Hi all,
I'm a beginner baker who's recently become interested in naturally-leavened breads.
I began a starter about a month ago using organic wholemeal flour and it seemed to be progressing quite well, but then one day (after about a week) I left it for 48 hours without feeding and it developed a light grey mould on the surface and started smelling like blue cheese.
I kept only a tablespoon and kept feeding but it never really perked up again (I got bubbles after 12 hours, but very little increase in volume).
After I came across this site (thanks to a recommendation by Sonoma Bakery here in Sydney) I switched to the starter recipe that calls for 30% organic rye and 70% AP flour. I have been following it for about 10 days and the most increase in volume I get is 50% (after about 12 hours). You can see a photo of how it looks after 8 hours.
If I leave the starter for 24 hours without feeding, it gets mouldy again.
My questions are:
1. Does the starter need to be increasing in volume by 100% to be usable?
2. Is the development of mould after 24 hours a problem? Have I permanently infected it? It has been pretty hot and humid here in Sydney, so that coould be a factor.
Thanks for any suggestions,
Ben
Replies
Hi Ben.
Firstly, I think it was good advice from the Sonoma Bakery to come to this site. Some very supportive, knowledgeable people here.
Last year, I followed the directions on the page you've linked to after several unsuccessful tries at getting a good starter going, and it certainly worked for me. Using organic wholegrain rye was the big turning point.
It was mid-winter when I achieved success with my starter, the inside temperature ranging from 12C-18C. The directions worked perfectly for me as is, but in your case, with ambient temperature so warm, I think it likely that your starter is exhausting its food supply well inside 24 hours (I am assuming you're feeding it once daily?).
My starters are now mature and healthy, and during this very hot Perth summer I've found feeding needs to be no more than 8 hours apart (6 hours is better). Much longer than 8 hours and I notice the plumped-up surface of the starter begins to sag, which is a sign that it has peaked and is beginning to decline.
So, my suggestion would be to continue on as you are, but to at least double the feeds. I'd actually triple them, discarding each time as you do now, so that you feed your starter every 8 hours. Time it so you feed it before you go to bed at night, and 8 hours later after you get up. If it's not manageable to do 8 hour feeds, 12 hours should work. (Note: If your schedule is such that you can do two 8 hour feeds but one between-feed interval stretches to 10 hours or a bit more, that shouldn't be a concern...still better in your ambient temps than 2 x 12 hours IMO.)
Going by your pic, it does look like you already have an active starter...I suspect it's just souring off when it's used its feed up. Try increasing the feeding and let us know what happens. If you find it doubling (approx) in 6-10 hours or so, you know it's time to try your first SD bread!
Good luck!
Ross
Hi Ross,
Thanks for the reply. I should have said that prior to the mould forming on the surface, I had been feeding every 24 hours, but now I've cut that back to 12. Twice in the last ten days I've experimented with stretching it to 24 and I've gotten mould and the smell of blue cheese.
I'll try shortening it even further to an 8 hour interval and see how I go.
I also wanted to ask - when feeding with 100ml water, 30g rye, 70g AP flour, the result is so thick that it's hard to tell the volume anyway (it stands up in the jar). Is this too dry?
Thanks again,
Ben
Your starter mix is 100% hydration, as per the starter directions. It should settle down to find a level after it's been sitting a while...it doesn't keep 'standing up', does it?
It looks like the right consistency, going by your pic.
So I tried going to 8 hours, for a few days, but it didn't make any difference, then I went back to 24, and other than the strange coating on the surface (which I decided may not be mould but just dry starter), it's still not much better.
It seems that whatever schedule I use, I still only get about a 50% increase in volume and never any foamy bubbles on top.
Do I need to start again or try something different?
To answer your previous question, it does settle down after a few hours, and after 12 or more is quite liquid.
I'm still keeping only a tablespoon of starter at each feeding. Perhaps I should use more?
Hmm, dunno what to suggest next. Maybe try a bread and see if the starter is, indeed, active?
Perhaps others have some suggestions...?
Hi Ben,
I couldn't help but notice that your jar is fully closed - all the recipes and notes I've seen recommended me to allow air into my starter (usually by using a Mason Jar and poking a hole in the lid). I wonder if you get the smell and mold because there's no fresh air getting into your starter?
Also, I only bake about once a week (maybe more) and so my starter is either in my fridge or being refreshed with 100g water, 30g Rye Flour, 70g White Flour. Just FYI.
Good luck!
Yeast comes from the air! John Ross offers a super easy method for starter: 1 cup water, 1 cup flour (may be mixed white and wheat) in a non-reactive container loosely covered, fed daily for two weeks or until foamy and ready to use. I like the touch of a teaspoon of ground cumin in the starter...it makes a sweeter starter and a unique flavor. I use a couple of ceramic milk pitchers covered with a ceramic saucer or very loosely with aluminum foil and one plastic shortening tub with an "x" cut in the lid as my rotating containers. I killed one, but I think there were some extenuating circumstances around it. Starters also have their ups and downs, I've noticed. They are alive, after all. Keep at it. It's one of the most rewarding undertakings ever!
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I perservered and followed the recipe in Peter Reinhart's 'Artisan Breads Every Day'. I baked my first bread last night (a baguette) and got an excellent crust with some good big bubbles inside. The texture was a bit gummy though, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong (that's another thread!).