Sourdough help
Hi
I am pretty new to the world of baking and thought I would try my hand at making a sourdough starter for future sour dough bread. Now I have done it the old school way and mixed 1 cup whole meal flour + 1 cup water, covered and kept in a contant warm place [a spot above my geaser where we dry cloths. On the secound day it frothed up nicely and looked good. I didnt feed it on the secound day as the recipe I was following said I should and fed it on the third day, I took out halp and then by pure idocy fed it 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water instead of 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 of water. I then proceeded to cover it and covered it a bit too well and did not leave a place to breath. On the forth day I saw no activity at all and realised my mistake.
I prompty rectified the mistake by taking out half and feeding it half whole meal and half water and covering is with slight damp chese cloth with and ealastic around the stop for it to breath. I did this with no more raising at all like on the 2nd day. On the forth day I changed over from whole meal flour to all purpose flour and still no result. There is some activity, there are a bunch of bubbles but not through out. Every day there is hooch on the top which I mix in before I take out half and feed.
Today on the fifth there is still not much activity but there is a distinctive yeasty flavour smell with a hint of dried apricots to it. So i think I have some starter but it not raising at all.
Today I also took out a quater cup and seperated it into a new jar with a feeding of quater all purpose four and quater water. So now I have two sourstarters I would very much like to get going and to keep going!
If any one can tell me what I am doing wrong or what I can do to boost my sour dough so that they are on the health thriving side so I can make some delicouse bread!
I would be most thankful!
Allan