Anyone start and maintain a sourdough starter?

[Eagles700LvL]

I started one and it seems to be developing slower then it is suppose to. It's about two weeks old.

Feeding it every 12 hours. It smells right. It bubbles, but it doesn't grow.

It's kept a few degrees below what is ideal, but still seems slow. Do I just need more patience? Should I start over?


More info, started it with unbleached flour. 1/1 part flour/water by weight. Consistency seems right.

Fed it with whole wheat flour this morning and put it on a heating pad at the lowest setting for the day.

[MrsInor]

Grow? I have starter in the fridge in a glass "crock" and forget to feed it for months. Take it out and throw some flour and water in when I remember and it is fine. It never gets bigger or "grows".

[James m]

This was posted earlier if it will help any.

http://www.theoutdoortradingpost.com/showthread.php?t=1344

[Eagles700LvL]

MrsInor:

So I'm in idiot. When I look at the information I started it with I was assuming it would grow because everyone warned of it become too much quickly. What they meant was when you are feeding it to start it, if you don't get rid of some you will have to much too quickly. For some reason I expected it to rise like dough.

That being said, do the bubbles indicate it's ready to go? I liked to make some bread then put in the fridge so I can stop actively maintaining it.

James: Thanks for the link!

[James m]

You're welcome for the link.

You forgot about something in the fridge for a month or two? What else is in there, is there any Chinese take out left over from the boxer rebellion?

[Pauls]

When I feed my starter the night before I am going to use it I add the amount that the recipe calls for.
My bread recipe calls for two cups of starter so, I add two cups of flour and two cups of warm water. I put it on top of the fridge in the winter months because it is warmer there but during the rest of the year it just sets out on the counter. By the next morning it has risen to almost double the volume it was when I fed it and it is ready to make bread. I always remove one cup (after stirring it down) to keep for the next time. I actually use two starters. I use it often enough that I have to alternate between the starters to let them age a little. The longer it ages the more sour it befomes. If you are constantly using it and feeding it the starter will lose its sour and taste like yeast bread instead of sourdough.

[Dwight55]

You're welcome for the link.

You forgot about something in the fridge for a month or two? What else is in there, is there any Chinese take out left over from the boxer rebellion?

If it don't turn green or grow hair, . . . probably still good.

And if it is a kinda blue green , . . . ain't that the stuff pennicillin is made out of???

May God bless,
Dwight

[Coppertop]

Mine sits out on the counter and I add a little flour and water every week or so. When I decide to use it, like Paul, I add what I need to it and let it sit overnight. If I don't use it for quite some time and keep feeding it, it does get quite a bit in my crock and I just make up a batch of bread. Not that it's a bad thing to make fresh bread (I don't eat enough bread to ever buy it, but I do enjoy it).

After a while mine gets a liquid on top of it, just mix it back in.

[MrsInor]

I went ahead and dumped the old stuff and started anew. It is doing just fine. I keep it in the fridge just because I hate to lose the counter space. And this time I made the starter with wheat flour.

[Pauls]

That dark liquid on top of the starter is from the "sour bugs"! it gives the sour dough its "sour". Just stir it back in and feed it.

If too much forms then you should use it as soon as possible. There is a balance between the yeast and the sour that you want to keep right. Too much sour and the yeast starts to die - that is why you feed it after stirring it back in.