Hi, I've started keeping my starter mix in the fridge but finding i'm making a loaf every 2nd day or so, does the lower temperature allow the yeast to 'repopulate' in this time! Or am I better off keeping it out on the bench and feeding every day! or just when I go to use the starter, thanks
buzzy110,
Mar 27, 5:24pm
Depends on how strong your starter is. Mine will be rising within 2 days in the fridge. I cannot stress that observing your starter is the best way to understand what is happening. Everytime you open your fridge take a look at it.
In my case, if I leave mine on the bench it will have risen within a few hours and need refreshing by the end of the day and again the next morning. Therefore, I would refresh, put it in the fridge and take it out about noon the next day so that it is ready to go into the sponge by about 10pm that night.
I expect this situation to slow when winter rolls round and my kitchen temperature rarely gets higher than 18C. I would then take it out in the morning, ready for sponge making that evening and I would make my sponge earlier in the evening to allow for the colder night.
I leave my sponge on the bench, overnight, in the bowl of my mixer with a cover on top.
buzzy110,
Mar 27, 5:30pm
Nice to see that you have finally cracked it. How is your bread going!
I'm sorry, I stopped posting in the other thread at all because cooks and ellihen had taken over.
I cannot remember if you are using a breadmaker or doing it by hand. All of my information comes from hand made bread. I use my Kenwood to mix the dough but from there on in I knead, proof and shape my breads by hand. If you use a breadmaker I am not sure I am giving the best advice.
dibble35,
Mar 27, 5:41pm
The last few loaves have been all by hand and in oven, very satisfying. I think my starters a strong one,dough raises well/quickly in hot water cupboard. Ok so will leave it in the fridge and just start taking it out a few hours before i make the sponge mix. I'm enjoying my bread, its delicious. At the moment i've been toasting it for breakfast and making it into a sandwich with home made tomato relish and cheese.so good. I'm getting quite domesticated!
buzzy110,
Mar 27, 7:01pm
I'm not sure if you know just what good you are doing for your health as well. Whilst I do not eat much bread, and sometimes I have to take a couple of months off to eat up the loaves that are bulging out of my freezer, I do understand that sour dough is so much better, healthwise than modern, bought bread or homemade bread made with yeast.
This is because of gluten. Wild yeast will digest up to 90% of the gluten in flour. Most of the other 10% will be destroyed in the final cooking. Gluten is seriously unhealthy. It rasps away at the small enzyme producing vili of your small intestine till you cannot produce enough enzymes to break down all your food and separate out those things that our body needs and that, which we need to excrete. Vital vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins are not being sent into the bloodstream or directly to the liver and we eventually start to decline in health.
So good luck.
elliehen,
Mar 27, 7:03pm
WOT!
I was the one who 'found' it languishing in stackofrecipes, retrieved it and bumped it when uli had lost it!
Credit where credit's due, please ;)
elliehen,
Mar 27, 7:40pm
An interesting link from one of the many other threads on sourdough baking.
Yeah i've seen her/heard of her before, her class's seem to be very popular
cookessentials,
Mar 27, 10:10pm
Thanks for sharing the link I gave in the other thread elliehen. I shared what little knowledge I had in the other thread, along with the info on Yoki, who has a wonderful sourdough book ( which I have) She says to store your starter in the fridge if you are not going to use it awhile. it is a shame that buzzy thinks that she "owns" the said thread. Nobody has "taken over" "your" thread at all, we all have knowledge to share, its just a shame that you feel so "put out" when others post.
cookessentials,
Mar 27, 10:10pm
Thanks for sharing the link I gave in the other thread elliehen. I shared what little knowledge I had in the other thread, along with the info on Yoke, who has a wonderful sourdough book ( which I have) She says to store your starter in the fridge if you are not going to use it awhile. it is a shame that buzzy thinks that she "owns" the said thread. Nobody has "taken over" "your" thread at all, we all have knowledge to share, its just a shame that you feel so "put out" when others post.
lurtz,
Mar 27, 11:18pm
Question! I began a sour dough starter from the grapes on my mother's grapevine in 2010. I made lots of sourdough loaves successfully, and I froze some of the starter when my mum became ill.I still have the starter in the freezer.Would it still be OK! Any advice appreciated:-)
dibble35,
Mar 27, 11:41pm
Someone on here said that yes you can freeze your starter successfully.
davidt4,
Mar 28, 12:04am
I froze a potato-based starter for longer than a year once and it revived after thawing and a few feeds.
buzzy110,
Mar 28, 12:09am
What did you freeze it in - plastic bag or plastic container. I'm thinking I may do that myself.
davidt4,
Mar 28, 12:52am
I froze it in a screw-topped plastic jar which allowed a lot of headroom.
lurtz,
Mar 28, 2:07am
Thank you everyone. I will resurrect just one of thegrape sour dough starters from the depths of the freezer, and begin making loaves again.
buzzy110,
Mar 28, 11:15pm
I've been thinking about how I want to do this. My freezer space is limited. I remember I sent several small pkts of starter to people and all I did was mix up a small ball of flour and water with a tspn of starter mixed into it. I will do this tomorrow and make up about 6 balls. This way one ball will defrost quicker and I can mix it into a new feed and I have the others waiting for another 5 times.
Thanks for the idea.
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