tasks everyday.   As such, we know that is not always possible especially when life gets in the way.  We have included in our instructions a way to safely put your starter in the fridge so that it will be ready for you on your next baking project.  Please see page 2 under step 2 on how to maintain your starter for further details. 

Do you have a gluten free Sourdough Starter?

At this time, Summit Sourdough is not gluten free.  We could feed it with a gluten free flour, but we could never guarantee after 500 discard and feeds that it would ever be considered fully gluten free.   As such, it's been eating gluten for over 100 years.

I made my own Sourdough Starter, what is the advantage to using your 125 year old one instead?

Using a starter that is mature is a wonderful way to jump right into baking success.   Homemade starters do not have the activity or strength to reliably raise your breads, they also lack flavor.  When making your own starter, it often takes months of work before you can expect to see sub-par results.  When purchasing an established culture all you need to do is rehydrate it, and you're on your way to making amazing bread.  No waiting - our starter is active and full of flavour!

I'm working through the rehydrating process and my starter is about to blow over my jar.   What should I do?

If your starter is close to exploding over the top of the jar feel free to use a rubber spatula to mix it down.  Stirring it to knock the air out will cause the starter to deflate down to about where the elastic is.  Keep in mind, that your starter will continue to grow until it's done feeding on the flour.  This can typically last anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on the environment in your house.  I only suggest doing this during the rehydration process, as when this happens after your starter is fully rehydrated, it means you need to get mixing your recipe! Because so, I suggest you keep your starter jar on a plate to catch any overflow.   This though, is a coveted right of passage in the sourdough  world, to have a starter so active it blows over the top of your jar.   Expect that with Summit Sourdough.