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Eric Kayser Liquid Starter Review

MrShin_Eat's picture
MrShin_Eat

Eric Kayser Liquid Starter Review

Hi all,

About 2 months ago, my "dry" starter has died and since I have stopped making bread. I miss it and want to get back to it.

Recently I purchased The Larousse Book of Bread by Eric Kayser cookbook, in which I decided to make liquid starter this time. Upon making Eric Kayser liquid start, I have hit my first major STARTER crisis on Day 3 - MOLD and end up in the bin.

I am about to start my second attempt on Eric Kayser Liquid Starter again.

Eric Kayser Liquid Starter Recipe here - and is asking to feed once daily for 4 days.

Question here - is it suffice to feed the starter once a day? Some starter recipes (not-Eric Kayser) call for 2 feeds a day.

I need some friendly advise/suggestion (come what may). If anyone has made liquid starter following his method, please let me know how did you starter and what issues you came across and how did you overcome it.

 

Cheers!

 

Velly's picture
Velly

Hi Mr_Shin,

This particular liquid starter was my second foray into creating a sourdough starter, and unfortunately it was anything but successful. I picked up the Larousse Bread Book at my hospitality school library, and after sampling Mr. Kayser's wares I figured he would steer me in the right direction.

I used Demeter Organic Whole Rye Flour, unpasteurised local honey and Brita filtered water, adding Demeter Organic Unbleached Baker's Flour. 

Days 1 & 2 were fine, things slowly became active with an ambient daytime temp of 18-20C. By Day 3 it was quite active, with a fairly liquid viscosity and many small surface bubbles.

By Day 4 it had turned into a pretty whiffy liquid starter. After continuing to feed every 24hrs, even after retarding it in the fridge as he recommends, it was a vinegary mess. I decided to bring it into the bread professor, who was a bit taken back by the highly acidic starter. The best description I can come up with is that it smelled much like coconut vinegar, a bit of granny smith apple, and not a lot of sweet wheat aroma. 

It was salvageable though, and after a good chat and a few formulas scrawled on the bench he guided me in the right direction. He swears by 12 hour feedings up and down, and it hasn't steered me wrong. I bake four loaves a week of higher hydration levain, and my starter just keeps on producing great results week after week. It's been four months now with nothing but success, even if I forgo the occasional feeding due to sheer laziness or awkward schedules. I know there are many ways to begin a starter, but this is the one that worked for a novice like me.  

The resulting starter IS stiff, but it's simple and (so far) foolproof:

100g organic whole wheat flour 

100g filtered water at 35C

Let ferment for 24hrs at room temp (20-24C is ideal), lightly covered

 

100g organic whole wheat flour

100g filtered water at 35C

100g starter from previous batch

Repeat for next 3 days, once per 24hrs, fermenting at room temp lightly covered 

 

100g organic flour (your choice, whole wheat or unbleached)

55g filtered water at 35C

50g starter from previous batch (this may lower as temps warm up, it can be as little as 10% in baker's percentiles, but since it is winter here I've been doing 50%)

AM + PM 12hr feedings, fermenting at room temp, covered. I do 6AM & 6PM to work with my school schedule, but you can do whatever works for you. 

Best of luck and have fun!

-V.

Ford's picture
Ford

I find the "Pineapple Solution" to be fool proof.  Search in the search box, top right of this page.

Ford

debsch's picture
debsch

As above, I used the pineapple method described below and it worked for me. I had tried years before using a recipe that required water and cups of flour which I found wasteful AND it didn't work (actually it probably did but I was fooled by the fake death that occurs a few days after starting a plain water & flour sourdough starter).

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10901/pineapple-juice-solution-part-2

If you scroll down past the blurb you'll find the simple recipe. But the blurb is quite interesting.

Day 1: mix...
2 tablespoons whole grain flour* (wheat or rye)
2 tablespoons pineapple juice, orange juice, or apple cider

 

Day 2: add...
2 tablespoons whole grain flour*
2 tablespoons juice or cider

 

Day 3: add...
2 tablespoons whole grain flour*
2 tablespoons juice or cider

 

Day 4: (and once daily until it starts to expand and smell yeasty), mix . . .
2 oz. of the starter (1/4 cup after stirring down-discard the rest)
1 oz. flour** (scant 1/4 cup)
1 oz. water (2 tablespoons)

 

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Made mine more than two years ago now, and the great-great-grandchildren of that starter are sitting happily in my refrigerator to this day.  And it started out as a liquid levain.  

The lovely thing is that once it gets healthy and happy in life, it can be made into anything.  The starter has become my base for multiple different hydrations of white, WW, rye and/or hybrids as needed.  One size will fit all.  Currently I keep a 60% stiff rye and a 75% stiff hybrid and work all differing hydrations from just those two.  And it all is derived from the initial starter.

Can even be dried or frozen and brought back to life too.

Not addressing your question directly, but promoting my support for the pineapple juice solution and where you can take it from there.

MrShin_Eat's picture
MrShin_Eat

I appreciate all your feedback and the tips and tricks.

I am going to start a new batch of liquid starter next week.

Will let you all know how I go.

Ogi the Yogi's picture
Ogi the Yogi

I don't have access to any, all his recipes ask for it. I only have instant yeast, what is the substitute? The wording in the book is strange I think he says use half if using dry, but that seems high no? 

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I too think half is too high. good luck

Leslie