February 4, 2016 - 12:59pm
Is this mold on my new starter!?
Hi everyone, I'm on day 3 of my first ever starter. I'm seeing bubbles on top and it's risen quite a bit today, but I'm seeing what might be mold growing on the top. I can't tell if it's fuzzy or just dried bubbles. Looking for opinions from more experienced bakers, thanks!
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As good of quality as I could get with my iPhone :)
http://s16.postimg.org/he5vrb02d/Full_Size_Render.jpg
Those look like bubbles to me.
Give it a few days and see what happens.
Ok so I have 1 vote bubbles and 1 for mold hah!
It is a bit dry on top. I'm covering it with a circle of old t-shirt and a rubber band and using a 1:1 fl water ratio. I'm in the desert so very low humidity. Am I doing alright so far?
It looks like the starter didn't get mixed all the way and they are pockets of flour. How does it smell? I actually had a starter go moldy a month or so ago (I think a contaminated container) and it smelled super bad. If it smells ok I'd give it another feed as normal and see what happens.
-Tacia
So I just fed it and touched the suspected mold and it was hard. It looks like they were just bubbles that rose and then dried out at the surface. Here's a photo of the dry layer at the top...
...and here's a photo of the starter after I removed the dry layer, fed it, and mixed it up again. Look better?
@dirtybuns, I would describe the smell as unpleasant. I get a hint of yeastiness dominated by a sour/vinegar smell. I've never smelled a starter before but I assume the lactobacillus would smell pretty sour like this, am I right?
Thanks everyone!
It should smell sour but not bad like when a fruit goes bad. Looks good! Keep going! I am guessing it maybe didn't get covered all the way. It's winter and pretty dry right now. It may have just gotten dry on the top. The new feed looks good and it's already showing signs of life (little baby bubbles). When the top gets dry like that you can scrape it off and use the bottom part for your next feed. This can also happen if you hibernate it in the fridge for extended periods of time. The top can get a little hard, but the inside is still totally fine.
Keep going.
@dirtybuns I'm covering it with a cut up old cotton t-shirt and a rubber band. Should I be covering it with the pyrex container lid instead? I guess it's a question of keeping the moisture in vs getting the yeast fresh air.
-Matt
so nothing can get in ti infect the top and it doesn't dry out.
Cover it with a lid but nothing airtight. Gas needs to escape. I use a wecks jar with the top just resting on top, no gasket or clips. I think a small plate on top would work the same way, allowing gas to escape.Or even just saran wrap.