Advice needed
So I just took the plunge into Tartine sourdough the other day. I've been making yeast breads for almost 20 years and I'm ready to bring my bread to the next level.
I made my starter to the specifications in the book and I've begun to realize after reading around here, that they might be lacking a bit in specifics.
I'll lay out my experiences and my conclusions and I would love some insight as to whether I'm on the right track.
I made a 50/50 mix of ww and ap flour. Mixed it with equal amounts water. (I think this is where I went wrong first. I think my mix was too wet. from what I'm reading, people normally start much thicker.)
I waited three days. There was a bit of bubbling and a vinegary smell. Note that my kitchen temp is between 64-69.
I discarded about 80 percent and added equal parts flour mix and water.
I repeated this step for several days. The result was a mix that didn't really seem to do anything. No rise and fall. No bubbles anymore. It still just smells vinegary rather than yeasty.
Conclusions:
I think that I didn't wait long enough before I began discarding and feeding. I think that doing this I may have weakened it too much. I also think the mix was much too watery.
What I did today:
Today I didn't discard at all. I added just more flour mix and thickened it to a stiff batter. I am also stirring it occasionally in hopes of getting it going.
My question: So for the next few days until I see more activity, should I just leave it? Should I feed it and not discard? Should I discard a lesser amount?
I would really appreciate some advice.
Thanks!
Half and half. flour and water is by weight not volume. Flour weighs about 140 g per cup and water weighs 240 g a cup. What you want is equal amounts of flour and water by weight. Once you thicken it up then all will be well. in a few days you will see it rising and falling as the good wee beasties take over the mix.
Happy SD baking
The temp is to cold for the starter. You need to warm it up. This time of year I place mine in the oven with the light on (oven off). Keep it there and you will see good activity in a few days.
Yes! Thanks for that bit of advice, danbrownman. It never occurred to me that that might be the problem. It is thick now so I hope it helps.
Thanks for the tip Manna. I was surprised because I thought that, while on the cooler side, the temp range was good for a starter, and that hotter temps encouraged the wrong type of critters.
sometimes a lot longer. 82 F is perfect in my book for staring starters, so if you have a heating pad - that will get things going a little faster. In the winter I put mine on low and use kitchen towels under the starter, levain or dough to regulate the heat at that temp. You should be ready to bake a loaf of SD bread in couple of weeks or so even without the heat,
Happy baking
Seem to be excellent proofing/starter initiation chambers. Until I built a proofing box to operate at the optimum 82°F mentioned above, I built starters in my microwave oven. I cracked the door only enough to turn the light on. In short time I found the internal air temperature, from the light's heat energy alone, became a steady 76°F.
David G