Matilda day 5
I am having so much fun with Matilda! Today is day five and I discarded half of the starter and fed equal parts of whole wheat flour and water. I see tiny little. U bled a few hours later! #sourdough #lemon8challenge ##lemon8community #kitchen #imtrying
Working with a sourdough starter like Matilda is such a rewarding experience, especially when you start seeing tiny bubbles forming—that’s a clear sign that wild yeast and beneficial bacteria are active and your starter is alive. On day five, discarding half of the starter before feeding helps maintain the right balance of acidity and freshness, preventing it from becoming too acidic or overly hungry. Using whole wheat flour is a great choice because it contains more nutrients and wild yeast than white flour, helping your starter develop more robustly. From my experience, it’s important to keep your starter in a warm spot, ideally between 70°F to 75°F, which encourages fermentation and bubble formation. I also recommend using filtered or dechlorinated water, as chlorine can inhibit the natural yeast. Watching your starter develop tiny bubbles a few hours after feeding is such a thrill—it means fermentation is underway and your starter is ready to thrive. Additionally, checking the starter’s aroma provides useful clues: it should smell pleasantly tangy and slightly yeasty, never unpleasant or moldy. Stirring the starter daily helps distribute nutrients and oxygen, which supports yeast growth. When your starter doubles in size and is bubbly throughout, it’s ready to use for baking delicious sourdough bread! Incorporating whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients (noted by the 11% Daily Value in the flour) which enrich your bread’s flavor and nutritional profile. Overall, caring for Matilda this way builds a strong foundation for amazing sourdough baking adventures ahead.
