Sourdough Start Question
Hello everybody. My name is Thane and I just signed up. I've been baking on and off for most of my adult life, but just began baking regularly about 3 months ago. I've decided to venture into sourdough, so am building my own starter (I like to start things from scratch). I've been following Maggie Glezer's advice in "Artisan Baking," but had a question for you more experienced yeast catchers...
I've followed her instructions, and my sourdough seems to be... progressing faster than normal. I'm on day 4 (tried a different method before and it tanked). I am using her 50% process, but when I mix it up, it doesn't stay very solid. It still smells sour, and it does expand some, but mostly it just... goos. I'm familiar with extended fermentation, so I know that as the water soaks into the flour that it softens. But it seems that this just sorta gets really gooey without rising much. Am I just impatient?
It kinda looks like its supposed to look in Maggie's pictures, but the timeframe is off (I fed it this morning at 4:15, and it has already grown some, gooed, and smells sour, but doesn't seem to stay as firm as Maggie seems to think it should).
Thank you in advance for your assistance,
Thane
Thane,
For those of us unfamiliar with Glezer's book, would you mind describing the process? How many times a day do you feed the starter? What does 50% mean in this situation?
You say that it rises "some." Does it double in volume between feedings?
I would recommend reading some of the excellent threads and tutorials on making a new starter. You don't necessarily have to change your method, but it might give you some insight into what could be going wrong. Gaarp's Sourdough 101 tutorial is a good place to start.
Glezer's method (page 92 from Artisan Baking)
Volumes outlined in cups and baker's percentages indicated. Glezer recommends a "firm, French-style starter," which is different from a liquid batter in that it has more flour than water. Therefore, the "50%" starter is "50% hydration."
Day 1:
1/2 cup lukewarm water (100%)
3/4 cup whole-rye flour (100%)
Mix together well and place in sealed glass or plastic jar. Let stand for 2 days until it bubbles up, smells awful, and then subsides.
Day 3:
2/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (100%)
Fermented first starter (200%)
Mix flour into the first starter, forming a firm dough. Transfer to a clean nonreactive container, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let ferment for 1-2 days. When it is very sticky and riddled with tiny bubbles, it is ready to refresh. It will have very little aroma and will not rise very much, if at all.
Day 4 or 5:
1/4 cup Fermented starter from above (66%)
3 tablespoons lukewarm water (50%)
2/3 cup unbleached bread flour (100%)
Measure the 1/4 cup starter you need and discard the rest. Dissolve it in the water and then add the flour and mix into a fairly firm dough. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment until it is sticky and slightly expanded, 1-2 days. The starter will appear not to be fermenting a all, but if you smell it it will smell very sour, and if you pull it open with your fingers, it will be very gooey, extensible, and riddled with tiny holes.
Day 6 or 7:
Make a fourth starter exactly as the third was made. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let ferment until it has risen slightly, is full of tiny holes and has become very gooey, 18-20 hours.
Remaining days: continue refreshing the sourdough as directed for day 4-5 until it is able to quadruple its size in 8 hours or less and has a sharp, pleasant smell. At this point it is ready to use.
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OK... so I'm on day 6 and, having read the instructions more clearly (as I typed this!!), I find that I'm actually on track. It's supposed to go from firm to sticky and slack. I was afraid that I had that dough-eating bacteria that eats all the gluten and doesn't make bubbles. Looks like I just have to be more patient (something I seriously STINK at!!).
Thanks,
Thane
Do you have reverse osmosis water? If you do. Your starter will be fine, you just need to change over to a different water, one with more minerals.
Mini
Didn't even think of it, but I'm just using chlorinated water out of the tap. I'm nuking my bugs, aren't I?
But if your chlorine levels are high, just stand some water 24 hours to use the next day. If chlorine is affecting your starter, all the action will be at the top of the starter where air exchange lowers chlor levels and nothing will be going on below the top centimeter of starter.
Mini
I think everything is going to be OK. My starter doubled / tripled in 12 hours after taking it out of the fridge. It seems more.... dough-like, rather than gooey now, and it has a nice, sharp sourness to its aroma. Going to feed for another 3-4 days and then try to bake with it. Thanks all for your recommendations, and I'll let you know how everything turns out.