I'm starting a new all-rye sourdough starter... but using some modern conveniences. It can take some time to get a starter populated with a healthy lactobaccilli population. But, there are several labs that supply home (and commercial) brewers with liquid slants of yeat and/or various other bacteria.
To speed things up a little, I'm using Wyeast 5335, a culture of Lactobacillus buchneri, a lactobacillus that's commonly found in Belgian guezes and lambics (sour, spontaneous ferment beers). The only real reason I'm using this particular strain is that I happen to have it in the refrigerator. Wyeast 3278 would probably be a better choice: it's a blend of yeast and other critters ("Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus blend"). And White Labs produces quite a few cultures that might be suitable for sourdough: https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank?show=yeasts&type=Geuze&tid=385
Procedure:
- 70 grams organic dark rye flour from Fairhaven Mill in Bellingham, Washington.
- 70 grams water at blood heat (c. 105° F)
- 1 pinch dried baking yeast (I would have used an ale yeast, but I'm fresh out
- 1 teaspoon Wyeast 5335, from a slant that's been in the refrigerator for a year or so
Fairhaven makes some nice flours:
Day 1:
Day2: Feeding Time:
- Removed all but 70g of starter
- Whisk 70g of water at blood heat into it
- Whisk 70g of the rye flour into it.
- Put a [loose] lid on it.
And a few hours later, we're cooking with gas! The starter is already starting to get that nice acid tang.
that you see the commercial yeast growing, which will not survive in the sourdough starter (therefore useless and will not make it anyway). Reference: Investigations of wheat sourdough found that S. cerevisiae died off after two refreshment cycles.[57] S. cerevisiae has less tolerance to acetic acid than other sourdough yeasts.[60] Continuously maintained, stable sourdough cannot be unintentionally contaminated by S. cerevisiae.[22]
Also, blood warm is a bit too warm for the yeast that lives in sourdough. Reference: External conditions such as acidity and temperature affect the growth rates of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. One study found that of temperature of 33 °C (91 °F) leads to maximum growth rates, whereas temperatures over 41 °C (105 °F) completely inhibit the bacteria growth. Ideal and maximum growth temperatures of other organisms may be quite different; for instance a common yeast in sourdough, Candida milleri, prefers 27 °C (81 °F) and will not grow above 36 °C (97 °F).[4]
Check out my experiment )))
I’ll be watching this. It looks great! Are you in the Bellingham area? I used to live down in Anacortes.
Made waffles a few days after I started this. This is the first loaf from it — a Poilâne-stylle boule.
Very nice looking loaf!
Cut the loaf open for breakfast. Very tasty!