NT sourdough starter questions

[at-home]

I've been working on my sourdough starter a la NT for about 5 days. Even though I add a cup of flour plus water each day, it doesn't seem like the amount of starter grows - it seems like I have the same amount each day! But my real question is this: After the first week of adding a cup of flour each day, do I really still have to add a whole cup of flour every day? That sounds like a lot of upkeep if I want to keep this going indefinitely. Also, do I have to start with a clean bowl *every* day?

[Peek-a-boo]

Originally Posted by at-home

I've been working on my sourdough starter a la NT for about 5 days. Even though I add a cup of flour plus water each day, it doesn't seem like the amount of starter grows - it seems like I have the same amount each day! But my real question is this: After the first week of adding a cup of flour each day, do I really still have to add a whole cup of flour every day? That sounds like a lot of upkeep if I want to keep this going indefinitely.

If it's at room temp, yes, it needs to be feed daily to keep it healthy. What I do now is build up to near what I need to bake bread, then stick it in the fridge in quart jars. It's fine in there for a few weeks without being fed. When I start to get low on bread, I pull it out and feed it for several days, then bake.

Since I switched to feeding it WW rather than rye, if I have quite a lot of starter, I actually feed it 2 cups water and 2 cups flour daily. By the time I was feeding it, it was separating a lot with dark liquid on top. Some one advised me that this was happening because it was running out of flour to sour and needed to be fed more. It seems to have worked, plus then I acquire more starter more quickly and don't need to keep it at room temp feeding daily for many days to build up enough starter for baking.

[Smithie]

Oh, is THAT why it separates? I will try more frequent feeding...

Oh, and OP, I do not switch containers every day. I have a glass crock and it stays in there for about five days, then I wash it on baking day, then another five days... Ma Ingalls sure as heck did not wash out her sourdough dish every day.

[Peek-a-boo]

Originally Posted by Smithie

Oh, is THAT why it separates? I will try more frequent feeding...

Oh, and OP, I do not switch containers every day. I have a glass crock and it stays in there for about five days, then I wash it on baking day, then another five days... Ma Ingalls sure as heck did not wash out her sourdough dish every day.

ROFL That's one of my mottos for life: What would Caroline Ingalls have done?