When should I use a third build for my sourdough starter and what are the benefits?
A third build starter can take your sourdough to the next level, ensuring maximum strength, fermentation power, and flavour, giving it the boost it needs. Sometimes, you need to complete a third refreshment after your first and second build, especially for more sophisticated bakes.
At The Sourdough School and Club, my mission is to help bakers create healthy, delicious sourdough bread. Through my books and courses, I demystify the sourdough starter’s lifecycle, empowering bakers to achieve consistently great results. From the first build to the third, bakers gain deeper inside into the sourdough process.
Benefits to a third build starter
Completing a third build is beneficial when are if you are planning to go way for two weeks or more. Give your starter an added boost of microbial activity before safely storing it in the fridge until you return home. Likewise, if your starter is weak or sluggish after a long storage, or if ‘hooch‘ has formed. After a long period of inactivity, the yeast and bacteria in your starter will have slowed down significantly. In this case, you must complete a third build to give your starter the necessary pick-me-up to become active again.
Bakers also use a third build starter when they want stronger yeast activity to help ensure a better rise for doughs that are higher in hydration or have a longer ferment. Or you’re baking a more intricate bakes like panettone, other enriched doughs, or boules, which require enhanced dough strength throughout.
A third refreshment helps deepen flavour development and complexity, allowing for those delicious sourdough flavours to fully mature. And help provide more consistent results when you are trying to maintain fermentation control during your baking process.
2nd Build Sourdough Starter
