Sourdough

[frustratedearthmother]

My "caught" sourdough starter made bubbles today!

Woo Hoo!!

 

[Perris]

My "caught" sourdough starter made bubbles today!

you're on your way! congratulations

 

[tortoise]

Bad news, my sourdough starter attracted fruit flies, and the sprout screen didn't keep them out. I tossed it, will try again.

 

[Perris]

That's a shame. I've never had that problem, so have no experience to offer insight on what went wrong. Perhaps using a container with a proper lid will stop it happening again? If it is slightly ajar to start you'll catch the local yeasts, then close it while it develops, just popping it open once daily to check on it? Once it's going you can keep it in a closed jar on the counter or in the fridge.

 

[Marie2020]

Why use a package when you can make the starter by scratch with minimal ingredients , flour , water , sugar , yeast , potatoes

I only used half flour and doubled the water

 

[wyoDreamer]

@R2elk I am glad to hear that you have been able to keep your sourdough alive and well.
My sourdough starter was 4 years old when I moved out to Wyoming. 2 months later is was pink with grey fuzzies. My second starter lasted almost a year before going pink. I may have been the problems, but I treated just like I did in Wisconsin. My neighbor (who thought she was a homemaker goddess) had the same problems that I did.
But I didn't give up, I am still working on getting a sour dough starter going in healthy.

 

[flowerbug]

@R2elk I am glad to hear that you have been able to keep your sourdough alive and well.
My sourdough starter was 4 years old when I moved out to Wyoming. 2 months later is was pink with grey fuzzies. My second starter lasted almost a year before going pink. I may have been the problems, but I treated just like I did in Wisconsin. My neighbor (who thought she was a homemaker goddess) had the same problems that I did.
But I didn't give up, I am still working on getting a sour dough starter going in healthy.

it sounds like your air contains enough off-type algae, moss, bacteria or fungi that you should probably keep it covered in the fridge to prevent it from being contaminated. often just keeping the container closed but not so much that air can't get in will do it. there is no way i can keep a starter culture going here in the fridge at all - Mom needs every bit of fridge space she can get at times.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk I am glad to hear that you have been able to keep your sourdough alive and well.
My sourdough starter was 4 years old when I moved out to Wyoming. 2 months later is was pink with grey fuzzies. My second starter lasted almost a year before going pink. I may have been the problems, but I treated just like I did in Wisconsin. My neighbor (who thought she was a homemaker goddess) had the same problems that I did.
But I didn't give up, I am still working on getting a sour dough starter going in healthy.

The thing that gave mine a jump start was adding some wheat flour to it. It got active really quick after that.

 

[R2elk]

it sounds like your air contains enough off-type algae, moss, bacteria or fungi that you should probably keep it covered in the fridge to prevent it from being contaminated. often just keeping the container closed but not so much that air can't get in will do it. there is no way i can keep a starter culture going here in the fridge at all - Mom needs every bit of fridge space she can get at times.

I never kept mine fully exposed to the air. Way too many different molds in the air in my house.

 

[flowerbug]

when Mom was young she worked for a while at a bakery and she was just talking about this bread they made once a week that people would line up to buy. after looking up the recipe for it i can see why:

Salt Rising Bread:

Salt Rising Bread

This bread demands a delicate, tricky process that will give you a uniquely delicious result. Starter is made from salt, cornmeal and sugar in milk, which can easily take a full day before the breadmaking commences.

www.allrecipes.com

it is considered a sourdough bread but Mom says she'd never make it. reading along it's a bit more than i'd like to do, but perhaps if i were snowed in for a few weeks in the middle of winter and had all the ingredients i'd give in a try.

she said it had quite a distinctive smell, and if so could you imagine a whole bakery of hundreds of loaves going full tilt with people lining up in the morning to start buying it?

*whew!* makes me tired thinkin' 'bout it...