How stiff is too stiff - rye starter
The rye starter I’ve been growing is dark brown and the consistency of peanut butter. I’ve only been feeding it - now on the third day. It is in a wide container. I’m not seeing much rise, but do get pretty good bubble-pockets after maybe 6-8 hours at 78 degrees.
I’ve seen vids of rye starter where it seems to be jumping out of the container. Again…I’ve got “peanut butter”…some air but not much size increase. Is this maybe too thick/stiff? Or maybe I have wrong rye. I’ve watched “Bake With Jack”s vid on rye and his (and others) does seem to be a bit easier to stir. Mine is “sticky City” and a bear to stir and work with.
Ive had this flour a couple years in a Cambro closed container. Could it be too old?
Finally - would it hurt to just a a bit more water to make more manageable and maybe easier for it to rise?
If it can be stirred - its thick enough - if its not too old. Enjoy!
Ok - encouraging! I just checked it and it does seem too be raising. Guess it just needs a few more days.
Thanks
It takes time - might as well get used to it. Enjoy!
Hard experience leads me to suggest that you should consider throwing out the few-year-old rye. Stale flour made my 100% rye starter sludgy and stodgy and, yes, transformed what had been light and kind-of airy into mush with the consistency of peanut butter. When I tossed the old stuff (which was still well before its sell-by date) and bought a fresh bag from a small miller, it was like giving my starter an espresso: it came alert and gained volume almost immediately.
Rob
Rob - great advise! I’ll give the current batch a bit of a go… seems like it is sorta responding. But I’ll def be getting a fresh bit of rye. Thanks.
I started my 100% hydration rye starter, Vaal, a couple of years ago. After about a day, there was a volcanic activity and then it was quiet for about 5–6 days after, then started rising again in a controlled fashion. I currently store it in the refrigerator and it usually goes 2–3 weeks between feedings.
Are you discarding some of it with each feeding?
You say it's thick. Do you know what the hydration is?
I've used older flour and that hasn't been too much of a problem for me. Is this whole rye flour?
Umm - I've been a bit lax on this batch, but I think it is 100-ish. I've had it in the oven with the light on - got to be 80deg or so and does seem to be rising and has fair bubbling on the sides. Have had the flour long enough that I've forgotten its actual "kind". Given the dark look of the starter I'm guessing it whole... but not sure. This is my first try at a 100% rye starter. I've been mucking around with sourdough for a couple of years... have had a few fair-looking loves but never got any decent flavor and a LOT of very tough crusts. I guess this will be a good practice run with the rye. I'll keep feeding it over the next couple of days and then try a modest-size loaf to see how it goes.
There is a LOT of starter in the container and I've been taking a bit out before each morning feed. Currently adding 50-50 flour-water. When done, I'll go t to the "scrapings" method keeping a small bit after each bake, then for the next time I'll make a bit more before use. I've done this with a "normal" BF/water starter it seems to work,
The "puff" and rise does seem to be getting better so I'll keep going - got nothing else to do with the flour anyway!
My experience -- 3 things transformed my baking: a scale, a commitment to using fresh, local flour, & a dutch oven.
The scale and the flour were crucial to understanding my starter and what keeps it happy.
Rob
I subscribe to and follow all 3 of your ideas!
I built my rye culture following the method described in The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg. For each feeding during the build stage, two-thirds of the culture is discarded and then refreshed with whole rye flour and water, using amounts of each equal to the remaining culture. After 6–7 days, the culture was ready to use.
The maintenance refresh feeding is done at 1:10:10 culture/flour/water. I do this every couple of weeks or preceding a bake that needs the sour culture.