Sourdough

MAY 2020
Starter

FEEDING YOUR STORING YOUR NY STYLE

STARTER STARTER SOURDOUGH BAGELS

Naming, feeding & caring for Maintaing your starter The only kind of bagel worth
your starter making
03-04 Meet Your Starter

05-06 Feeding

07 Discard & Cleaning

08 Storing

10 Recipe: NY Style Sourdough Bagels

SOURDOUGH GUIDE BY A.M. BEARDSLEY

 LOVE YOUR
STARTER.

CARE FOR YOUR

STARTER.

NAME YOUR
STARTER.

YOU’LL GET TO KNOW YOUR STARTER INTIMATELY,

SO GO AHEAD AND GIVE HER (OR HIM) A NAME.

MEET
EDITH
Made from water, all-purpose
flour, and bread flour on
Thursday, April 23, 2020.
Edith was named after
Lady Edith Crawley
from Downton Abbey.
Lady Edith might be a bit whiny,
and have the worst luck with men,
but she has a daughter out of
wedlock—Marigold—and comes
into her own as the editor of a
women’s magazine.
Like Lady Edith, your starter just
needs a bit of attention. Your
starter is a 100% hydration starter,
meaning it’s 1 part water and 1
part flour and is derived from
Edith. You might even say she's
Edith's "daughter."
SOURDOUGH
STARTER
Get familiar with your starter.
Smell her. What does she smell
like when she’s most active? After a
feeding? When you pull her out of
the fridge? Use smell to help you
determine if she’s active.
Unsure about her state of activity?
Put some cold water in a glass and
gently drop a bit of starter in. If she
floats, she's active.
FEEDING

Feeding
Your
Starter

If you’re keeping your starter at room

temperature to use regularly, feed her every
day. To learn how to store it, see storing
your starter (page 8).

Between feedings, your starter will ferment,

rising and falling, and become the
consistency of sticky pancake batter.
 
I recommend feeding your starter by weight.
Because she's a 100% hydration starter,
weight is more accurate.

Starter’s aren’t picky, but you do want to use

a strong flour. Strong flours have a stronger
gluten structure.

All-purpose (AP) flour, bread flour, and

whole wheat flour are strong choices.

Use one type of flour or a combination.

Know that changing the flour might change
your starter's smell.
FEEDING Combine starter and water. Mix to dissolve.
Add flours. Stir to combine.

Your starter doesn’t have to be completely

I like to use half AP flour and half bread
smooth; it should be thick and feel warm from
flour to feed Edith. Here is the ratio I use
the water.
to maintain about 1 cup of active starter.
Pour your starter back into your starter
container (cleaned) or a different container.
25 g starter
Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen
100 g warm water
towel and keep on the counter.
50 g all-purpose flour
50 g bread flour After feeding, she’ll smell more like fresh flour
but should retain some of her sour.

Need to have more starter for a large baking project?

Adjust the ratio to make more!
Just make sure to keep the water and flour equal.
 DISCARD & CLEANING

Leftover
Starter
The leftover is what’s known as “discard” or
a "daughter." Make something with the rest
of your starter. You can:  
1. find recipes specifically for discard if
you’re just feeding your starter
2. use your sourdough to bake whatever
you had in mind; I recommend the bagel
recipe on page
3. give your discard to a friend
4. last resort—toss out the discard; you’re
feeding and caring for that starter, so
don’t throw any of her in the trash

Clean Up
Starter is sticky.
Wash bowls and mixing utensils
immediately for easier cleanup. It helps if
you use hot water to "dissolve" the starter
first.
 IF YOU’RE NOT
USING YOUR
STARTER
REGULARLY,
STORE HER IN THE
FRIDGE

FEED HER, COVER HER & PUT HER TO BED.

TAKE HER OUT AND FEED HER EVERY WEEK OR SO TO KEEP HER GOING.
REMOVE HER FROM THE FRIDGE 12-24 HOURS BEFORE YOU WANT TO BAKE.
ALWAYS FEED HER AFTER YOU USE SOME STARTER AND BEFORE YOU PUT HER BACK.
RECIPE

NY STYLE BAGELS
Ingredients
FOR MAKING 8 BAGELS
200 g (1 cup) bubbly, active 100% hydration sourdough starter
315 g (1-1/4 cups) cold water
30 g (2 tbsp) maple syrup
750 g (5 cups) all-purpose flour
10 g (2 tsp) fine salt
Flour for proofing

DAY 1
1. In a large bowl, use a whisk or fork to mix your bubbly, active starter with the water and maple syrup until well-
combined.
2. Add in the flour and salt. Mix until it becomes shaggy, then turn it out onto a clean surface and knead by hand until the
dough is smooth and somewhat pliable, about 6-7 minutes.
3. Shape into a ball, return to the bowl, and cover bowl with a towel.
4. Rest 20 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Tip: When dividing, do not pull dough apart; always use a sharp tool to cut dough into
pieces and maintain the gluten structure.
6. Shape each piece into a small ball by tucking the corners underneath, cupping the dough, and rolling it in a circular
fashion on a clean, flour-free counter.
7. Cover dough balls and rest another 15 minutes.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with flour .
9. Flatten the ball of dough into a disc and use your fingertips to roll into a log about 8-inches long. Wrap the log around
your three middle fingers with the ends overlapping by 2" on the inside of your hand. Roll gently, palm down, until the
ends are joined together.
10. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the bagels.
11. Cover the shaped bagels with a towel, let them proof at room temperature for 2.5 - 4.5 hours, or until puffy. This could
take more time, depending on the temperature in your house. Take a test bagel and place it in cold water. If it floats,
they’re done proofing. Dry the test bagel off and return to the baking sheet. If it sinks, it needs to proof longer.
12. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
RECIPE

NY STYLE BAGELS
Ingredients
FOR BOILING & TOPPING
Large pot
Slotted spoon
1 TBSP baking soda
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 cup topping (optional)

DAY 2
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place toppings (poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, etc.) on flat plates, so they are ready to go.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
4. Add the baking soda and brown sugar.
5. Remove the bagels from the fridge and gently place them, a couple at a time, into the water.
6. Boil for 15-20 seconds on each side.
7. Remove boiled bagels with a slotted spoon to get rid of most of the water.
8. Shake off excess water and immediately dip the top of bagel into desired toppings.
9. Set back on the baking sheet.
10. Repeat this process with the remaining bagels.
11. Place the baking sheet into the center of the oven and turn it down to 400°F.
12. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until golden on top.
13. Cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.