The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

whole wheat starter first attempt

ringopaul's picture
ringopaul

whole wheat starter first attempt

Sorry if this has been discussed in a previous topic I have searched but wasn't able to find a definite formula for a whole wheat starter. I decided to try my hand at WW starter and I found a ratio of 1/3c flour to 1/4 water for a rye starter but this ratio gave me a dry ball of paste. I ended up with a 50/50 ratio (5.5oz KAWW/5.5oz of bottled water) which gave me the consistancy of a thick oatmeal. I'm hoping that this will result in a good healthy start to a hearty starter.

I guess my question is how many people have tried this and does my ratio seem ok?

Again sorry if this has been dicussed my search abilities are a bit lacking as I am new to the forums.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

require patience and the just a little more patience.  I like the ww method that Joe Ortiz uses with a tinge of milk and some cumin.  But, just watch it and feed it and next thing you knew it will devoure the house :-) 

 

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

is in the upper left corner of the web page.  if you type in "whole wheat starter" you will see a lot of post pop up that you can open.  its a great tool too if looking for a certain recipe like "semolina" or whatever comes to mind.  Start there for any questions and you will be amazed at how much content is there, all of which over time will make you a better baker.  There are also a variety of tutorials on the home page...  good luck

ringopaul's picture
ringopaul

Thank you everyone I appreciate all the info I have recieved thus far. This is the main reason I got into this web community, everyone is so willing to help and offer every bit of info they have. Hopefully one day I can amass enough knowledge to reciprocate and help this great community continue.

Thanx again!

ringopaul's picture
ringopaul

Hey all,

I posted earlier that I was starting a new WW starter using KA WW. Well on day 2 I went to feed the starter and noticed a few bubbles and a yeasty/acrid smell. I figured the bubbles we due to settling as my starter was a little thick. I continued on to feed the starter 3oz of KA WW with 3oz of water (my well water I ran out of bottled) this was at 10 pm at 5am I went into  the kitchen to make my lunch for work and noticed the starter had TRIPLED! quite a strong smell was coming out of the caontainer as well. When I came home from work 6:30 pm the starter had collapsed. Tonight the plan is to reserve 2oz of starter and feed it 2oz of KA WW with 2oz of water.

So my questions are, is this a viable starter? can a starter really take off that quick?

I guess I will see how Henry I will do after tonight.

pics of starter the bottom of red tape is original level

placebo's picture
placebo

You're probably seeing the activity of gas-producing bacteria. In the next day or two, the starter will appear to go dead, and you'll wonder what you did to kill it. Fear not. Though nothing is appearing to happen, the starter is still developing. Soon the yeast will awaken. You just have to have patience. 

ringopaul's picture
ringopaul

thanks for instilling some peace of mind. I'm on day 5 now and the starter is now rising and falling in small incriments and starting to smell better too. Whew! patience patience patience....