February 10, 2013 - 6:09am
Tartine starter part 2
I had many succesful bakes using this method but have took a rest for a bit and lost my starter. So now im creating a new one and am a bit rusty. I followed the book created the first days starter and bubbled up properly after 2 days. I discarded the 80% and since the first feeding havent had much reaction since I have a few air bubbles in there but not rising and no froth at all. My question is do I continue feeding every 24 hours even if its not rising and falling or do I wait till the rise and then feed after that?
Mike
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I have some old posts on my blog about building a starter if you want to check it out...
I would say that, if you are feeding again from scratch, you should be feeding more frequently than every 24 hours. When I was building my starter I was needing to feed it every 6-8 hours to get anything out of it. I would feed first thing in the morning, once in the middle of the day and once before bed. It built itself very quickly and remained very healthy. I understand that most books suggest feeding less frequently and using pineapple juice and rye flour and all that, but that never worked for me.
On my first try I was going with the 24 hour feeding schedule found in a lot of books and the starter became soup. The bacteria was destroying the gluten and not allowing the starter to rise even though it was active. I finally realized it just needed feeding more frequently. I have been successful in beating the bacteria with more frequent feeding several times. Maybe that would be your best bet for now. Good Luck!
D
www.allthingswheat.com
I had activity and a good rise after my first 2 days, now after feeding it doesnt do much anymore. For more than 24 hours I have a couple air bubbles. Do you think feeding more often will do the trick. I have had this starter for a week.
You are using a scale and measuring out equal parts of flour and water to feed your starter, right?
Well according to the t artine book it calls for a thick paste which i have. After today I discarded about 80% and added equal parts flour and water on a scale. Hope to see some action soon.
Oh good, I just wasn't using a scale at first, just eyeballing it...didn't work very well...kinda, but not really. Not until I did it perfect did it respond well. Also, maybe it's just cold and your little friend is trying!!! :)
Yes, don't give up! I've been making Robertsons bread now for a few months and am LOVING it!! Super easy and so awesome!!! :)
I don't do the frig, I just let it sit on the counter over night and get a very nice rise! It's just an awsome formula!
Best of success to you! :)
So keep the course and keep feeding it ever 24 hours even with little activity?
Hang in there, don't give up. It's normal for a starter to be active, then inactive, then active again. The critters that are active during the first phase are not what you want. Then there's a slowdown while they are phased out. After that, the right beasties take over and you're on your way.
If your temps are cool, be sure to be careful about seed amounts- often they need to be larger in cooler weather.
Good luck!
With little activity do I continue to feed every 24 hours or move it to 12 or wait longer than 24hrs?
Depends on temperatures and feeding schedule. What temp are you keeping the starter at and how much are you feeding it?
My kitchen is around 70-73 degrees. I am feeding same time every day once a day. So at 8am I feed it everyday. I had the rise and fall initially after 2-3 days then after first feeding it never rose or had much activity at all. In the past I had it down pat. This one either I am less patient and doubting myself.
You want the pH of the mixture to drop to the point that the yeast wake up, but every time you feed the starter, you dilute it and raise its pH. So don't feed it too often or too much. I'd feed it once a day, using enough flour and water to only double the amount of starter. Once it gets going, you can increase how much you feed it.
I have been doing that and no activity and I am on day 8. Feeding after the first 3 days after it popped up with bubbles. I discarded the 80% and added 100% HYDRATION blend. Since t hat day no action.
Daily feeds are fine, but given your temps your seed should be larger. If I understand correctly, you are feeding your starter 1:5:5, is that right? If so, leave off feeding for a day or two, until you again see signs of life (bubbles). Then feed it something more like 2:1:1, which means only discarding half the mixture, instead of 80%.
Yes I was disacridng around 80% and then replacing that with 100 grams water and 100 grams ww/flour mix. I moved the jar to inside my oven with the oven light on where the temp is around 80 degrees. Saw a little more bubbles and the mix got loser. Its 24 hours since my last feeding I think I will not feed it and see where its at tomorrow morning.