Heretic Sourdough

I'm starting a new all-rye sourdough starter... but using some modern conveniences. It can take some time to get a starter populated with a healthy lactobaccilli population. But, there are several labs that supply home (and commercial) brewers with liquid slants of yeat and/or various other bacteria.

To speed things up a little, I'm using Wyeast 5335, a culture of Lactobacillus buchneri, a lactobacillus that's commonly found in Belgian guezes and lambics (sour, spontaneous ferment beers). The only real reason I'm using this particular strain is that I happen to have it in the refrigerator. Wyeast 3278 would probably be a better choice: it's a blend of yeast and other critters ("Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus blend"). And White Labs produces quite a few cultures that might be suitable for sourdough: https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank?show=yeasts&type=Geuze&tid=385

Procedure:

• 70 grams organic dark rye flour from Fairhaven Mill in Bellingham, Washington.
• 70 grams water at blood heat (c. 105° F)
• 1 pinch dried baking yeast (I would have used an ale yeast, but I'm fresh out
• 1 teaspoon Wyeast 5335, from a slant that's been in the refrigerator for a year or so

Fairhaven makes some nice flours:

Day 1:

Day2: Feeding Time:

• Removed all but 70g of starter
• Whisk 70g of water at blood heat into it
• Whisk 70g of the rye flour into it.
• Put a [loose] lid on it.

And a few hours later, we're cooking with gas! The starter is already starting to get that nice acid tang.