January 16, 2013 - 5:06am
Sourdough International culture reviews?
Has anyone tried/had good experiences with Sourdough International or their France culture?
Thanks!
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Sourdough International culture reviews?
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Think I gave you the link on the other post.
They were great people to deal with. I got a few starters from them and they all sucessfully activated. I think I got the Italian and it came with two starters. Both got activated but I could not tell them apart. Could have been me, my nose or my taste. I had others taste the bread for differences and nobody could tell the difference from one to the other. So I let one go and have been maintaining the one ever since.
I have purchased three starters from SDI and all of them started. However, the literature that he sends with the starters is so misleading as to create more problems (misconceptions) than the normal beginner can deal with. Just throw out the literature and use the advice found elsewhere on this site.
One of the starters I bought was the French variety to make a mild flavored loaf. But after I learned more about starters in general I found that I could make a mild sourdough anytime I wanted with any starter I had. So I threw out the "French" starter.
If you lived near me I would give you some starter...ready to go. Perhaps some TFLer lives close to you and would be willing to share their starter.
I'm a starter doner in my area.
If you got it working and kept it going, after a while, you'd end up with a starter particular to your area, wouldn't you? It wouldn't be French for long.
I'd save the cash and follow one of the many excellent guides around on starting and maintaining your own.
Buy a known good starter so that you have something that you have confidence in. After you get used to it you can start one of your own and you will be prepared to know whether it is good or not. This is one reason why I recommend against the Sourdough International starters. They are not known good starters. Get some live starter from a friend or buy starter from King Arthur.
I didn't know anyone in my area with a starter when I began bread baking five years ago. I bought some from King Arthur Flour and have kept it alive ever since. I typically bake once a week or so and feed it on the same schedule (whether I bake or not). I have neglected it for as long as a month, but after a few refresher feedings it has always come roaring back, robust and ready to go.
I agree with Azazello - after a few feedings in your kitchen it will be your own microclimate starter; this is why Hamelman calls his formula Vermont Sourdough and not San Francisco Sourdough. His starter is polulated by the wild yeasts and bacteria local to Norwich, Vermont.
Good Morning all:
I borrow a "Classic Sourdoughs book"from the library yesterday and ponder about buying the sourdough starter from them. The gentleman writer, Dr. Ed Wood MD,PhD is a physician and research scientist with a lot of serious quest. He has more than 10 starters from all over the world to sell and it costs from $10 to $14 each.
I questioned the recipes(in the book)since most of the recipe used as much as "one cup to two cups of sourdough culture" in it. I have about 3 oz. of sourdough in my jar. He recommended using 1 quart(1 liter)glass jar for storage and make large amount of sourdough. In fact, non of his recipe using less than one cup.
I was going to write to the TFL members to see if anyone using his recipe yet? I stored a small amount of sourdough in my 8 oz. size mason jar only and feed it once a week.
And Faith, we live close so any sourdough starter you want to give to me is very much appreciated. ( I only have one major one, regular wheat flour).
Comments?
mantana
Dr. Ed Wood started the sourdough international. That is where I got my first culture from.
Doc.Dough is totally correct about the literature that comes with his cultures. More then confusing.
I have that book but can't say I remember baking from it. I will look at it tonight. I tend to work from books that have measures in weights and use bakers %.
You are more then welcome to any of my starters. I keep a white ,rye, and WW. I am currently testing a method for starting a starter found in this thread.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/31770/light-end-tunnel-would-be-really-useful-right-now
I decided to try two using this method one white one WW. Once active I will compare them to my older starters and make some baked bread comparisons.
They are calling for snow any time now so I hope you'r stocked up and have some baking ideas if you get snowed in. It's Dad's birthday today so I am baking him a Coco Angle Cake and will do a chocolate butter cream icing. Sugar on top of sugar just the way Dad likes it.
But we can get together when the roads clear.
Faith
Good Afternoon on the wet, cold and drizzly day:
Thank you for your offer and when the weather is better perhaps, we can meet for lunch in say..Roanoke or Salem. Let me buy your lunch for your trouble from the long drive from your place. O.K.?
mantana
Thanks all!
I've got a couple different starters going, they seem to be growing, look okay, I'm not sure what I'm looking for in terms of smell lol
I want to make the Vermont Sourdough (I'm from Vermont), I'm a little confused about what is considered "mature" .
thanks!
Sounds great! I have your info and you have mine so we can work that out. Snowing like a bad dog now.
nm82 that sounds great... there is no reason you can't start your own. I'll be in VT at the end of February(taking a class at King Arthur and visiting all my family that lives up there. Vermont Sourdough is one of my favorites and I bake it all the time.
"mature" just is a starter that has stabilized and becomes predictable . I'll be testing a young starter this weekend...just 5 days from starting. We will see how that turns out.
Faith
Save your money, get some flour and water, and make your own. Dried cultures are best bought from bigger companies that specialise in isolating and preparing the cultures for the industrial-sector, and are only of real use in semi-sterile conditions, which no home-baker on this site is operating in.
Are we talking about Sourdough International at http://www.sourdo.com/ or at http://www.breadnz.com/en/sourdo_inter.htm ?
Don't buy starter from Sourdough International as they are rude and not reliable. I have been asking them to provide me tracking number to claim my goods purchased from them and they refused. What kind of service is it? I have been explaining to them that I need the tracking number for claiming the goods online via my US logistic company which helps me to transfer the goods to Hong Kong. See following their reply:
From: Sourdoughs International
Date: 2017年3月12日 下午12:10Re: Customer receipt I did reply that I will be in the office on Monday. Since it is in the US there will be no tracking information. You should inform your shipper not to throw this away. We do have that happen often. "You ask them to send it via international mail so tracking is not always available. You had it sent to a third party, did they know to expect an envelope for you? Why not keep it simple and have it sent directly to your address?
Gerhard
I have explained it to him my situation the other day when I ordered from them. I cannot claim my goods without a tracking number. Just asking a tracking number, is that very difficult to obtain?
Not if they say they do not provide a tracking number. If you need it you should have asked them before you ordered. The response didn’t sound rude to me