Sourdough is scary when you first start it
Especially of you start it from scratch instead of buying a starter
Sourdough discard is bad when it has become moldy and smells rotten. This takes a long time if you keep it in the refrigerator. Make sure you don’t mix mold with the hooch since it looks bad.
Even though it takes a while for sourdough discard to go bad, I do recommend using it within a week or two
Or freezing it if that isn’t possible
While it does take a while to go bad, it loses nutrition as more of the yeast dies
So the longer it is in the refrigerator, the less beneficial eating it will be for your health
Can I use smelly sourdough discard?
When I was making my sourdough starter from scratch, I was a little surprised about the smell and look
It didn’t look good and the smell was fairly strong
I had a friend walking me through the process so i asked her if that was normal
She asked me what it smelled like
I told her that it smelled fermented
She then reassured me that it was normal and to just keep going
I’ve gotten used to the smell most of the time but there are still moments when I am reminded that sourdough starter and discard is pretty smelly!
and that is normal!
What does a bad sourdough starter smell like?
Sourdough doesn’t really go bad until the yeast is not active for a while
But that is called discard and we definitely save discard to use it
So how do you know if the sourdough discard is bad?
The smell changes from a fermented smell to a rotten smell
And normally you will see mold growing
The yeast does a great job keeping mold away while it is active, but is more likely to grow once it is separated for diacard
That is why I keep my sourdough discard in the refrigerator
It stays good for a week or two instead of a few days so I have more time to use it
What should sourdough starter and discard smell like?
Sourdough has a unique smell
If you eat a lot of sourdough then you will probably recognize that smell in your starter and discard
But it will be a little more concentrated
My sourdough starter has a strong sour fermented smell
My sourdough discard has a much more faded sour fermented smell
But neither one smells rotten
The longer the discard is in the fridge without feeding, the more that signature smell will fade
What should sourdough starter and discard look like?
Visual cues are super important for sourdough starter
Active starter will be very bubbly and twice the volume that it was when you fed it 12 hours prior
I use all purpose flour for my starter so it is an off white color
But color will be different if you use different flour, like whole wheat
Once the bubbles have reduced and the starter turns Into discard, it is usually a fairly lose texture and easily pours from one jar to another
There are some bubbles but not as much and it isn’t twice the volume of the last feeding anymore
There shouldn’t be black or gray in the starter
If you see that, make sure there were no contaminations and make sure it isn’t mold
Why does the sourdough starter smell like alcohol?
If your sourdough starter is starting to smell like alcohol, then you have likely forgotten to feed it
When the starter is hungry, it will start to produce acetic acid as a sign of distress
If it continued to do that, a liquid will form on top called the hooch
This can be fixed by stirring the sourdough starter and resuming its feeding schedule
I don’t let myself forget to feed my starter more than one day unless I put it in the fridge
If I do forget a day, I remove the dried starter on top and feed as normal
When you have a mature sourdough starter, it is actually pretty hardy!
