You don’t need this matcha sourdough starter, but I definitely think you’ll want it. Just like my chocolate sourdough starter, it is incredibly simple to make and maintain!
I’ve used this matcha starter to make my sourdough matcha milk bread and a couple different versions of matcha sourdough shortbread with it. And while I can confirm all my recipes will work with either a regular starter or a matcha starter, it’s just so much more fun to use a green starter plus it gives a little flavor boost too!!
Key ingredients
🍵 Matcha powder of course! I’m not super particular about my matcha powder. I’ve used a few different brands before: Maeda-en (from Tokyo Central), Jade Leaf (from Amazon), Sencha (from Costco) and now the Costco Kirkland brand matcha. If you’re buying matcha for drinking, the quality certainly matters, but for baking I think it’s a lot more forgiving. Just use what you have and love.
How to make it
Well, it’s as simple as 1 and 2…
1. Add ingredients to a jar
When you’re making this starter for the first time, you’ll use an active regular starter to seed it. Once you’ve made it, you can discard and feed it as you would your regular starter.
2. Mix well
Now cover the jar slightly and let it rise in a warm spot. It should be ready within 8-10 hours.
Testing notes
I notice that this matcha starter doesn’t rise as tall as my original starter or my chocolate starter. But it didn’t affect the quality of the matcha milk bread at all. Proofing takes a little bit longer but the bread still turned out super soft and fluffy.
One thing that differs from my chocolate starter is that while my chocolate starter likes a little bit of sugar to promote yeast activities, this matcha starter will get super fermented with the additional sugar.
I tried this at first and had to throw away the discard because it was extremely sour once it passed its peak even under refrigeration. Without sugar, it has the perfect amount of sourness and a lovely matcha scent.
Maintenance tips
I absolutely DO NOT feed my matcha starter everyday. And to be honest, I don’t recommend it since matcha is expensive!
So how do I maintain this guy? If you want to stick to an easy maintenance routine so you don’t completely forget to feed him. I’d recommend a weekly or bi-monthly schedule.
- Keep your matcha starter in the fridge loosely covered. I usually just place the jar lid on the jar without screwing it on tightly.
- When it’s time to feed, take it out and let it rise in a warm spot until it peaks – give or take, don’t worry too much about perfect timing. Give it half a day to ferment at room temp and call it good.
- Discard but don’t throw it away, bake bread or these amazing sourdough matcha cookies, then thank me later!
- Save 10 grams and follow the recipe 👇.
- Immediately store in the fridge – this helps slow down yeast activities allowing you to go much longer between feeds.
- Repeat the process.
And if you don’t want to maintain one, just make it once, use it all and be done with it. Honestly, this is what I would recommend if you don’t bake with matcha often. You can always make more the next time you want to use it as long as you maintain a regular sourdough starter.
Matcha Sourdough Starter Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Jar
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 10 grams active sourdough starter
- 50 grams bottled water no tap!
- 50 grams flour good quality AP or bread flour
- 1 gram (½ teaspoon) matcha powder
Instructions
- To make this the first time – Use 10 grams of an active regular sourdough starter that you maintain. Mix the starter with the rest of the ingredients in a jar using a spatula until thoroughly incorporated. Cover slightly and allow to ferment at room temperature until ready to use. It should be ready within 8-10 hours.10 grams active sourdough starter, 50 grams bottled water, 50 grams flour, 1 gram matcha powder
- To maintain the starter – Discard as you would a regular starter, use it to bake bread or make a sourdough discard treat. Use 10 grams of your matcha sourdough starter, mix it with the rest of the ingredients as in step 1. Let it ferment at room temperature or in the refrigerator to lengthen time between feeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
