Could my starter be contaminated?
I had a lovely starter, but I decided a to make a bread that took probably too much of it this past weekend, leaving me only about 12 grams. To add insult to injury, I'd transferred it into another container so that i could clean its crock. So the old, dried starter that clings to the side of the crock was not there to help.
I added 20 grams each of flour and water immediately and let it sit for most of the warm evening. Then I added an additional 50 grams each of flour and water (without discarding), and refrigerated as usual.
It just doesn't smell good anymore--more like gym socks than the clean, sour smell it used to have. I decided last night to take it out and feed it twice daily on the counter for a while--sort of sourdough starter ICU.
This evening, though, there is an unusual amount of bubbly activity--almost a foam of bubbles on the surface instead of the big, heavy bubbles that usually sit in the starter (there are those, too). Is this a sign that some bad baccili have gotten a stronghold?
Is there a way to restore the balance--perhaps by acidifying the environment with some pineappple juice?
I do have both frozen and dried samples of the starter when it was going well. Would it help to add some to the current starter, or should I consider (if I can get the dried starter revived) to just start over?
Boo Hoo--I was so happy with my "Baby Bobby".