Can you feed a sourdough starter with different flour?

The Simple Truth is, sourdough starters made from wheat flour can be fed a variety of flours interchangeably all while staying active and healthy as long as the flour comes from grains similar to wheat.

Does sourdough starter have to be the same flour?

You Can Make a Starter Using a Variety of Flours No matter what flour you choose, over time you will produce a culture that is sour, bubbly, and—most importantly—one that can raise bread.

Does the flour matter for sourdough starter?

Technically, any grain-based flour works for making a sourdough starter. Flours made from rice, rye, spelt, einkorn and wheat all work. However, bread flour works the best and yields the most reliable starter. Even if you raise your starter on bread flour, you can still make bread with other flours.

Can I mix flours when making sourdough bread?

It will also have an impact on the texture and density of your loaf. Bakers can experiment with mixing whole wheat flour together with white to produce sourdough with more flavour but a lighter texture.

Can you combine sourdough starters?

You can mix two different sourdough starters together. When you do, the two starters will combine their unique yeast and bacteria properties together. After a few days of feeding, the new starter will stabilize and form a unique characteristic of its own.

What flour should I use to feed my sourdough starter?

The best flour and water to use Any wheat flour can be used to maintain your starter. Two common and economical varieties are all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Spelt, rye and einkorn varieties are also good choices for maintaining your starter. You can use a mix of flours in a sourdough starter.

What flour should I feed my sourdough starter?

Can you feed sourdough starter with bleached flour?

Yes, you can make a sourdough starter using bleached flour. However, since the wild yeasts are resident on the outer layers of the kernels, you’ll have more yeast cells present in whole-grain flours than you will in white flour.

Should I stir my sourdough starter before using?

You don’t need to stir on schedule, but whenever it’s convenient, give it a little stir, whether it’s a couple times a day or a dozen because you happen to be in the kitchen. By the end of Day 2, there were more obvious bubbles in the mixture.

Should sourdough starter double in size?

This will vary depending on the type of flour you’re using, but your starter should at least double in volume (or more) at peak activity and pass the float test.