Starter has no acidity
So I have been saving the starter I discard to make crumpets with and last night I had enough to make a batch. So I removed the left over starter from the fridge and added some baking soda - it did not react at all - not even a hint of a reaction.
So I got to thinking maybe my baking soda is bad or maybe soda in Poland is not bicarb. I decided to test by adding some to a little lemon juice - bam, the soda immediately reacted.
So this morning I decided to test both of my starters. I fed them last night on 1:2:2, they have both almost tripled in size over night. I took a tiny bit of each and added some baking soda - same problem, absolutely no reaction.
Another thing I have noticed is I don't get any hooch in my starters and until my most recent effort I have had some serious issues getting oven spring.
I was feeding on a 1:0.5:0.5 ratio until a couple of days ago but then switched to 1:2:2 - could it be that I need to wait a week or so on this ratio before the acidity builds up? The starter looks very good and is tripling in size but obviously something is wrong if there is no acidity. I am using water which has been through a Brita filter because our tap water is quite hard - so I can't see that being the issue.
Open to advice - I really want to be able to make crumpets with my discarded starter but without the acidity it simply isn't possible...
I will make a video shortly to show the two starters I am maintaining, maybe it will give people some clues as to the problem.
I am also keeping check on the weight of the starters (so I can do 1:2:2 more accurately) and I notice that with 25:50:50 (grams) the starTer loses about 10g every 12 hours (which is the nutrients being used up and converted to gas is my guess) is this about on par with what everyone else is seeing? (EDIT: OK so today they only lost 3-5g after feeding).
So here are the videos. I made them into a playlist to make it easier to navigate: (for some reason I get an error when I try to embed them)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBTzrbxW6uz1vvJXDaaIv1mjRSnaRkMyx
with a half mature starter. I took two blobs of starter and sprinkled soda on one... hardly any reaction
I took the second blob and put it into a shot glass and added water to thin it. Then added soda, and stirred, it foamed, nothing to write mom about and not as much as vinegar or lemon juice and soda but it did make a foam. Don't worry, make your crumpets. You can also taste the starter for sourness. Perhaps the starter has not peaked in 12 hrs and still rising and acid hasn't built up yet. Keep your acids in your recipe.
Since feeding Bob and Kevin 3.5 hours ago, Kevin has already doubled... Bob is about 60% increased.
OK so after 8 hours, Kevin has tripled in volume and Bob is just over doubled in volume and they still haven't peaked. So you all recommend I don't feed until they start to collapse again?
Don't feed the rye until it starts to fall but you can poke it anytime because 100% rye starters like to fool us. They will often stay domed while inside they have fallen already.
I am going to take some of Kevin this morning and try to make a NMNF starter - I know my fiancee will be much happier if I keep my starter in the fridge, she is not such a fan of seeing messy jars on the kitchen counter...
One of my favorites is a large coffee cup, the plastic wrap and rubber band sometimes look a bit trashy but with a little thought, I'm sure you can come up with something a little more sophisticated. An ugly jar can also stand inside a more decorative one like a canister when it has to be on the counter top. It can also stand in the utility room or inside a cupboard. (Easy to forget without setting a timer or reminder on a phone.) Ask your partner for ideas.
by using whole grains, building them at high temperatures 88 F - 92 F and storing them for a very long time in the fridge - 8 to 20 weeks.
Good luck with the NMNF starter.