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Once used for your recipes, Sourdough can be stored in 3 ways, depending on how long you wish to keep it.
First, you must evaluate whether you want it available EVERY DAY or prefer to use it occasionally. In the first case, you will need to refresh the sourdough daily, while in the second case, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer for several days. However, I suggest scheduling the cycle of 3 refreshments at least once every 15-20 days to avoid diluting the yeasts and causing them to lose their strength.
HOW TO STORE SOURDOUGH AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (FOR 24 HOURS)
Storing the sourdough starter at room temperature is crucial for two reasons: if you need to use it every day (although this is unlikely at home) or if you need to refresh it after several days in the fridge.
If the above describes your need, you must refresh the mother yeast EVERY DAY and store it at room temperature (19°C to 20°C – 66° to 68°F) for 24 hours. Whether you store your sourdough in the water or tied-up, detailed instructions are on the page dedicated to How to Feed Sourdough Starter.
STORAGE OF SOURDOUGH IN THE FRIDGE (FOR 7-10 DAYS)
I recommend this type of storage for home use because it allows you to keep the Sourdough for about one week without causing an excessive loss of strength.
After the bath (as explained above), squeeze and knead:
- 1kg starter
- 2kg of Bread Flour
- 800gr water at 30°C (86°F)
Knead it, roll it to 1-2 cm of thickness, roll it up, and soak it in cold tap water (about 19°C (66°F))
Leave the Sourdough at room temperature until it comes to the surface. Then, place it in the fridge at +4°C (39°F) for 7-10 days.
Sourdough does not absorb odors that may be in the refrigerator, so you can leave it uncovered.
Evaluating the fridge’s temperature is crucial because if it is too far from +4°C, the sourdough’s shelf life will be reduced to 4-5 days.
To reactivate the Sourdough starter, leave it at room temperature for 24 hours and proceed with the regular daily refreshments for at least 4-5 days before using it in the recipe.
HOW TO STORE THE SOURDOUGH IN THE FREEZER (FOR MORE THAN 1 MONTH)
To further extend the period of preservation – more than 1 month – I suggest to FREEZE your Sourdough Starter, moving as follows:
After soaking the Sourdough as explained above, squeeze it and knead it following these proportions:
- 1 kg starter
- 2 kg of Bread Flour
- 800 g water at 30°C (86°F)
Knead all the ingredients, roll the dough to 1-2 cm of thickness, roll it up, and soak it in cold tap water at 19°C/20°C (66°F – 68°F). Leave at room temperature until the Sourdough rises to the surface and then place in the refrigerator, uncovered, at +4°C (39°F) for 24 hours. Put it in the freezer the next day and wait for the entire mass to completely freeze before covering the Sourdough with a plastic wrap sheet.
To reactivate the Sourdough, it is crucial to avoid temperature shocks. To do this, please place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then, put it at room temperature for 24 hours or until the Sourdough rises to the surface again. Finally, you can proceed with standard refreshments.
Discover more about Sourdough Starter
your QUESTIONS ABOUT SOURDOUGH STARTER
Suppose you do not use Sourdough very often. In that case, the most rational solution is to store it in the refrigerator and refresh it every 5/7 days. For periods longer than 1 month, you can keep the yeast in the freezer. In both cases, it will be necessary to refresh the yeast with specific refreshers.
One way to recycle it is to let them dry it first, then bake them in an oven at 100°C (212°F) for about 40/60 minutes and then pulverize them in a mixer. The resulting powder can be added to bread and pizza dough (about 10g/kg of flour) to enhance the acidic note.
You can use a good quality Bread flour with around 14% of proteins. All-purpose flour is not the right choice as it is not rich enough in proteins and gluten.
If you store the Sourdough at room temperature, it must be refreshed every day. Otherwise, you can refresh it every 5/7 days and store it in the refrigerator.
If properly stored at a (stable) temperature around +4°C (39°F), you can keep the Sourdough in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Obviously, you will refresh the Sourdough before placing it in the fridge.
If Sourdough is left at room temperature, it should be refreshed every day. If you decide to keep it in the refrigerator, you can refresh it every 5-7 days.
The ideal proportion is for the water to be about 3 times the amount of starter: 1kg of yeast should be soaked in 3 liters of water.
Suppose you happen to lose a lot of Sourdough during the bath. The best solution is to collect as much as possible and make 2 to 3 refreshments in a row to regain the right mass. How to Feed the Sourdough Starter
Suppose you happen to lose a lot of Sourdough during the bath. The best solution is to collect as much as possible and make 2 to 3 refreshments in a row to regain the right mass. How to refresh Sourdough
Sourdough cannot be used directly from the fridge. Once taken out, it must be left at room temperature for 24 hours and then fed daily for 4 to 5 days before using it in your recipe.
The ideal temperature for storing yeast is 19°C (66°F)with a margin of +/- 2°C.
It depends; the final temperature of the dough should be around 26°C (78°F). You can use this simple formula (which works only with °C) and found out the right water temperature to use:
55 – Flour temp (°C) – Room temp (°C)
I recommend storing at least 700g of yeast to not lose too much during the bath. However, to limit the use of flour, you can keep the Sourdough in the refrigerator and refresh it every 5-7 days.
If the Sourdough rises to the surface too early during the bath, it is a clear sign that It is too weak.
To rebalance the acidities, simply refresh it with a sourdough: flour ratio of 1:0.8 (1kg sourdough and 800g bread flour).
Most likely, It is too acid and should be rebalanced by refreshing with a yeast: flour ratio of 1:1.2 (1kg yeast to 1.2kg bread flour).
If your Sourdough smells too acidic, it means it has developed excessive acidity. To rebalance it, first, you have to identify whether the cause of the excess acidity is lactic or acetic. Then, you can refresh it according to the specific case, as explained in this article about the most common problems of Sourdough.
31 comments about “Come conservare il Lievito Madre”
Salve, vorrei chiedere se esiste una quantità minima di lievito madre per la conservazione. Ad esempio, posso conservare solo 30g di pasta madre in frigo? Lo chiedo perché non lo uso spesso e vorrei evitare sprechi. Grazie!
Ciao Francesca,
se ti riferisci al Lievito Madre in pasta conservato in acqua, allora 30gr sono troppo pochi; ti consiglio di conservarne alemeno 700gr.
Se invece ti riferisci al Levain, ovvero al Lievito liquido che si conserva nel barattolo, allora rinfrescane almeno 100gr, per poter avere sempre una quantità minima da rinfrescare!
In quest’ultimo caso, ecco come rinfrescare e conservare il Licoli
A presto!
Buongiorno ,mi servirebbe un consiglio.ieri ho rinfrescato il lievito madre che avevo messo in frigo lunedi’ ma sono andato lungo con i tempi e siccome ancora nn raddoppiava ed era tardi ieri sera l’ ho messo in frigo.oggi in pratica cosa dovrei fare?cioe’ l’ ho tolto per temperarlo ma ora che ha raggiunto il raddoppio posso usarlo direttamente per fare il pane oppure devo rinfrescarlo ancora ed aspettare il raddoppio?grazie
Ciao Simone,
stai gestendo un lievito madre ormai maturo, o lo stai preparando da zero?
Forse, da quello che scrivi, credo che tu stai usando il LicoLi, ovvero il lievito liquido che si conserva nel barattolo!
Fammi sapere
A presto
Buongiorno, sto facendo lo lievito madre e avendone tanto ne vorrei mettere un po’ in freezer. Nella spiegazione c’è scritto di lasciare a temp ambiente in acqua, poi a +4 in frigorifero per 24h. Quando devo trasferirlo un freezer devo mettere tutto il contenitore con l’acqua?
Grazie
Ciao Paolo,
esatto,lo conserverai in freezer a bagno nell’acqua e non coperto!Una volta comepletamente congelato, puoi estrarre tutto il blocco (lievito e acqua), avvolgere tutto con una pellicola e conservare fino a 6mesi!
A presto!
Buona sera
Ho fatto il bagnetto… è venuto a galla…ho conservato in frigo e in acqua per le prime 24 ore…
A questo punto se voglio il lievito per impastare gr.300 di farina per fare una focaccia/pizza che devo fare e fra quanto tempo la potrò programmare…. GRAZIE e saluti
Ciao Giuseppe,
stai usando il lievito madre solido (quello in pasta), oppure quello liquido nel barattolo (Levain)?
Se stai usando il lievito madre solido, prima di usarlo nella ricetta, dovrai effettuare almeno 2rinfreschi a 30°C (how to feed sourdough starter)
Tuttavia, se hai appena rinfrescato il lievito con il rinfresco corretto per la conservazione in frigo (1 parte di lievito e 2 di farina), allora il lievito non sarà ancora pronto dopo 24ore di frigorifero; aspetta almeno 3 giorni
A presto!