July 31, 2010 - 5:50am
How is everyone's ABED starter?
Hi Everyone-
Recently there have been a bunch of posts from people making starters from Artisan Bread Every Day. How is it going? You all inspired me to finally do this and create my very first starter (I am also using ABED). So far so good. This morning I started Phase 3. It seems to be moving along very quickly- maybe because it has been so hot in NYC lately? Do any of you experienced starter-makers have any tips or words of wisdom? Those of you who have recently posted, please share how things are going!
Thanks!
Beth
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Hi Beth
I started 3 weeks ago. The phases were really quick, sometimes less than 24 hours. I guess that was because my flat was warm. After a week it was doubling in 6-8 hours, tasted very sour and with a wonderful smell. I fed it when it doubled.I fed it one week with wholewheat flour and the second week with white bread flour. After two weeks of feeding it two or three times a day it went to live in the fridge. Now I plan to feed it every week (Saturday night in order to make King Arthur's waffles on Sunday morning). I don't make as much as the book says. I take 23 g starter/43 g water/66 g white flour.
I haven't baked with it yet, I hope to try it in a couple of weeks.
Good luck with your starter.
Hi-
Glad it is going well! Did you progress through the phases as soon as the starter doubled or did you wait at least 24 hours? Right now, my phase 3 starter has doubled and it has only been 6 hours. I am wondering if I should proceed or wait until tomorrow morning.
Keep us updated when you bake with yours. I can't wait to hear how it turns out.
Beth
According to the instructions in ABED you should proceed as soon as it doubles (it doesn't matter that it's before the 24 hour period). I did that. After one big fed with the weights stated in p. 41 I decided to scale the proportions and that's how I've kept it. I've read here that you shouldn't put your starter in the fridge as soon as it doubles for the first time, as it still needs to develop more character. That's why mine was at room temperature for almost three weeks. (Feedings every 12 hours now that the weather is a little bit cooler). If you taste it, it'll be sour. I've been tasting it at different times after the feeding to get to know how it works (I just put a little bit of dough on my tongue and see if it's sour).
Keep us updated!!
Thank you! This was very helpful.
Beth
RikkiMama,
Thank you for sharing your experience with your starter. I was thinking about baking the SF sourdough from ABED. Do you know why yours was dense? Did you feed your starter two days in a row as you do now or you hadn't learnt that trick when you baked it?
Thanks