The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Some countries (or homes) don't have good wild yeasts?

nerdhub's picture
nerdhub

Some countries (or homes) don't have good wild yeasts?

I was trying to make SD bread in Aust 30 yrs ago after a trip to the USA where I read/heard about it. I had no success in making a starter active enough to rise bread. I tried all sorts of hydrations, resting times, feeding times etc, and always got a ferment going, but it was also always very weak. So eventually I gave up... so sad. I wondered then if the dry climate in WA and perhaps my house just doesn't have the right kinds of wild yeasts for bread-making?

In recent years after a SD teacher moved here to WA I used some of her starter and at last I could rise and bake good SD bread! Then, unfortunately, the teacher has left, and recently in purging my starter where I decided to bake the lot and FORGOT to keep any (!!), I lost that strain. So I have been trying to make one from scratch again. Once again I find I can get it going but the starter is weak. It is mildly bubbly, smells fine but is not active enough to rise bread.

Q: Is there a booster I could use to get some good strains? Raisins or dates maybe?

Abe's picture
Abe (not verified)

How are you making your starter? Is it active within the first few days and then goes quiet? Which flour are you using? etc. More info the better.

I'm no scientist but i'm under the impression that there's no such thing as one area of the world having less yeast and bacteria then another. And anyway the yeasts and bacteria within a starter comes from the flour itself.

What could be happening is the water used could be alkaline and/or the flour you're using is bleached, and/or you've misread a normal quiet stage when making a starter as failure.

gavinc's picture
gavinc

We have great wide yeasts here in Australia (on the flour) and so does the rest of the world! You can make a great sourdough culture here. I strongly suggest you read and follow Debra Winks pineapple solution parts 1 and 2.  Part 2 has the formula and instructions on page 10 of 13.  It's a very good read and highly informative and demystifies sourdough for the average punter.  Cheers.

 Do a search for Debra Wink on this site.

David R's picture
David R

You can't avoid yeast even if you try. It's everywhere.

Your starter problems came from doing something wrong, and the fact that you tried so many ways almost certainly shows that what went wrong was an accident - something you kept doing (or not doing) that affected it without your knowledge.

I'd also recommend Debra Wink's plan - and to take care to not do anything she didn't mention, in case there's something you tend to do that kills microbes.

(My first thought is maybe you have strong cleanliness habits that are blocking progress; sourdough might be viewed as a "dirty" process by some people.)

nerdhub's picture
nerdhub

It took a while to get back here. Thanks to those who answered. The pineapple juice seems to have worked. I only had a tin of home-brand pineapple pieces in syrup (wasn't even just juice!) but I poured some into my existing half-hearted starter and it really woke up. I only did it once, and after that just fed it as normal, but now I have been able to bake my first loaf without adding in some commercial yeast granules to rescue the bulk ferment which just didn't rise enough to bake. I am using wholemeal bread flour and wholemeal spelt flour alternately for my loaves.