Dear First name / friend, 

How has your week been? I hope you've enjoyed some downtime after Thanksgiving. Now it's time to get ready for Christmas! My favorite time of year!
 
This week, I want to talk about sourdough starter, and particularly, how long it really takes to make a sourdough starter.
“How long does it take for a sourdough starter to mature? Does it really take a few months?"
 
It really does take time and patience to develop a strong, healthy sourdough starter. While your starter might be viable at 2 weeks, chances are, it won't be.
 
It can take months for a sourdough starter to mature. This may not be what you want to hear, but honestly you will be rewarded with much better bread if you give your starter plenty of time to build a thriving colony of yeast and bacteria. After 3-4 months, you will see a noticeable difference in your bread! 
 
While you're waiting for your starter to mature, you can of course enjoy all of these discard recipes!
 
 
Signs your sourdough starter might not be at maturity:
  • Gummy, wet bread inside, no matter how long you bake it for
  • Thick, chewy crusty that never gets crunchy
  • Bread that never browns, no matter how long you bake it for
  • An uneven crumb, mainly tight, with bigger holes dotted through the middle.
For even more sourdough problems (and solutions) check out this troubleshooting guide.
 
Most of these problems will be overcome once your starter is mature and has been nurtured a little longer. Sourdough definitely is the game of patience! 
 
One of the best pieces advice I can give you is do not put your sourdough starter in the fridge for the first 3-4 months. It should be fed on your counter everyday (twice is best). Once it's mature, it can go into the fridge.
 
If you're wanting to really deep dive into your sourdough baking and start documenting both your starter and your baking pursuits, you might like this sourdough journal.
 
Want to know what people are baking this weekend? These recipes are proving extremely popular right now as we get ready for Christmas:
If you're looking for some recipes to bake and gift this festive season, you'll love this guide to the best Christmas recipes to bake and gift.
 
Oh and if you missed last week's question - you can read the question and answer here. Last week we talked about baking timelines.
 
As always, I love to see your sourdough wins - and help you with any problems you might be having. Have a question you'd like answered on my site? Let me know!
 
Until next week,
Wishing you sourdough success,
Kate 

The Pantry Mama xo

 
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