The Fresh Loaf

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New starter question

Vtg79's picture
Vtg79

New starter question

Hi,

Here are the details of a new starter I started on 26th April and have been feeding once every 24 hours.

Day1 mix a tsp of wwf and apf tsp of water

Day 2 add 1 tsp wwf + 1 tsp water

Day 3 to 6g of remaining starter after discard I added 3g flour and 3g water (this was the day the starter had a horrible stink and bubbles too)

Day 4 5 6 7 continued same pattern (2:1:1) while the starter went still

Yesterday, I skipped feeding it and just gave it a stir as there was no activity yet. The nasty smelling has gone but no rise.

Today morning there is still no activity (no bubbles no rise) but it smells only slightly pleasant.

The temperature here is around 25-26°C. What do I need to change to speed it up a bit and what is the ideal time to introduce a new flour mixture?

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

Not building too much. I have also heard of building up instead of discarding. However you really are working with a very tiny amount. No matter though. When your starter comes to life just keep what you have and feed it 1:1:1. When it gets stronger then discard a little and introduce a greater feed.

You've got your starter at a perfect temperature and you're doing everything correctly. Keep at it and when small bubbles begin to appear then do a 1:1:1 feed. It normally springs to life after that.

Ford's picture
Ford

You wrote: "Day 3 to 6g of remaining starter after discard I added 3g flour and 3g water (this was the day the starter had a horrible stink and bubbles too)"

The smell is due to a strain of bacteria called leuconostoc that seems to be more prevalent in flour now than it was formerly.  This bacterium is self-destructive as it produces acid that inhibits its growth.  Apparently, the bacteria are not harmful.  Four remedies are readily available: 1/ keep feeding the culture (whisking to aerate it); 2/ add a slight amount of acid (a pinch of citric acid, or a pinch of ascorbic acid); 3/ start with canned pineapple juice (acid enough to inhibit the growth of these bacteria) instead of wate; or 4/ start with rye flour and later switch to wheat flour.

.  The third remedy is the one that I recommend.  It is found in the report on "the pineapple solution" by Debra Wink for making a starter see the "Search" box upper right of this page.


Ford