oh no..... I didnt save any starter!!!!!

Replies

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 March 25

Oops! and I do mean OOOOOPPPPSSSS!
Feed your starter every 12 hours building it up each time. When you get it working take a tablespoon full and add 1 cup water 1 cup flour. Do this a couple of times and you should clear the salt and anything else out of it.
I always keep my stock starters at 100% hydration, in the fridge, and fed once a week. From them I then make my working starters, this avoids losing a starter completely.

SourDom 2006 March 25

Coffin girl,

if you have some of the dough, you are likely to be able to reconstitute your starter. The only time you are really in trouble is if you don't remember until after you have baked it.

Take a small amount of dough (eg 1 tablespoon), and add a goodly quantity of flour (eg 100g) and water (eg 100g). Stir, and leave as normal. Repeat tomorrow.
You should find that this will behave like your starter again fairly quickly.
The small amount of contamination with sugar and salt will be dilutes out very quickly

good luck

Dom

COFFIN GIRL's picture
COFFIN GIRL 2006 March 25

thanks heaps guys..... got over the panic now and cos it is a stinking hot day over here it looks like my bread is going to be great - bit of a compensation for my muck up. The starter that I re-started looks like it may already have a few bubbles (from 3pm accident), but that might be wishful thinking. and I will never take the whole stater out to play again!!!!! I have leanrt my lesson for sure Will keep you posted

COFFIN GIRL's picture
COFFIN GIRL 2006 March 27

Looks like my starter is fine!!!! Fortunately I dont put much salt in my bread and I hadnt mixed everything through too much when I discovered my oops....
Anyway. I have 2 starters on the bench that I restarted and they both look fine. One I am feeding every 12 hours and the other I am chucking 1/2 out and feeding every 24 hours and they both look great. Heaps of bubbles and smell really good.

I am hoping to have another go at the fruit bread tomorrow so hope all is well with that. AND I WONT BE USING ALL MY STARTER.

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 March 27

Great news Coffingirl, starters are like little pets and we hate to lose them. About a week ago I was sent a new starter from the US and I must admit to being a bit anxious until it was up and running fine.
As a matter of habit I keep a stock mix of all my starters in the fridge and only feed them once a week. They are kept at 100% hydration which is equal
[b]weight[/b] flour /water (1 cup water/ 1 2/3 cup flour). I then make all my working starters from them as required. Each week I take 1 tablespoon of my stock starter and add the cup of water etc, and leave it for about 8-9 hours to get working well, then put it back in the fridge. This ensures that I always have a safe stock of starter and reduces the chance of contamination by having it out and using it all the time.
If I want a starter at say 166% (ie. 1 cup water/ 1 cup flour) the morning of the day before I bake I take 1 tablespoon of stock starter and add 1/2 cup water/ 1/2 cup flour, that night add 1 cup/1 cup, and the next morning I have my starter ready to make a loaf. Just alter the amounts to suit how much starter you want.

TrevorM-L's picture
TrevorM-L 2006 March 29

Hi Coffingirl

great to see sourdough alive and well on the west coast... ex Streaky/Lincoln/Cummins lad here...

I have in the past even been able to get a starter going from the inner section of a cooked loaf... did that once years ago when I brought a small piece of sourdough back from my visit to my wife's folks in Finland... they have a wonderful.... wonderful 100% rye sourdough not unlike a particular German one that I can get in Adelaide made by Berent's...and the piece was very dry by the time I got to use it... just softened it up with a little water and then continued on with the starter making

cheers
Trevor

COFFIN GIRL's picture
COFFIN GIRL 2006 March 29

Thanks for that Trevor... AMAZING some of the stuff that is done with this
sourdough starter. The only thing that can seriously muck you up for a few days is doing what I did. I am stilll really new to all this sourdough business. I have been making bread and also dabbled in no knead breads a bit and this is all new .... and very very frustrating at times. Anyway, I now have 2 starters.... one that I feed at 100% hydration every 12 hours and the other I was feeding every 24 hours. Time to test it out tomorrow. Started proofing it this morning so its all bubbles & froth on the bench - eagerly waiting. Keep your fingers crossed.

How could you leave this part of the world anyway??? We are loving the place and think we will be here for quite some time.

TrevorM-L's picture
TrevorM-L 2006 March 29

with all that bubble and froth I am sure it will all go brilliantly...

we have 3 starters going at the moment... gets a bit of a pain sometimes tho' with trying to keep up with them all... you can only eat so much bread no matter how good it is have to start giving loaves away I think...

what method s are you using for the actual dough making? we are pretty much using the Dan Lepard methods... basically... lots of VERY short kneads etc and have been getting great results indeed... used to get lots of bricks before...

Have not been back over that way for near 30 years... much to my wife's disgust sometimes... been to the other side of the world to see you home region and have not got around to going around the corner as it were to see mine... was planning to get over there this last xmas/new year but did not make it for lots of crappy reasons... still on the "promise list" tho

cheers

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 March 30

Dan Lepards method is great for high hydration dough, it makes it so easy. I still use the knead method for dough around 60 - 64 % hydration, but I still sometimes stretch and fold them during the first rise.

COFFIN GIRL's picture
COFFIN GIRL 2006 April 3

I am really back in business!!! I have not 1 but 2 starters in the fridge - no chance of any dramas again and it is all happening really well. Visited a local Flour Mill on Friday and came home with a great box of goodies. Linseed, Kibbled Wheat, Kibbled Rye, Kibbled Soya & two bags of bakers flour so I have been having a lovely time!! Made some fabulous Soya and Linseed & was amazed that in proved fabulously in 2 hours making the most fabulous bread and then pizzas for tea last night. Almost converted hubby to sourdough pizzas and with him being a white plastic bread eater - that is a feat in itself. Have a batch of sourdough easter buns on the go now so will see how they go too. Not rising as much as I would like, but that seems to be what happens with the spices and me! The fruit is all Coffin Bay Organic (I love it) so should taste good anyway.
A multigrain loaf is next on my agenda - looking for more guinea pigs to eat all this cos I am just getting FAT!!!! but loving it

Post Reply

Already a member? Login