no wild yeasties?

[GardenWeasel]

Question for any successful wild fermentation sour dough makers. My mix of flour and water was started on 01-12. There is nothing going on. It doesn't smell bad. I know mt house is a little cool. Any ideas about helping this along without jacking the heat up or running a space heater in one room. Alo should the starter take off how do you get it warm enough to rise. Have made many loaves of so so bread, but always had a snug and warm place to make it. My current house is all brick and stays cold until June. Any help or do I have to wait?

 

[xpc]

I know nothing about bread yeast and what you are doing but most will need at least 68F to procreate. When I hear wild yeast that means putting your starter outside and letting the wind bring any yeast cells it carries (summertime). When I get a stuck ferment I either add a pinch of yeast in warm water or a few tablespoons of tomato paste for nourishment, a bit of Miracle-Gro plant food works good too (as long as the beasts aren't dead).

 

[Wifezilla]

Can't you get some yeast going by putting a piece of potato in water?
(I read this somewhere but never did it myself)

 

[xpc]

Can't you get some yeast going by putting a piece of potato in water?
(I read this somewhere but never did it myself)

Potatoes have starch which will convert to sugar for the ferment food but still needs a sachet of wee beasties to get her started, if you don't add your own culture a rogue yeast may take over and give an unpleasant flavor.

 

[Dace]

I have tried a few times and always crashed and burned.....so I am waiting to read some solutions I know we have a couple of SD pros here!

What kind of flour did you use?

I had a recipe that called for rye flour and grapes. The grapes brought the good beasties to the party....or at least they were supposed to. I think mine were party poopers.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Rye flour and grapes are both natural sources. In winter it's hard to get a new sourdough established. There is just not the natural fauna available to you that in summer would float through the air to find your mix with glee. Your temperatures are not helping those that do find you either. Try the top of the fridge where some warmth from the fridge working often makes it better. Upright freezers are great too, I put mine there when I want it to double overnight, like when I want to make lots of bread the next day.

I just use rye flour when I want to boost or restart, and honestly lately I have been doing the Italian Bigga for 24 - 48 hours rather than have a starter on continuously. As I'm back to school as well as working full time I'm not into the housepet care of a culture when my breadmaking is less regular and often a mass baking freezer filling day rather than for fresh like it used to be. I find I can get the same flavour from the bigga and I just need to prepare it one day before, not care for it every day.

 

[Dace]

Italian Bigga ???

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biga_(bread_baking)

Sorry, one g only. Known also as a poolish.

I use 1/3 rye flour and 2/3 white as the biga and leave it 24 - 36 hours. The mix I shoot for would be between 10 and 20% of the total flour but I still use some yeast in the bread because I'm usually in a hurry now and not wanting to give it the extra rising time.

If you have all day to watch it you can leave out the yeast and just punch down when double and then form loaves, bake them when they are under the size you like. As you will have larger airpockets be sure to leave yourself spring room, especially if you start them in a cool or cold oven for softer crust. They really pop up.

 

[freemotion]

Even cold houses usually have a warm spot....near the furnace or water heater, for example. I would take a thermometer around the house and find that spot. It may not be consistant, but it might be warm enough for enough hours each day to support some fermentation. Worth a try, anyways.

 

[miss_thenorth]

When we made our wine, the min. temp was 65F. last winter, I tried the sour dough thing with grapes, It did knda work , but I never got it successfully. I cholked it up to our house being too cold in the winter. I had planned on trying again in the summer, but never got around to it. seems there are alwasy too moany other things to do in the summer.