Basic Dos and Don’ts

• Don’t use metal bowls or utensils to hold/stir your starter. Sourdough is acidic, and the use of metal will be detrimental to both the metal tools and the starter. Use plastic or glass bowls and plastic or wooden spoons.
• Do keep the starter covered whenever you are not working with it. At the same time, it should not be completely sealed, as the starter will give off gas, which will need to vent. I use a plastic jug, with a sealed lid, but a loosely-stoppered spout. A plastic container, loosely covered in clingfilm also works.
• Do keep the active starter in a warm place – on a sunny windowsill, near (but not on) a radiator, or in a conservatory or airing cupboard.
• Don’t use cold water from the tap – the water you use should ideally be warm, at about 30-40 degrees C. I use water from a recently boiled kettle, allowed to cool.
• Don’t use anything except strong white bread flour for feeding. You may wish to use other flours when actually making bread, but keep what goes into the starter as basic as possible.
• Once opened, do keep the flour you use to feed the starter in a sealed container, and don’t use for other purposes. This is to minimise the possibility of it being cross-contaminated with other baking products or airborne wild yeasts.
• The starter will also form a layer of brown liquid on or just under the surface, which we call hooch. This is alcohol, but don’t attempt to drink it, as it is unpleasant to taste.
• Don’t feed after midnight (or was that something else?)