How to start a sour dough starter

[miss_thenorth]

So Dace, what are you doing with your starter now? I am assuming it turned out? Are you keeping it in the fridge etc? have you found a SD recipe that works?

I kinda want to keep this thread alive until the end so we can all use it as a reference.

Me? When you started your starter, i was on my third attempt this year. now I am on my fourth and it looks like it might be a winner. so hopefuly by the time the kids go back to school, i will have some SD bread for them. i am also making some amish friendship bread starter.

 

[Dace]

Ahhh...No. I have a real mess on my hands

I now have 2 jars of starter and 1 in the frig. None of which are working. This dang stuff is so persnickity!

When one starts to double as it should, instead of tossing the 1/2 I pour out, I started saving some. Then the main jar goes sideways, so I pull out the one that I stashed in the frig and I try to revive it....blah blah blah.

Now I see why it is suggested to just buy a stinking starter!
ORchick was sending me one but I think the Fed confiscated it
So she is resending.

I think I will go get another truck load of rye.

By the way...my 8 yr old is sitting here insisting that I am spelling frig wrong...she claims it is fridge. Who is correct????

 

[TanksHill]

Dace I just happened across a recipe for SD starter in one of my cook books. Do you want it?

gina

 

[DrakeMaiden]

By the way...my 8 yr old is sitting here insisting that I am spelling frig wrong...she claims it is fridge. Who is correct????

I think it is "fridge", unless of course you were expressing frustration with the frig'in starter.

I think you just need to be patient. :/ Not easy to hear, but it sounds like you are on the right track. I think it took at least a few weeks (storing it at room temp and feeding it regularly) before I could bake with my starter, even though it was doubling regularly. Could have been a month before I got any good reliable bread rising out of it. I honestly don't remember.

 

[Dace]

Dang little smarty pants!

Thanks...patience is a virtue

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Dang little smarty pants!

Thanks...patience is a virtue

Who me?

Patience is one of those things I have a really hard time with. All this SS stuff has actually taught me some patience with the things I try to accomplish (some times I just get half-hearted, but keep trying), but I'm still not very patient when I have to wait in line at the store.

 

[Dace]

Dang little smarty pants!

Thanks...patience is a virtue

Who me?

Haha..no my 8 yr old is the smarty pants

I am a work in process. I am very patient with people, but highly impatient with processes....like stinkin' sourdough or learning to knit. Although ignorant people do make me snap.

Ok I am all around impatient.

Gina....the problem is not the recipe....it is user error :/
Thanks anyway Hey....why don't you start one then we can commiserate.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Like I said, this is my 4th time this summer. Last year I tried twice before the cold weather came.

FWIW, I have heard from som 'experts'that sourdough (once you make the actual bread-that it takes forever sometimes for the bread to rise. This may or may not be a bad thing--depending on whether you want the slow fermentation. I'll keep you posted-if my internet holds out--been having major problems with the server the last few weeks.

 

[Dace]

Yes MTN....do keep me posted here.

I am going to try the no knead SD bread that I posted the other day. It seems to have gotten good results!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

If it makes you guys feel any better, James Beard (the bread guru guy) wrote that he didn't think sourdough was worth the trouble. I get the feeling he didn't stick with it long enough to yield any good results.

It took months for my starter to make decent bread. I like sourdough enough that I was willing to eat the so-so loaves that came at the beginning. Once the starter takes off though . . . well, it is worth all the disappointment and "wasted" flour and time getting things going. At least, that is my opinion. Obviously not Mr. Beard's.