So i bought Sally Fallon's Politically incorrect gude to cooking and it has a sourdough starter recipe in it so now im going to try AGAIN to make a starter. Wish me luck!
buzzy110,
Apr 5, 7:58pm
Good luck angel. My best piece of advice is to get it clear in your head, exactly what it is you are making and exactly how you would expect it to react. Remember it is wild yeast. Constant refreshing before any yeast has even appeared is pointless. It is like trying to make a warm glass of water by leaving it in the sun and tipping out half and replacing it with cold water every 30mins. It just won't happen.
Give your yeast a chance to establish, even if it is just a small amount, before you begin to try and multiply them.
Just don't leave you starter in the sun or anywhere that will make it go off. I'll go and have a look in my book and see how she makes hers.
dibble35,
Apr 6, 12:52am
Good on you angel, I did make a loaf today but my poor starter has been just sitting in the fridge, i've got busy the last week or so and havnt had the time to make it as often as i'd like. It was a success, best frothy sponge i've had yet, I'm finding the hot water cupboard isnt hot enough now that the colder weather is here(to well insulated) so i've been rising my dough in the oven - works well and quickly
deus701,
Apr 6, 1:03am
Sourdough is like a baby.except that you have a better chance to resuscitate it when its dead.
angel404,
Apr 6, 1:47am
In my cookbook it say to use COLD water and it doesnt say to put it somewhere warm at all. so im just hoping for the best! Ive used rye flour and pre boiled water to (hopefully) get rid of the chlorine and put a cloth on it rather than sitting a lid on it. whereas last time i never did any of those things.
dibble35,
Apr 6, 3:05pm
cloth is a good idea, the fruit flies seem to be attracted to the sour smell of it, couple of times i've found a fruit fly in the jar or on my bread dough as its rising.
dibble35,
Apr 6, 3:07pm
you've got your own recipe book to follow now i know but i have printed out this guys instructions and recipe and its easy to follow and do. http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/sour.htm
angel404,
Apr 6, 3:50pm
My recipe doesnt say to throw away half of it. Just feed it every 24 hours. eeeekkkk time will tell!
dibble35,
Apr 6, 4:42pm
you'll end up with heaps of starter in your jar then. unless you're only feeding a very small amount!
buzzy110,
Apr 6, 6:03pm
I did check out my Nourishing Traditions book and was amazed. You will require a bucket by the end. Personally, I would continue on but use the method in the Sour John link. A bucket of starter is unwieldly. To keep costs down I found it just as easy to make a new starter using the cheap white flour from the supermarket. Champion is my brand of choice because I know their flour is not sterilised. Using some rye flour in the mix will certainly not do it any harm either as she is correct - rye seems to have a lot of the correct bacteria.
Ive halved the starter recipe as yes that is way too much! Hopefully if i get this starter going im going to give half to my mum as she wants some also.Ive tried it with brown rice flour, unbleached white flour, and wheat flour and it didnt work.
angel404,
Apr 6, 6:26pm
Thanks vmax have added that recipe to my favourites :) No kneading is good!
dibble35,
Apr 6, 10:40pm
Hey buzzy, do you know which flours are sterilised! And does anyone know who actually makes the homebrand or pams brand of flours! Tried comparing packets and ingredients list once to see which were same but didnt find anything
buzzy110,
Apr 6, 10:44pm
According to Champion (who I actually rang when I was in the supermarket) I was assured that no flour in NZ is sterilised. However, we had a poster in my original sourdough thread who claimed she had used a packet of sterilised flour. It wasn't one of the common brands I don't think.
My suggestion with Homebrands or Pam's flour is to look for a ph number on the packet and ring it. Usually the person at the other end of the line knows what it is you want to know. I'm fairly certain it will be made by one of the common companies and just packaged in the cheaper packs.
dibble35,
Apr 6, 10:45pm
I just had a look at that link and was thinking that sounds easy. then realised its the kneading bit I enjoy the most, so will just stick to what i'm doing. can you knead it to much! I'm generally kneading approx 5-10mins.
angel404,
Apr 7, 1:44am
Im normally use homebrand or pams myself but use highgrade flour. The brand i have atm is Healtheries stoneground rye meal flour. Oh you do like to knead a lot - i cant tell you how much is too much but at least youll get sexy arms! (unless you use a machine) lol
angel404,
Apr 7, 5:44pm
oh my starter was looking so good this morning! it had almost doubled in size! anyway so i panicked and fed it anyway! My recipe says to transfer the starter to a clean bowl each time you feed it. So ive been doing this. Anyway whatever is happening so far so good.
dibble35,
Apr 8, 3:48am
Yay - success.
angel404,
Apr 8, 5:20am
I hope so! If the mixture is doubling its size (or close to doubling) overnight, can i use it sooner than 1 week or is it best to just wait and be patient!
jazzryn,
Apr 8, 6:22am
I made my best ever loaf of sour dough today, so pleased and its so yum. Really looking forward to using it for toast for brekky tomorrow
buzzy110,
Apr 9, 12:18am
Congratulations angel.
Now that it is working you can think about making bread. I'd only give it one more feed.
Remember to always make up a batch of flour and water (I use 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water) and stir in a teaspoon or two of your starter. Unless you are making bread every day or second day, store it in the fridge in a container about twice the size of your mix (to allow for expansion) and a lid that lets in air but not a whole lot of debris. I have a jug with a lid, that if I turn it around, lets in air down the spout but basically have a lip that covers the spout without touching it.
Once you are comfortable with the whole process you can think about making your starter with difference flours or a combination of different flours. Each flour has its own favourite yeasts. By mixing them up you grow even more yeasts.
buzzy110,
Apr 9, 12:21am
There is no set length of time to knead. What you are trying to achieve with kneading is a stretchy, elastic dough. You should be able to cut a bit off and stretch it about and press is gently with your fingers while holding it up and it won't break.
Don't knead continuously. Use 5min blocks of kneading with a 2min break. Rest dough under an inverted bowl - usually the one you are going to prove it in, to prevent dough from drying out. This gives you a break and also lets the yeast rest. Resting the yeast is important as it helps in dough development.
angel404,
Apr 9, 12:47am
So my starter had sunk this morning :( It was quite cold last night so ive fed it and put it in the hot water cupboard so hopefully it gets happy again.
buzzy110,
Apr 9, 1:09am
Please try and remember what I said about analysing what is happening. What has happened is normal. You have grown a whole heap of wild yeasts in your new starter. Yeast digestion creates gas which causes things to rise. Once the yeast runs out of food to eat (the rye flour) they go back to being dormant but not dead. The best thing you could have done, is to tip out half (presuming you are only making a 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water starter and mix what is left with another mixture of ½cup each of water and flour. Your yeast will spring back into life again and then go dormant again once the food supply has been eaten.
If you want to make a loaf of bread mix up 1 cup each of flour and water and add in about 2 tablespoons full and leave it on the bench over night. Then follow the recipe for bread making. OR you can make your sponge from your present starter, leave it overnight and make the dough in the morning.
It is difficult to explain, but if you carefully read the John sourdough link, you will understand what I am trying to tell you.
Wild yeast is very forgiving. It is jolly difficult to kill once you have a colony. I said in another thread that one poster was forced to leave hers for several months and it bounced back after a couple of feeds. Heat is its only enemy. Anything above 32C will start killing it.
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