HOOCH! Not That Scary

Do not fear the weird grey liquid floating atop your starter, it's actually protecting it.

In a lot of cooking, baking, fermenting, etc., there are indications that you've done something horribly wrong: you burned something, it didn't rise, there's a bad smell, and so on. You'd think that something that looks as heinous as this grey-brown liquid is some sign that you've royally screwed up and murdered your starter.

I've got some good news: it's fine. Or at least, it's more than likely completely fine. Anecdotally, I can't tell you how many times my starter has gone to hooch, dozens, if not more than one hundred times. What I can tell you is that none of those times did I throw it away completely. I revitalized it and everything was gravy, or rather, sourdough. Oooh, sourdough stuffing with gravy.

However, I get it. The first time I saw hooch form on top of my starter I freaked out! I spent a long time flipping through books and searching online for the answer. What did I do wrong? Can I fix this? Am I a murderer?

There's a lot of fascinating stuff going on inside that jar, and it is actually very simple to correct it. Let's explore what's going on and how to right the ship.

How the Hooch did this happen?

You may have heard the simple explanation of how a starter or sourdough works, but it goes a little something like this: you mix flour and water together, enzymes break down the carbohydrates into simpler sugars, microbes feed on those sugars and produce carbon dioxide, lactic/acetic/other acids, and alcohol. "Microbe" being the catch all term for any single or multi-cellular microscopic organism. The acids are produced by bacteria, while the carbon dioxide and alcohol are produced by yeasts.

Yeasts are essential to making sourdough, or any bread for that matter. It's also essential in the production of alcoholic beverages like beer and wine, performing the same function, which is why beer and some wines are (excluding forced carbonation) carbonated. I like to think of beer as extremely thinned out sourdough batter. I don't actually (I swear, I have other interests, too).

If you've ever smelled the 'hooch' on your starter, you'll recognize that all too familiar smell of acid and alcohol. That's because it is alcohol. Very low percentage, horrible tasting alcohol. There's also a bunch of lactic and particularly acetic acids in there. Lactic acid is responsible for the sweet, milky aromas of sourdough, whereas acetic acid is responsible for the production of vinegar, which can only be made from - you guessed it - alcohol. The liquid hovering on top of your starter (which has lost about that much of it's liquid hydration) is more vinegar than it is alcohol since most yeasts can only withstand a certain level of low pH before it dies off.

After your starter hits its peak - where the yeasts and bacteria have multiplied to the point where there's not enough available sugars to feed everyone - these microbes begin to go dormant or die, the dead ones eventually being digested by other microbes. It's at this point where you'll notice your starter won't grow anymore, there's a fairly active and even distribution of bubbles, and the smell is sweet, bready, and pleasantly tangy. As your starter moves past its peak, you'll notice it begin to shrink as the carbon dioxide production slows and a lot of it evaporates into the air, and the aroma moves into a more pungent, sour smell. This is when more acetic acid so being produced by bacteria and the environment's pH lowers. As it settles completely there has been enough alcohol produced that it begins to separate and sit on top of the starter, which is comprised now of mostly dormant microbes, fibre, and other detritus. Especially if you keep your starter in the fridge (acetobacter can still work in lower temperatures) the production of acetic acid begins to eat the alcohol and turn it into vinegar.

This layer of liquid becomes a barrier to the oxygen and aerobic microbes above your starter that could introduce unwanted guests and actually kill your starter. There's a reason our ancestors stored food in vinegar and alcohol.

So, to sum up: starter grows, starter slows, beer is made, beer is eaten, turned into protective liquid layer. How cool!? Your starter will continue to very slowly produce hooch as it sits undisturbed, but unless you let it sit for years it will likely have a pretty immediate comeback.

Now, instead of worrying about hooch existing at all, your main concern is how long your sleeping microbes have gone without food!

How to Revitalize Your Drunken Starter

It's pretty simple and familiar. They're asleep, still drenched in booze from the night before, and they need a pick-me-up. Not coffee, not a hair-of-the-dog: their favourite meal... and a lot of it.

Really, this is just a recap of our Leaven Recipe in SOURJOE, something that ensures a good loaf of sourdough, but there's just more of a specific intention with this one.

STEP 1: Dump the hooch down the drain and everything but roughly 25g of starter out into the compost.

STEP 2: Mix in 100g of water and 100g of whole wheat flour. Mix thoroughly. Leave at room temp overnight or up to 24 hours.

STEP 3: Dump everything out except roughly 25g. Mix in 100g of water and 100g of equal parts whole wheat and white flour, bread or all-purpose works. Mix thoroughly.

STEP 4: Wait two hours and then place in the fridge, or wait 6-8 hours and use it in a sourdough recipe (might I suggest one of SOURJOE's?)

NOTE: You may need to repeat step 3 more than once depending on how long your starter has been sitting under the hooch. Also, make sure whatever lid that's covering the jar isn't fully screwed or clasped shut, excess carbon dioxide needs to escape from somewhere!

Ready, Set, Dough

How many puns can one bread blog make? Too many (unfortunately for you...)

Now that your starter has been revitalized, you're now all set to make a delicious loaf of sourdough. Or pizza! Or bagels! The possibilities are endless, and we've got recipes to boot on SOURJOE.

Do you have trouble with your starter? Has SOURJOE been a helpful resource? Let us know in the comments! We love hearing from you.

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