I baked a second round of no-rise bread
The recipe and the starter I have been using for years are failing me. The last two bakings have produced bread that did not rise at all, in the fridge or in the oven.
It could be the starter, I suppose. I let it sit in the fridge too long without feeding it and it developed an interesting layer of gray stuff on top. I scraped that off and used the rest of the starter, which looked OK.
It could be the weather. It is extremely hot and humid here, as it was the last failed bake.
It could be that four stretch and folds at twenty minutes apart are just too many and too far apart. Perhaps the sourdough gave its little all and I degassed it each time it got going.
Next time, I'm going to use newer starter (I started it fresh, from my pancake starter, which does seem to be healthy), do three stretch and folds ten minutes apart. I may also add some commercial yeast as insurance.
I need to figure out what to with the failed loaves. Will bread pudding work if the loaves are dense dense dense? I am already too well stocked with breadcrumbs.
Between the time that you took your starter out of the refrigerator and you tried to use it for some bread, what did you do? Did you feed the starter? Note any activity? See any bubbles?
Whenever I go away (or simply take a break from baking), I put my starter into the refrigerator. When I am planning to use it, I typically do two feedings a day for a couple of days. That gets the wee beasties active again and also allows me to watch for activity (seeing the volume increase and noting the formation of bubbles). When the starter has shown sufficient activity and vigor, I will use it for a levain, but I do not try to use starter straight out of the refrigerator after a period of dormancy.
This was solid fuzzy grey stuff. Like, an alien organism. Possibly from Mars.
Thanks for the tip re reviving it. I hope that using the pancake starter (100% rather than 70%) to make new bread starter will succeed.
I agree with the previous post.
I sometimes let my starter sit for too long without feeding, but it hasn't caused me any problems (yet).
The layer on top is most likely some alcohol. I don't remove it, just stir it in, weigh out some of the starter and put equal amounts of flour and water (I use a 100% starter) and put it back in the fridge if I am not going to use it.
If I want to bake, I leave it out and feed it one or 2 more times before baking. Either once or twice a day, depending on the temperature in the kitchen.
YOur starter may not have been active enough, or maybe you didn't let it rise long enough?
If you add commercial yeast, you won't know what caused the rise, your starter or the yeast.
Converting your pancake starter to a different hydration and/or flour type should work without problems.
And after taking a starter out of the fridge, now matter how long it's been in there -- before baking, I would always first feed it your usual way and see whether it rises and how long it takes to double in its jar. If it's not active enough, it needs more time and feedings to recover. Once it's its old strong self again, go ahead and bake, and if then your bread doesn't rise, it wasn't the starter ;-)
(failed loaves, cut up into small pieces, make the most fabulous dog treats. At least that's what my dogs say.)
You might find your dogs trying to sabotage your bakes. Keep out of paws way.
Ooh great idea with the failed loaves, my dog is always trying to eat the starter I pitch now and then, but I'm afraid it will make her sick (or gassy-which is no fun for anyone!)
...oh, and as it happens... there's another thread on no-rise bread, have a look:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56856/can-starter-be-active-dead-same-time
Any chance of your changing your brand of salt recently?
Definitely get some starter out of the fridge and fed twice a day until it’s expanding noticeably in just a few hours. And don’t just feed it; you need to remove some each day too so the acidity can drop a bit and things are fresh, happy, and new.