The Fresh Loaf

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Seed Cultures Gone A-Rye

kathunter's picture
kathunter

Seed Cultures Gone A-Rye

Hello,

Thanks everyone who gave me some earlier advice about my seed culture.  But still, nothing much is happening.

I have one that I started with rye flour and pineapple juice.  After a few days it was accidentally warmed up in the oven.  I tried to revive it by adding more flour and water every couple of days.  But it does not do much.  When I take the seran wrap off it bubbles a tiny bit then stops.  I now keep the wrap loosely covering the glass bowl.

I have another one that I have used only white bread flour and water.  The flour part tends to settle at the bottom and the water floast on top.  No bubbles to speak of.

I stir each once in the morning and once in the evening.  I work all day so I can't feed and stir throughout the day.  Is there still hope for either or both seed cultures?  What to do??

Thanks,

Kathleen

Comments

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Try starting again but use bottled spring water.  I think the chlor is killing your beasties.  Go back to unsweetened pineapple juice and rye.   You can invert the rye later on into two starters if you like.

Need to get the rye going first.  No problem with stirring, do it when you can.  (or take it to work with you...)

Mini

kathunter's picture
kathunter

I should have stated that I am using bottled spring water.  Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Kathleen

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Susan (Wild Yeast) has some helpful hints here that you might find of interest.

[BTW, loved your title - clever play on words]

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

There's another method that works very well and very fast for me: just white yogurth and flour. Mix the two until you get a paste and stir 3 times a day until you can see bubbles on the sides. (small amounts are sufficient, somethink like 30-40 grams). At that point refresh with equal amount of starter, yogurth and the flour needed to restore the initial density. Of course with rye or durum flour the yeasts ame to life much faster than with white flour, at least for me.

I prefer to feed the starter with milk rather than water, because it becomes a kind of yogurth that doesn't ooch in the fridge. Even so there's no aftertaste whatsoever in my levained.