May 2, 2019 - 5:01pm
SD Starter viability
When preparing a Sour Dough starter is there a specific amount of flour/water to produce a viable starter. That is, if the volume/weight of flour/water too small will it negatively impact the ability of a viable yeast colony to form?.
In terms of feeding and discarding when constructing a starter - should one discard if there is no evidence of bubbles / a rise happening?
I am lastly interested to identify what factors modify how 'sour' a Sour Dough bread is.
(I am very new to the SD Baking journey - I live in the tropics ( Australia ) and are having great difficulty in establishing a starter. Ambient temps approx 33 C year round)
Thanks in advance for any advice/feedback.
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I've always started off with something like a couple tablespoons flour and a tablespoon water. Some seem too like a much larger initial amount, but I hate to waste anything and never had trouble staring small. I personally don't believe in discarding when there is no activity. That tends to dilute things during the early stages and slows the startup process. Many things determine level of sour, but the main thing I see in my experience is - an underfed starter leans towards more sour. I like a low level of sour (you notice it on the back of the tongue after a few chews) and using the starter after a feed (not right after but after it's done rising) gives me that. If I forget to feed a day or so I get a much more noticeable sour. I can only attribute that to a more acidic starter to begin with and aslightly weakened yeast concentration. I'd consider that a general guideline based on my starter. Your mileage may vary so get it going and experiment. That's half (or more) of the fun. Enjoy!
The easiest way to go is 100% hydration. 1 part Flour to 1 part Water. For get volume mesurments get yourself a $20.00 digital scale.
The following links have become a standard. You can skip to the last link for the nitty gritty.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10856/pineapple-juice-solution-part-1
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10901/pineapple-juice-solution-part-2
The nitty gritty...
http://forums.finecooking.com/print/node/63318?page=2&comment=737624
Debra Wink is an authority on starters. I think this information will get you on a productive path. Go with the pineapple juice for liquid. Store bought pineapple juice is fine.
Let us know how you are progressing. Ask questions whenever they come to mind. We are here to help...
Danny