Day 10 Starter is is bubbling...now what?
Hello,
It looks like there are a few of us on this post that are wondering how to proceed with their new starters! Mine is a second attempt - the ABCD didn't work, so I switched over to Debra Wink's method of starting out with 2 TB organic rye + 2 TB pineapple juice.
When I switched to AP flour and water on Day 4 (ratio 2:1:1) my starter was stalling for a few days, so I added a little rye in my next feeding on Day 6. My culture started expanding, and for the last few days I've been feeding it on 12 hour schedules: 2 oz original starter + 1 oz AP flour + 1 oz bottled water.
I fed it last night and this morning, it's risen from 4 oz to 8 oz. It's finally bubbling on top.
Now what? Should I feed it now? Even though it's only been 8 hours since last feed? Or should I feed it when 12 hours have passed?
And is it now ready to use? Or can I now put in in the refrigerator and only feed it 3 times a week?
If I wanted to use it today or tomorrow to bake bread, how do I build up enough? My hydration is 100%. It seems that some of the recipes I've read have stiffer starters; for example, one of my recipes for sourdough bread requires 1 cup of mother starter. But it looks as if that mother starter is much stiffer than mine, because it started with 2:1 ration for flour/water. (It's an old book from my MIL, titled "Great Breads" by Martha Rose Shulman. Her levan started with 2 cups AP to 1 cup water. Very different from my start of 2 TB rye/2 TB pineapple juice). So if I wanted to try this recipe, how would I convert my starter to the same ratio?
I'm sorry, I know my questions are all over the map. I'm happy to have a bubbling starter, I just don't want to screw it up, or waste it all on one recipe. I'm reading as much as I can but I've come across different methods and am still trying to lmake sense of the math behind it all.
thank you,
Mira