Scott's Sourdough Starter
... or should I really call this Cynthia's Sourdough Starter?
In late March 2012, we visited Ryan in Atlanta. Due to limited space in Ryan’s apartment, we ended up staying at Loew’s Hotel in Midtown Atlanta. On our second day in the city, we agreed to meet Ryan in the morning at Empire State South, the restaurant where Ryan was the Executive Chef. Since Ryan knew that I was just starting my bread baking adventures, he took me back to the kitchen and introduced me to Cynthia Wong, the Empire State South Executive Pastry Chef. Cynthia was regarded as one of the top pastry chefs in the Atlanta area and Empire State South felt very privileged to have Cynthia on their team.
I stayed in the kitchen with Cynthia for about 15-20 minutes, watching her work her dough, asking questions, and learning about her baking experiences. It was a real pleasure to talk with someone who had made such an incredible commitment to baking, was highly respected in the industry, and spent ~10-12 hours a day enjoying the thrill of baking. As I was about to leave, Cynthia asked me if I would like some of her sourdough starter. Feeling that I had already imposed too much on her, I graciously declined.
When I met up with the rest of my group in the main part of the restaurant, Ryan asked if I had picked up any of Cynthia’s sourdough starter. When I indicated that I had declined, he immediately took me back into the kitchen and encouraged me to take Cynthia up on her offer. While Cynthia was pulling off a small quantity of starter, she explained the feeding schedule and how to use the starter effectively.
In that very short interaction with Cynthia concerning her sourdough starter, here’s what I learned:
· She started me with 127 grams of her sourdough starter
· Always retain 127 grams as a base
· Refrigerate when not planning to use for a while (the fermentation will slow down significantly and become almost dormant)
· When feeding:
-- Have out of the refrigerator for at least 8 hours
-- Feed at room temperature
-- Use these feeding proportions:
-- 1-3/4 cups of cool tab water (~430 grams)
-- 270 grams of white bread flour
<I later questioned if I had recorded Cynthia's directions correctly, since I've found that I've
ended up feeding my sourdough starter equal weights of water & flour - retaining what is
considered a 100% hydration starter (i.e., equal portions of water and flour)
· When baking and using the sourdough starter with a yeast-based recipe:
-- Use 1 cup of starter for every 2-1/4 tsp package of dry yeast
-- Subtract ½ cup of water & ¾ cup of flour from recipe for each cup of sourdough starter being used
By the way, Cynthia’s Sourdough Starter was ~6 years old when she shared some with me on March 27, 2012, and yes, I still have it and use it semi-regularly. I am very grateful to Cynthia for sharing her starter and knowledge with me and very grateful to Ryan for insisting I get some of Cynthia’s starter.