How to start a sour dough starter

[miss_thenorth]

You guys--don't procrastinate too long--you want to do this when the temp inside your house is in the ideal range (unless you are in a southern state) On that link I posted--it has the temp range.

 

[Dace]

Yeah, that is a good point...as it is I have to keep mine in the laundry room to keep it warm enough

Fed it last night and again this morning, so that was #3 & #4....approx every 12 hours.

This morning it had a very thin layer of hooch on top.....hoping that is a good sign.

It currently has a few small bubbles on top although it has not really explanded today, but then I only fed it about 5 hours ago....maybe when I get the laundry going it will get to explanding

 

[ORChick]

Yeah I got that part

How is your DD doing? Enjoying her summer?

She is doing great, thanks! She has been sleeping in..finally! I'm so proud! Hitting those benchmarks right on target. Ahhhh, it is so quiet here!

Anyhoo, sounds like your starter is doing great!!

ORChick, would you mind giving us directions on how to dehydrate a starter for shipment? What temp, how long etc. Thanks!

I hadn't used my starter for awhile, so I fed it a couple of times to bring it back "up to speed". Then I spread some on some wax paper, and put that in the dehydrator, and set it to the lowest heat - 105*. I dried it till it was crumbly, and then I crumbled it to check for damp bits. There were a couple, so I let it go a little longer. I don't remember how long, but it would likely be different for people living in a more humid climate anyway. The air here is dry enough that many things dry just fine without the dehydrator This is all just hit or miss; I've never done this before. But this is how I have dehydrated kefir grains, and that worked well. I'll let Dace determine how well it worked when she rehydrates the crumbles. If it doesn't come back to life then I'll have to re-think my process.

 

[mamagoose]

Great info all! I have been looking into learning bread making and this seems like the route I want to go. My MIL offered me her bread maker and while it was a nice offer I really don't want to rely on anything electric to make the bread for me. I want to know how to make it the "old fashion way".

 

[Dace]

Mamagoose....I am not a bread mmachine fan. Most here that are fans, use the machine to mix and raise thier dough, then remove and put inot a proper pan for baking. That is an option, but to me knowing HOW to make bread is a skill. I am pretty versed in simple bread making, but I don't make it anymore as we don't eat bread, except for my 14 yr old son...who loves SD. Plus SD is more digestable for those with gluten intolerances.


Anyone know what to do here? I was distracted last night and did not remove 1/2 of my starting starter before feeding it. Did I screw up? Is there something I should do now, or just halve it when I feed it this morning?

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I've been following the thread (trying to) and visited several links. Ihave REALLY been missing sourdough since leaving Cali. I'd like to try it since I've been baking more bread anyway (can't even bring myself to want to pay $1 a loaf, much less the nearly $3 they sometimes ask for WHITE bread).

Anyway, hope you don't mind me tagging in questions here. It seemed better than starting a new thread.

First, what size jar are you using? Can I get away with a quart? Gallons are hard to come by. One loaf at a time is enough for me.

Second, anyone buy the San Francisco starter and know if it's worth it? I LOVED the taste of sd from Von's in Cali (no idea if that's what they use) but I bought a markdown day old loaf from a Menonite store here that I'm sure was made locally and it didn't have much flavor at all. I wonder if that's the local yeasts and bacteria?

Thanks very much!

 

[VickiLynn]

Feeding #2



I decided to post what I am doing to help anyone else who decided to try starting a starter!

Thank you. I, too, am watching in suspense.

 

[Dace]

Hey Shiloh & Vickilynn...this is a great thread to share info and ask questions, in fact I am going to change the name of the title so that is can be a catch all.

Shiloh, I am using a quart jar. At this point it is a little less than half full. With each feeding I dump 1/2 of what is in the jar, add a little less than 1/2 c rye flour and 1/4 c water. I realized that I had the measurements backwards and just corrected it.

Anyway, I change the jar daily....in the morning I pour it all into a fresh jar to minimize the chance of mold developing on the sides of the jar, plus it just looks better!

If my starter doubles in size as expected I will start using white flour instead of rye tonight. ALthough it has been rising and receeding, it has not doubled in size yet. :/

This morning was feeding #6

 

[Dace]

Ok again I have the wrong feeding proportions!

2 parts water to 3 parts flour :/

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks! If I can use quart jars I can start now!

I like your idea of transferring to a clean jar too. Thanks again!