I've read online to use a 60:40/flour:water mix when feeding my starters. It seems too thick.
I"ve been nursing two cultures about 9 months. One I purchased online, a San Francisco starter, and the other I got from mixing flour and water and feeding it. They both work very well, and I'm getting very sour bread. I'm tweaking for improvements now.
I was keeping my starters in the fridge (40F) for 5 days, then taking them out, feeding them, using the cull, feeding them again, then putting them back in the fridge until next weekend. I was tipped off to leave them on the counter (75F) and feed them more often. I've noticed some real nice flavor changes since doing this. I'm wondering if changing my hydration will improve my cultures as well.
I was adding a heaping TBSP of flour (35 Gms) then enough distilled water to make it a pancake batter consistency. It poured well, and I could mix it by swirling the jar. It didn't rise much, but seemed to ferment on the top inch or two near the surface only (the portion I poured off as leaven). A day after feeding, a quarter inch layer of hooch formed. The feed was 50:50 or 45:55 by weight. I live at 5300 ft, thin atmosphere.
My last two feedings I used my scale and weighed out 60:40 flour:water mix to feed the starter. It's now the consistency of a wet doughball, and very sticky. It no longer 'pours'. 4 to 5 hrs after feeding, it's tripled in volume, but shrinks back to nothing on stirring it. Seems the extra flour is trapping more gas at this hydration. I haven't noticed any hooch formation. It's a completely different animal. Is this correct, or have I found extremes that I'll have to moderate? I'm wondering if the greater rise/thicker consistency could be fermenting more completely.
Another concern:
The SF culture loses it's flavor after a few weeks. I refreshed it with new culture starter, but that faded again. Is my local/flour flora taking over? Should I combine my starters and simplify?
I've searched the net for vids showing how to feed starter, and I'm amazed and amused at all the variations. This didn't help me much.
GreenSpyder
Replies
I think you can go to even a lower hydration on your starter. I keep my starter at 50% hydration. The total size of my storage starter is 10 grams of old starter, 10 grams of water, and 20 grams of flour. It has been kept this way for a couple of years.
So your starter is a paste?
A picture or two might help.
Hello,
I have a question.
I'm new to sourdoughing, and I simply adore it! After intensive feedings, i've obtained a starter just delightful (for me and my family, we are not used to sour breads, we do like the milder ones), and now, my starter is perfect! I feed it once a day(75 % hydration), store it at 16-23 deg C, and it triples. I feed it with '00' type flour (50 %) and Manitoba type flour (50 %). But if i make a stiffer starter (say 50% hydration), and i'll keep it somewhere between 10-16 deg C, how oftend do I need to feed it and if I want to have back that mild aroma, after intensive feedings, it will regain it? Or it will not lose the mild aroma (i've red taht a stiffer starter is more sour than a high hydratation one, and also a starter kept at lower temperature is more sour...) at all?.
Just as a precaution I've just dried some.
Thank you!
LeadDog, our scales are lightyears apart. Mine is a blob that takes over the counter. I can see that a smaller scale will simplify everything. The pic below is a quart jar. It started 1/2 full, and looked like this after four hours. Wow, thanks for including pictures!!!
[quote=alex...]
...I have a question...
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I'd like to help, but I'm new to this, and I'd hate to steer you wrong!!!
GreenSpyder there are people here who even keep smaller starters. The nice advantage of doing a small starter is less waste.
Alex since you dried some starter you can try this for feeding and storing your starter. Make a 50% hydration starter and leave it on the counter for an hour or so then put it in the fridge. The next time you need it use it just like you currently do taking part of it to ferment your dough and feed the part that you keep for storage. The starter you keep for storage once again let it stay out of the fridge for an hour or so and them put it into the fridge. Letting the starter stay out of the fridge lets the yeast and bacteria get some activity before the fridge slows them down. Keeping it in the fridge like this I have heard some people can get by with feeding it every two weeks. I like to eat bread a little bit more often than that.
One thing to note is that I believe LD uses whole wheat flour (correct me if I am wrong). So his is going to be stiffer than if using A/P or regular bread flour since WW flour will absorb more water.
I started mine at 100% hydration, but moved to a 60% hydration after a little while. I had a hard time knowing when to feed the 100%. The biggest problem is that this is a new starter, so activity is slower. Once I moved to 60% (a sticky dough ball), I could see when it doubles easier and also when it collapses so I know when to feed. In addition, stiff starters tend to favor the anaerobic conditions that tend to produce more acetic acid and a more sour product (although many stiff starters are still mild).
A 60:40 (flour:water). is a 66% hydration, so it is more doughy than a batter type of starter.
This whole thing has turned me into a 'sourdough starter whisperer'. The crazy temperature fluctuation we have been having has made me have to smell and observe my starter more, rather than rely on timing.
When is the starter culture ready to use?
I've noticed it takes about a day after feeding for my 66% hydration to rise and collapse. Is it more sour just before, right after, or half a day after collapse (when is smells most sour)?
I suppose the best way would be to use litmus paper, but beyond that, what do you experienced SD people find the best timing on culture readiness?
The longer you wait the more acid the bacteria makes. They can make enough acid to stop all of their activity if you wait to long. Remember their activity is going to change according to the temperature so the best timing is going to change with the seasons. For me sourdough bread making involves our senses to make the call when the dough is ready for the next step. I like to touch my starter poke it smell it and then I know if it is ready or not. You could do it at the same time year around if you had a temperature controlled environment for it.
[quote=LeadDog]
... I like to touch my starter poke it smell it and then I know if it is ready or not...
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I've been pretty much going by smell...it's getting much better since I stopped putting it tn the fridge, more flavors. So when I knock it down in the jar, and it doesn't rise, will it get more sour after this? How long after this point will it die (I hear it's pretty hard to kill this stuff). My 66% stops rising after about 21 hrs. I've been trying different proofing temps. My countertop is 76F, garage is 64F and fridge is 42F. So far I haven't noticed any difference with lower, longer temps. My best loaf I just left on the counter for about 9 hrs. Again, thanks, LD.
Try fermenting a loaf in the garage if it is 64°F. This might take a long time but over night I would think for sure. Then keep watching it the next day until it has risen.
Sourness of your starter is noticeable and changes with time. I have gotten my starter to smell like stinky feet before. Most people try to use their starter right after it peaks and the dough starts to collapse back on itself.