Is it possible to create an osmotolerant sourdough?
Hi,
since my sweet tooth (as Andy calls it) demands quite high percentages of sugar I always have a big problem with my leavened cakes: my rye starter and the preferments I prepare with it are not made of osmotolerant yeasts, and it shows... making a cake is always a pain and I always have to proceed in incremental steps.
I wonder if I can give life to an osmotolerant starter using a selective approach: continually refreshing a part of my starter adding a non trivial amount of sugar and salt. My guess/hope is that at every refreshment only the osmotolerant yeasts should survive and colonize the starter.
But now the questions:
-first of all: does it make sense? Does my idea have any chance of succeeding?
-how much sugar and salt should I use? Yesterday I refreshed with 10% of sugar and a touch of salt and now, after 12 hours, the starter has doubled a couple of times (the second time after a stir).
-should I keep the amount of sugar and salt constant until the growth rate is high or should I raise the percentages every time in small steps?
-finally: what would happen to the lactobacilli? Would they survive or die? Would my starter lose its enzymatic activity and it sourness?
Debra, I really hope to read your answer! I'm also very curious to know what which yeasts are osmotolerant and their properties. Can you can point me to something to read, please?
Thanks.