The Hootch

Ever noticed a mysterious liquid at the middle or at the bottom of the jar in your sourdough starter? That’s hooch! It forms when your starter gets hungry after going without food for a while. This liquid is mostly water and alcohol – a natural byproduct of fermentation. Think of hooch as your starter’s way of saying, “Hey, I need a snack!”

In your Sinless starter, yeast feast on the sugars in your low-carb ingredient mix. As the yeasts eat, they burp out carbon dioxide and produce alcohol. If the yeasts run out of food, they keep making alcohol. They can  build up, and if you’re not careful, the hootch will overflow your jar.

Sinless Starter: A Special Case:

Your Sinless starter is a bit different from traditional starters. Instead of floating on top, the hooch settles in the middle or at the bottom of the jar. When your starter is super active and ready to use, you might see more hooch than usual. Just mix it in with the starter.  If the starter has reached the top of the jar or even pushed out of the top of the jar, it’s showtime! The starter is ready to use in your baked goods.

If your sourdough starter is ready but you’re not quite prepared to bake, there are several effective strategies you can employ to keep it healthy and active. Use a jar spatula or a chopstick to mix the starter thoroughly, which will help release some of the gas built up during fermentation, effectively deflating it.

After mixing, you can choose to feed your starter again for one or two more feedings, depending on how long you plan to wait before baking.  To feed your starter, add 1 tablespoon each of oat fiber and vital wheat gluten, and 4 to 6 tablespoons of spring water.  Mix well. Cover the jar with its lid.  Allow it to ferment at room temperature for at least 4 hour to a maxiumum of  12 hours.  Then at 12 hours, feed the start again.  Continue regular feedings until you are ready to bake.

If you decide not to use your starter for up to a month, simply place the lid on the jar and store it in the refrigerator.  Read the information above on how to reactivate the starter for use.

To Stir or Not to Stir?

Bakers are split on what to do with hooch. Many bakers recommend stirring the hooch back into the starter before feeding. This keeps the moisture balanced and can give your bread a tangier kick. I personally mix it in, mainly because it’s tricky to pour out when it’s at the bottom of the jar. I also love super tangy bread.  Plus, you don’t want to lose any of your precious Sinless starter!

Some bakers prefer to ditch the hooch, especially if it’s dark and smelly. They worry it might mess with the starter’s health and flavor. If you go this route, make sure to give your starter a hearty feeding afterward.

The choice is yours – experiment and see what works best for you and your unique Sinless starter!