sour dough starter

[rd200]

Ok, so anyone hear of Amish friendship bread??? is this considered a sourdough starter?? you get the starter and then mush the bag for 5 days, then "feed" it milk sugar and flour and then mush the bag again for 3 more days, then you are suppose to add more ingredients, seperate out the starter into 3 seperate bags, and then give them to 3 friends. Then the starter you keep you bake and then keep another one for your self. ITs really good bread. But its a sweet type bread, not like bread that you make sandwiches with or eat soup with. Is this kinda like a sourdough starter???

Id love to start one but i dont know how and it seems complicated to me :/

 

[terri9630]

Ok, so anyone hear of Amish friendship bread??? is this considered a sourdough starter?? you get the starter and then mush the bag for 5 days, then "feed" it milk sugar and flour and then mush the bag again for 3 more days, then you are suppose to add more ingredients, seperate out the starter into 3 seperate bags, and then give them to 3 friends. Then the starter you keep you bake and then keep another one for your self. ITs really good bread. But its a sweet type bread, not like bread that you make sandwiches with or eat soup with. Is this kinda like a sourdough starter???

Id love to start one but i dont know how and it seems complicated to me :/

Go to the link that Beekissed listed and try his 7 day starter. I am making it and it couldn't be easier.

 

[so lucky]

I was cleaning out my fridge the other day and found a jar of sourdough starter that I had started from "scratch" a couple of months ago. The bread I had made from it was terrible. Hard, sour, yucky, poor rise. Stirring it so it would pour, I smelled the starter before throwing it out, and it really smelled alcoholic, more so than a glass of wine does. It usually hasn't smelled nearly that strong. So I thought I would keep it and try feeding it this weekend, and try one more time baking sourdough bread with it. I won't use my good (expensive) organic sprouted whole wheat flour, in case I have to feed it to the chickens. I guess it's more the challenge of creating starter from "the air" because It's not the wonderful taste that has me still trying!

 

[Beekissed]

They used to call that water "hooch" because it does have alcohol content. From what I understand, the older and stronger the sourdough, the more acidic and sour tasting the bread is. I'd read up on a few sites and see how to sweeten that starter when you actually make some bread from it.....seems like I read if it is fed properly it doesn't yield that strong flavor.

I think sourdough is something you have to use often and play around with to get just the right feel for....my mother used to make bread quite often from hers and I remember it being very good bread. Same with the biscuits.

 

[ORChick]

I was cleaning out my fridge the other day and found a jar of sourdough starter that I had started from "scratch" a couple of months ago. The bread I had made from it was terrible. Hard, sour, yucky, poor rise. Stirring it so it would pour, I smelled the starter before throwing it out, and it really smelled alcoholic, more so than a glass of wine does. It usually hasn't smelled nearly that strong. So I thought I would keep it and try feeding it this weekend, and try one more time baking sourdough bread with it. I won't use my good (expensive) organic sprouted whole wheat flour, in case I have to feed it to the chickens. I guess it's more the challenge of creating starter from "the air" because It's not the wonderful taste that has me still trying!

What I would do in that situation is: in a clean container mix up a cup of flour and enough water to make a batter. Put a tablespoonful of the sourdough in that (stir it in well, and cover) and discard the rest of the old sourdough. Tomorrow, or when it shows good bubbles, discard half of the new mixture, and add another half cup of flour and some more water. That may be enough, but if it still doesn't smell right to you do the discarding old and adding new a few more times. This should re-balance the starter, and bring it back into a useful form. Keep it at room temp while doing this. When it is back where you want it, then store it in the 'fridge in between uses and feedings.

 

[so lucky]

OK, thanks for the tip. What would happen if I used as is? (After feeding it, I mean)

 

[ORChick]

OK, thanks for the tip. What would happen if I used as is? (After feeding it, I mean)

It sounds as though your starter is way out of balance - there are lacto-bacilli and yeasts and acids and I don't know what else in there, and they aren't in the proper balance. If you use it now you will probably find that you don't like the result any better than you did before. And it may not have the *ooomph* to raise your bread to an acceptable height. If you really want to use some, rather than throw it out, you might try sourdough pancakes - although there the sourdough is really mostly for flavor, and if you don't like the flavor of your sourdough starter you most likely won't like the flavor of the pancakes.
You are better off, in my opinion, just pampering the starter for a few days until it is healthy again. Don't use your expensive sprouted grain flour; just plain all purpose will be fine. Give the *throw away* starter to the compost pile if you have one. You could also feed it smaller quantities - like 1/2 cup at a time - so you aren't throwing away quite so much.
A healthy sourdough starter is a lovely thing - mine (so I'm told) is descended from an Alaskan starter from the 1890's - but if it isn't healthy it isn't much use. And I will admit, mine has got lost a few times in the 'fridge, and has needed rehabilitation, but it has always come back nicely, with a bit of care.
Once yours is healthy and happy you might want to smear some of it on a piece of wax paper, and put that in a dehydrator on low, or in a very low oven, to dry. Keep the result in a tightly lidded jar in a cool, dark place. And, if the active starter goes funny again sometime in the future you will have a back up (mix flour and water to a loose batter, add in a spoonful of the starter crumbles, and leave at room temp. until it is bubbly. And then treat as usual.)
Trying to make bread with an iffy starter is most likely doomed to failure.

 

[baymule]

Ok, so anyone hear of Amish friendship bread??? is this considered a sourdough starter?? you get the starter and then mush the bag for 5 days, then "feed" it milk sugar and flour and then mush the bag again for 3 more days, then you are suppose to add more ingredients, seperate out the starter into 3 seperate bags, and then give them to 3 friends. Then the starter you keep you bake and then keep another one for your self. ITs really good bread. But its a sweet type bread, not like bread that you make sandwiches with or eat soup with. Is this kinda like a sourdough starter???

Id love to start one but i dont know how and it seems complicated to me :/

Yeah, I got a starter at Christmas and have made it twice so far. I have another baggie going now. DH loves the bread. If you want to PM me with your address, I will send you a starter.

 

[ORChick]

So lucky - did your sourdough recuperate?

 

[so lucky]

So lucky - did your sourdough recuperate?

You know, I stuck it back in the fridge and forgot about it again. I think I'l go feed it now and see if I can use it tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me.