The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Signs of life

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Signs of life

There are signs of life in my new starter.

sourdough starter, day 3

I fed it more whole wheat flour and water again today.

On that note, I saw a professional baking blog post that irked me yesterday. Basically, when faced with a simple question about starters by an enthusiast new baker, Rose punts and says "it is too hard to explain to you. Go buy from a professional."

That is a load of crap, and that is a ridiculous response in what is supposed to be a baking advice column. I won't go so far as to say that making a starter is easy, but it isn't impossible, and it certainly isn't an impossible process to describe: I've done it, Sourdolady has done it, and Carltonb has done it. An idiot like me can do it; why can't she?!? Besides, if you screw up and have to throw it away, what are you out? About 75 cents worth of flour and a few minutes a day for 3 or 4 days.

Remind me not to buy her book if that is what her attitude toward amateur bakers is like.

Comments

SourdoLady's picture
SourdoLady

Your starter is looking exactly how it should at this stage of the game, Floyd. You don't need to add any raisins (unless you just want to for the heck of it). If it bubbles for a day or two and then mysteriously stops, don't panic. Just continue to feed it and it will start to bubble again. Those first bubbles are sometimes not from yeast, but bacteria, and once the mixture ferments enough to become acidic they will die off and the wild yeasts will start to grow.