3 SD starters-observation on different attributes
I have 3 different SD starters that I equally neglect but still use successfully when I do bake. That is less often these days but still much enjoyed when I do. I have noticed some interesting things about these starters that definitely make them different from each other. Let me introduce you,first.
JACK is from an original San Fran SD Jack tourist packet from about the 1960's. I am not the original owner.I found -the dried packet at a flea market in Wisconsin still in it's original baled cheese jar out in the hot sun and bought it for a quarter. Dusty and dirty but the inside was pristine and the packet was intact and clean. I had just started into SD and sought guidance here on TFL but still waited until I felt more confident. Well, when rehydrated, Jack almost JUMPED out of the jar but he smelled of rancid flour.After a number of "baths" he got really happy. and remains so t this day (almost 10 yrs later, I think).
GRAPE is originally a fruit water yeast I made from grapes picked in my daughters yard. Great,fruity aroma even now 8 yrs later.
KNOTT I was gifted from a co-worker who stated it is descended from her families original SD starter that came to Wisconsin in a covered wagon. She never fed it and was appalled when I asked how she fed it. The only time it was refreshed was when she made bread. A measured amount was taken from the jar and the remainder discarded. The measured amount was fed once and the amount for the loaf was taken out of the risen starter. The remainder was then replaced in the clean jar and back in the refrigerator. This was whether she baked weekly,monthly or even less often. It had a lovely,silken texture when I got about a pint of it. It had not been used for sevral months at that point.I feed it more conventionally now but it still can go a while between feedings.
So,here I have 3 different starters from 3 different sources. They smell different and have different activities when used in bread or even when they are revived after a prolonged refrigerator sleep.
Jack wakes up immediately-he is always raring to go. He works great for long fermentations, WW and lean breads.
Knott is more sedate but definitely ready to work on 2nd refresh and also works well without fizzling out.
Grape takes it's time-yawning and stretching but slowly but surely awakening. She is definitely a better choice for sweeter,richer loaves.
I am preparing them for travel to my summer house. I take some as a wet sample and some as a dry. Works great as long as I build them up before I dry them. Since I do this twice a year, it turns out to be a good way to maintain their general health. Between times, they spend their days in a pint jar in the refrigerator bathed in AP flour and spring water in a nice nap and refreshed periodically-no special schedule.
So there are many ways to maintain and use a starter and they all can have different characteristics.
And here I am wasting flour and time feeding my starter. The method you’re using is quite unusual and I’m fascinated by it.
Is that something you can do only with a very well aged starter or do you think younger starters can handle it also? How sour would you say the bread is? I suppose that long fridge fermentation would drive up the acetic acid quite high.
The starters,when they are just from the refrigerator, are quite sour, of course. But I always feed it at least 2-3 times before using it so the resulting bread is not sour. Many of the breads I make use a preferment, further decreasing the sour factor. I am not fond of sour bread but I do like well fermented bread. All these starters offer a lot of flavor, if the loaf is properly bulk fermented.
2 of these starters (Jack & Knott) are well-matured and complex. Grape is much younger but I have to believe there may have been cross-contamination over the years. This may have offered some artificial "age" to that culture. All 3 are quite rugged. I have had other starters in the past that I had grown but were immature by comparison. Even when I grew them to be very active and yeasty, they were not as "sturdy" and didn't survive much neglect. If I didn't bake at least 3-4 days/wk, it had trouble surviving.
I love baking and experimenting and developing recipes-esp.bread. Unfortunately, I can't eat too much bread-1 loaf lasts me 7-10 days. I slice and freeze a loaf and take out of the freezer as needed. Friends/relatives love my baking but everyone has health conditions and no one wants the extra calories so my baking is usually for holidays only. Food pantries around here will not accept homemade items.
So Jack, Knott and Grape sit in the refrigerator and are pulled out as needed. There are enough holidays per year to keep them fed every month.They are patient and always perform well. When I travel between summer/winter homes, I build them up, dry some and also take a wet sample of each. When I arrive at my destination I re-install each in another pint jar to await the next bake. The dry flakes are kept as backup.
THere are so many ways to keep SD. It doesn't have to be fussy.
Do you have pics to share? Pics speak better than words for me as I am a visual type. Can you describe how you maintain your GRAPE starter? How did you feed GRAPE with sugar? Thanks.
Grape STARTED as fruit yeast water. Grapes-water-time. Became fermented and yeasty. Used in 1 loaf and then converted to flour. Sorry if I was not clear on its history. As I recall, it made a good loaf the first time but I was not really clear at the time as to how to maintain it. There was not a lot if info written at the time,either. It converted very easily to a flour-based starter and has been performing very well since.
Sounds like GRAPE is a SD starter by now, which is no longer interesting to me :). Thanks for the feedback.