The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Stored 4 Yrs... No Muss, No Fuss Starter

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Stored 4 Yrs... No Muss, No Fuss Starter

It's been four years since I've baked a sourdough bread (don't hate!). I used to be a regular here and loved it!

I got that itch again!... you know what I'm talking about...

 I was a big fan of the No Muss, No Fuss starter by @dabrownman. I have one of his starters stored in the refrigerator for over four years. I'm going to take it off the chain and see what happens!

I know I won't get sick from it because, man, these loaves get baked to temperatures that even kills Martians! Even Walmartians! (GTS - Google that stuff. Mild version.)

Any predictions on what happens? Think there's a yeast spore in there? Think it's swimming in lacto-bactosaurs? (Man, got some catching up to do on reading!)

Thanks for still having this site!

Murph

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Or should I say "Welcome  BAAA-aaack!"  (sinister Halloween style.)

"I know I won't get sick from it because, man, these loaves get baked to temperatures that even kills Martians!"

It's not so much the bacteria / mold / fungus that are directly harmful. It's the toxins (alkaloids or other chemical compounds) that the bacteria/mold/fungus produce, which are not alive, so they don't die, and don't necessarily break down in the heat.

 

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Glad to be back!

I'm dying to see what my old start... wait. WHAT!??

Darned rats!

Awright. AWRIGHT, ALREADY! Mrs. Murphy was rebelling at the mere mention and now you, Floyd. Of all people!

Ok, ok... I get it, I get it... I'll make new starter. Sheesh!

Seriously, I'm glad I posted. Thanks for saving me, Floyd.

It'll be fun... we'll laugh... we'll cry... we'll have it all!...

And ... not kill people... which is nice...

Murph

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

You're having too much fun already. 

(btw, Floyd's busy. I'm a self-appointed "greeter". Doing this instead of working as a Walmartian greeter. Better company here than www.peopleofwalmart.com )

(Are Walmarts legal in Mass.?)

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Ha! Sorry, idaveindy...

I just got a few more email notifications of new comments all coming from Floyd. I put two-and two together (came in with a three...) and knew right away that it is a generic auto-responder.

Ah, well...

Mass. is crawling with Walmarts and its denizens. I poke fun. It's a fine outfit and they're all good people but every now and then you have to wonder, ya know?

Say is there a way to "mention" someone in a post such that they get a shout out? Dabrownmans is da berries! :)

There's a bunch of other people here like dmsnyder that are helpful... too many to name but I just read his old post on starter maintenance and usage that interests me.

Because... I'm starting a starter... and I need a refresher...

Dabrownman, though... he had me toasting flour in a toaster oven and grinding wheat in a coffee grinder! :) It was an amazing journey! :) ?  That was as funny as it was fun!

That itch... that stinking itch... after eating too much crap bread from the supermarket and knowing... KNOWING... where to get the good stuff... the stuff in the back room... The Fresh Loaf from my own oven... 

Yeeeah, baby!

I could take a loaf of that stuff... put it under my pillow... and sleep the sleep of the innocents!

Thanks for being here, dudes and dudettes!

Murph

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Oh, and by the way... if you're not having fun... at ANYTHING... kick it to the curb!

Can a brother get an "amen" on that?

Murph

Benito's picture
Benito

Hi Murph, welcome back to TFL, looking forward to your baking.  So you’re going to make a new starter after all?

Benny

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Yeah... new starter. I was pleasantly surprised to open my jar of old starter to smell that delightful yeasty smell and not see any fuzziness growing on or in it.

I had another jar of starter that smelled like Play-Doh.

I so wanted to try that darned thing. Just take a pinch and puff it up... see what it would do... but in these COVID days... who needs the extra worry when its easy enough and fast enough to whizz up a new batch. 

Boy, I sure do remember how I sweated every detail when I baked the last time. Kept looking at my starter... poking it... taunting it... naming it... phooey on that!

Just swing, sling and bake! With the ol' TFL confidence!

How's things with you, Benny? Everybody healthy?

Murph

 

Benito's picture
Benito

Things are good here Murph, I think I joined this place only 1.5 years ago or so when I was trying to get a starter going, I eventually got two going after one I probably tossed too soon.  Everyone is good in my life, I hope that is the same for you.

Benny

clazar123's picture
clazar123

ANother oldie but goodie here. I haven't quite given up baking bread but it is getting less and less. I just can't take all the calories and most of my neighbors/friends are either low carb or diabetic. Bummer!

If you're just taking a small piece of the NMNF fossil, it should not be a problem. Just dig out the cleanest speck from the center or bottom and use it as a culture starter. If you start with just a few tablespoons of flour, you will be diluting out any no-gooders. Just don't do any raw tasting for a few generation, if at all. About 10 yrs ago, I revived a 40 plus yr old Sourdough Jack that I still use to this day.A long way from the San Fran tourist market which is where he originated from. Granted he was dry but he was in a dust-covered baled jar at a Wisconsin flea market in the middle of summer (probably his 35th summer) and I bought him for a quarter. Boy, did he stink when I added water! It took a few " baths" before he was "clean".

So have a little fun! I'm learning how to make small batches and buns but there is something so necessary for some recipes to make in a larger loaf. For those I slice and freeze.

Have delicious fun!

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Hey, kid! I remember you and Benny... there's a couple others here checking in...

Its a drag about putting on the pounds... here's a tip... don't get old. Good one, huh?

Also... the freezer is your friend! Surely a slice here and there of the good stuff wouldn't hurt?...

I hit 60 in July. Its the very first time I've ever thought of myself as "old." Sure comes a surprise but to everyone this surprise must come.

Praise God I'm still healthy. I would wish my health on everyone at my age and above. 

I'm a salesman. I'm INTRIGUED at your old starter story. You should know that you could print that story on a sticker, slap it on a bag of yeast, and start advertising it and it would sell like hotcakes! Good job on that!

Murph

phaz's picture
phaz

Ahh, the "found it in the back of the fridge" scenario, I know it well. 

Take a very small piece frm the middle, feed something like 30 to 1, keep warm and just stir vigorously a couple or 3 times a day. It'll take a few but it'll come back. Once it stops rising go back to a normal feed schedule (something like 122 daily to start) and then make some bread. 

I found a starter in the same place, except it was only a couple years in there. I admit it brought on the "instawretch response" when I took the lid off, but it was winter and I had time, so decided to see if it'll come back, used it about 10 days later. 

Hmmm - someone should start a "starter horror story" thread - I'll bet there are some very interesting stories out there! Enjoy!

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Hey phaz! Were you here four years ago? I seem to remember the handle...

You know... your post has me thinking...

Really... if there is just one or two spores in that old yeast and I'm feeding it millions of new spores riding in on the new flour... do I still have the old culture? Honestly?

Also... do I really care? :)

Now that I take this thought train (and I'm instantly going to become a villain)... do any of us maintaining and nurturing starters for many, many years... really have anything more special than anyone else... except for emotional attachment?

Murph

phaz's picture
phaz

I think I've been in and out of here about 10 hrs - hard to remember - I've been a member of various forums for a long time - I don't keep track anymore. 

Couple spores - that was always my belief - if it takes a week or 2 to revive, and it can take a week or 2 to start a new one - who rules the roost? Of course, starting with somethings is better than nothing so - actually - so who cares - one way or the other you'll eventually get a viable starter. 

And I'll quote Freddy Couples "hey, I'm just a golfer, I'm not smart enough to think about such things". 

Enjoy!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Showing your typo power there!  Love it!  

I got a couple of starters for the horror page.  Do I wake them up or let them keep dreaming?

Mini o lantern

phaz's picture
phaz

Lol - it was early, consciousness doesn't really set in till about 11. Enjoy!

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I think starters are like us as we age. We change but are essentially the same person. I'll tell you why I think that.

For the last 5 yrs, I have been leaving my home to spend summers near family. When I do that, I button up all my cultures for long term storage and take samples with me to use. I also create multiple backups-dry some,freeze some.

For bread, I have 3 different SD cultures that are distinct from each other in flavor and behavior.

There is Jack-you already heard his story.

Then there is Knott. I got Knott from a co-worker that has had Knott in continuous use for about 80 yrs. She was horrified when I asked how to feed it. She just left it in the refrigerator and took some out to make bread and then returned part of the (probably) poolish as the culture for long term storage. This long term neglect may explain the longevity of the culture survival I have noticed. It has been selectively bred for that.

Then I have Grape. I made Grape from wild grapes that grew in my daughter's yard and it started as a fruit-water starter. Another great starter.

So why keep 3 starters? What I have noticed, over the years of using them, is that each starter acts differently in long term storage and behaves differently in dough. Flavor and aroma are slightly different,also. 

When Jack is brought out from long term storage, he has a thick layer of overdigested flour almost encompassing the whole culture-it is slightly gray,velvety soft and very acidic.It must take him weeks to go to sleep-like a restless kid who doesn't want to stop playing. However, he wakes up very quickly with the first feed and is downright aggressive with subsequent feeds.

Knott, OTOH, must go to sleep prretty quickly. She (in attribution to co-worker) only develops a small ray layer. She is a little more sluggish waking up but not much.

Grape is my slow one to wake up. She (in attribution to daughter) goes to sleep pretty quickly like Knott but wakes up very slowly and doesn't seem as acidic. She also smells more winey.

I've had other SD cultures but none of them stuck around. I had one called "Wild CHild" that blew up with every feeding but couldn't quite get a dough to inflate properly-got halfway there and was exhausted. Only good for pancakes. Tried cross-breeding with another but it was not successful. Dumped that one out. Several became "infected" with other stuff-mold or cheesey-smelling guys. Prob. my fault. I do keep other lacto cultures-veggie and dairy so I'm sure a few of those beasties migrated. These 3 SD cultures have never seemed bothered or affected. They stay pretty much the same.

So even if new yeasties move in to the old culture, I'm convinced there is some mutual handshaking and survival.

EDIT: I tried NMNF but didn't have great survival. I believe I used Jack as the starter. Maybe he burned through too much food going to sleep and starved himselve in the long term He did not wake up from that after 4 months. Maybe I should try Knott as she seems to button up quickly. Interesting thought!

BXMurphy's picture
BXMurphy

Man, I just killed an hour or two just chatting bread with old friends. Very cool!

This place is still the friendly place I remember. Just folks having a bready good time.

Good job by the moderators and an even better job by the participants! I love you all!

Murph

Benito's picture
Benito

Incredibly, this must be one of the only forums I’m even been on that isn’t actively moderated.  Bakers are just so well behaved, other than spam that gets posted here in spurts, there really isn’t much need for moderation.