Monster Raving Loony Starter
Hi folks!
I'm very new at this sourdough game, but I decided I would try to create a sourdough starter myself. Just over 2 weeks ago, I created my first starter mixture and I started feeding it.
On the 3rd day it made a feeble, pathetic attempt at bubbling up, but by day 4 it had turned into a sour smelling, stinky, yeast-free soup. Further feeding did nothing to alleviate the problem and by day 7 I threw the whole sorry lot away and started again. This time with nothing but rye flour and water. Not a lot of water either. JUST enough to create a very thick paste.
By day 2 I thought I could get a "yeasty" smell. By day 3 it smelled undeniably yeasty with fruity hints and a hint of beer.
By day 4 it had gone into orbit. It started doubling so fast I had to feed it at least twice a day. It now doubles in less than four hours. It's day 8 now, and I've baked two loafs with it since. The first one, I didn't add enough salt, but other than that it seemed ok. The second one was much better. At least for a total newbie like me.
But what am I going to do about this monster starter? Just feeding it is going to cost me a fortune in flour. It's insatiable.
My house already is on the cool side (though today was an exception as a lot of cooking was done and the house was warm and toasty, but that'll change during the working week!).
I'm reluctant to put the starter in the fridge this early in its life. I want it to mature a bit first. So the coolness of the house is as cool as it's going to get.
This evening I tried something new. I split the starter in two, but rather than throwing one half away and feeding the other, I kept both halves this time. The first half I fed as usual. The second one, I added half a teaspoon of salt, but fed the same way as the other one, otherwise.
Just checked, and both bowls are going strong again. Yipes. Well. I could try a WHOLE teaspoon of salt on the next feeding of Bowl Number Two, but maybe I should start looking at how much a swimming pool would cost me.
Joking aside though... Any ideas on how to rein in this monster starter? LOL What a problem to have ...