The Bread Thread!

[frustratedearthmother]

Nah...the LABs will soon take over the mix, even if one were to capture something less than desirable.

Hmmmm, doesn't seem to have worked that way for wyoDreamer.

 

[CrealCritter]

Please read wyoDreamer post about pink nasties. Like I said capturing yeast and mold from the air is up to chance. But once you have a starter it's good to go as long as you keep it healthy by feeding it wheat and water, non chlorinated of course. You can then use it whenever you want.

I do know lactobacilli thrives in a low PH and around a 85 degree F environment. Other than that, this is where my knowledge & experience ends.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have been using a sourdough starter that I got from a friend on BYC. It is from the sourdough starter that traveled the Oregon Trail back in the day. I believe it is called Carl's sourdough. http://carlsfriends.net/
this is good stuff.

 

[Beekissed]

Please read wyoDreamer post about pink nasties. Like I said capturing yeast and mold from the air is up to chance. But once you have a starter it's good to go as long as you keep it healthy by feeding it wheat and water, non chlorinated of course. You can then use it whenever you want.

I do know lactobacilli thrives in a low PH and around a 85 degree F environment. Other than that, this is where my knowledge & experience ends.

Don't know what to tell ya about that. All I know is my family of women have been using sourdough started right at home for generations, as have women since the beginning of the world. I'm sure someone, somewhere have a mix that either had the wrong start or the wrong feeding or just the wrong flour and/or water, but for the most part, if done the way it should be done, it usually produces the same thing~good sourdough.

Same with canning. Some swear that they have all sorts of problems canning safely, so they pronounce all home canning unsafe. If done right, it's a reliable and safe way to process and preserve food and preserve it for many years at a time.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I, for one, have no aversion to doing things differently than my ancestors did, lol. Yes, the old ways work for a lot of things but if there is a safer more efficient way of doing things - I'll at least give it a try.

 

[CrealCritter]

I am way outside of my league here... I've never even baked a loaf a bread, let alone sourdough -:lol

I kind of can relate though since I do make some malted liquid bread. Although I've never brewed a sour I do know its fermented at high temperatures in a low PH environment to lato ferment.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

But, you do know yeast!

I used to bake bread - yummy! But, my one attempt at sourdough only wasted a bunch of flour. Guess my wild yeasts weren't feeling cooperative, lol.

 

[CrealCritter]

But, you do know yeast!

I used to bake bread - yummy! But, my one attempt at sourdough only wasted a bunch of flour. Guess my wild yeasts weren't feeling cooperative, lol.

Kind of... take a ginger bug, for example.
It is a colony of Saccharomyces florentinus and Lactobacillus hilgardii. In other words, it is a spontaneous fermentation that occurs when ginger, sugar, and water are left to their own devices on your counter top. I image sourdough is the same general principal.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I had made a good sourdough starters many times before attempting it in Wyoming. It was just the one attempt that went so wrong. Somehow I just caught the wrong yeast on that attempt.

I am going to attempt to use the starter I have now on homeground whole wheat and see if I can get some sourdough whole wheat bread that is edible. I would like ot be able to make bread from whole wheat without using any white flour. Right now, my attempts are producing a very, very heavy loaf.

 

[CrealCritter]

I had made a good sourdough starters many times before attempting it in Wyoming. It was just the one attempt that went so wrong. Somehow I just caught the wrong yeast on that attempt.

I am going to attempt to use the starter I have now on homeground whole wheat and see if I can get some sourdough whole wheat bread that is edible. I would like ot be able to make bread from whole wheat without using any white flour. Right now, my attempts are producing a very, very heavy loaf.

Sounds to me more like mold than yeast but I'm no scientist. Plus I didn't even stay at a holiday in express last night