Help please

Sourdough, porridges, pre-soaking, and more!

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Help please

Postby Lakesidemamma on Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:38 pm

I am a newbie to sourdough starters. I took a one-day class where I made my own starter with 250 grams water and 150 grams rye flour. Stirred it and put it in a jar with a lid on for four days.....I know, but I was travelling and couldn't feed it. When I got home I discarded half and fed it the same amounts again for the next few days every 12 hours. Then for the next few days I did the same every 24 hours. I left the lid on loosely once I got home (for the last week or so). The most my concoction every does is bubble up about 1/5 higher over 24 hours. I make sure I blend in lots of air each time I refresh it and use organic rye flour and warmish bottled water. Now the last two days I've gotten a gradually thickening white crusty-type stuff growing all across the top of my starter. I have just been stirring it back in to my mixture and it comes back within 24 hours but thicker. The smell has also gone from a lovely apple vinegar type smell to not really smelling that much at all ... or maybe slightly like vomit (yuck). I've now been babying this stuff for over a week ... is it time to start again or should I persevere?
Lakesidemamma
 
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Re: Help please

Postby Tibor on Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:34 am

I've only started from scratch a few times. My current starter is probably close to 2 years old. There are a few ways to do it .I think you should start over. The way I do it is with equal parts rye and warm water. Cover it with a cloth and give it a good stir every now and then. You don't need to feed it until it is working and bubbling--about 4 days.If you bake often start with 1 or 2 cups If you don't bake often start with a couple of TBS. Build your starter slowly or fast depending on your need. I never throw any away. I usually feed my starter less volume than what I have going. Once everything is happening I put a very loose lid on it and refrigerate.Feed it at least every few days or every day if you are building fast. Leave it out for 6 or so hours and it bubbles away. Then I move it back to the fridge to slow it down. Treat it like a pet....it needs to be fed and a bigger critter needs to be fed more. When you plan on baking take it out the night before and feed it and leave it out. This it the way I do it. Good luck.
Tibor
 
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Re: Help please

Postby Lakesidemamma on Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:41 pm

Okay, I threw it out....arghhhhh....all that work and all that flour! However, I've now started a new one and hopefully that will work. Thanks for the advice!
Lakesidemamma
 
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Re: Help please

Postby aehebay on Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:23 pm

Sorry about your sourdough starter. They become like pets after a while, don't they? Sad to lose one.

I keep my starter on the counter in a one quart mason jar. I cover the top with a paper towel secured by a rubber band. I stir it with a bamboo chopstick a few times a day. I only cover it with a lid when I put it in the refrigerator (if I will not be using some soon).

Sourdough is worth the work, so I hope you will try again, maybe using this method. Good luck!
aehebay
 
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Re: Help please

Postby Lakesidemamma on Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:24 pm

My new starter is just wonderful! I used the instructions here...

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10251/ ... 1-tutorial

It has risen and risen and risen...each time beautifully. I can see from using these proportions that my other starter had too much liquid and I was just starving those poor little yeasties. In the next couple of days I'll try making a loaf of bread....Wish me luck!
Lakesidemamma
 
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Re: Help please

Postby Lakesidemamma on Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:41 am

Okay.....now I've got this wonderful starter that doubles in no time flat! If I leave it on the counter it doubles in about an hour and if I put it in the fridge it takes about a day. I've been using it to bake with and have tried a few different loaves. Problem is, my loaves don't rise much on the second rising. I knead the dough according to instructions in recipes, leave it until it doubles the first time which seems to take about 4 hours, and then I shape the dough....I've tried both in baskets and in a torpedo shape. I've made sure to strengthen the shape with folding in on itself. I just get these loaves that maybe rise 1.5 times after 4 hours of proofing. Oh, and yes, I bake them on a stone in the oven that has been preheated to 500 for an hour. Any suggestions anyone?
Lakesidemamma
 
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