January 8, 2016 - 7:34pm
messages from the location of the bubbles in new and maturing sourdough starter
hello,
Can some sourdough masters help to enlighten me as to my following puzzles?
1) why some sourdough starter has bubbles both on the side and on the top, whereas others only have bubbles on the top?
2) why do bubbles seem to get less as sourdough starter develops?
3) some sourdough instructions I read says a new starter can get ready in 5-6 days, and others mentions 14 days. My new starter is already 6 days old but doesn't seem very active with respect to bubbling and the floating test. So is 14 days more correct than the 5-6 days?
thank you very much!
Cheers
Liming
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1. in a high hydration starter the bubbles will rise to the top, vs. in lower hydration starters where the bubbles will remain "entrained" and be visible from the sides. So it relates to how liquid the mix is.
2. yeast will eventually consume all the starch available and stop metabolizing and stop producing gas.
3. the times are highly influenced by the prevailing conditions, especially the temperature, so there's no right or wrong on the elapsed time, just guidelines. It's more important to interpret the other clues (activity, smell etc).
Liming
Yes, to what Les Nightingill says.
I would only add that as well as temperature, the flour you are starting with is also a great infuence on time to activity.
My experience has been that Rye is quickest, then Whole Wheat and last, Bread or AP flour. With Rye at the right temp, it can be quite active in 5 days.
Good luck.
dobie