ISO Sour dough bread help

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yeah, mine were unique in KZ alright!! Had to throw all 3 out............don't know what's in the air but it's a scary thought.......by the way if your starter develops a pinkish sheen after a few days or is not bubbling...throw it out and start over.........
 
My experiences have been that it matters not if you buy a starter or are given someone else's: eventually the local genomnes in your air will take over the starter. As I also have experienced, not all of them are *good*.


But you are right again: if your starter isn't bubbling, it isn't alive. It has to be alive and well to function properly. :(

Try keeping the pollution and dust out of the area in which you are letting your Starter breath. :bounce:
 
I hope this isn't considered political as it happened over 40 years ago and KZ is an independent republic now but the Soviets did a lot of nuclear testing here on the steppes at the time as it was such an out of the way place.........as I threw out my third and last starter after successfully starting them in Louisiana and TX I really did wonder if there might not have not been some residue still left in the air.......I know that when I taught at the international school we had a Russian boy that would love to eat the snow.......I was forever on his back about not doing it.........I remember when our water went off and we needed some for a science experiment.........he went outside with me and we scooped what was pure white pristine-looking snow.....then he helped me melt it over the stove.........you should have seen his face when he saw all the junk and flotsam and jetsam and as Frank Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond would comment--- HC! Seriously, it really affected him.........I never saw him eat it again..........so who knows what's in the air here........I guess I could commercialize on a "radioactive starter" :):)
 
I hope this isn't considered political as it happened over 40 years ago and KZ is an independent republic now but the Soviets did a lot of nuclear testing here on the steppes at the time as it was such an out of the way place.........as I threw out my third and last starter after successfully starting them in Louisiana and TX I really did wonder if there might not have not been some residue still left in the air.......I know that when I taught at the international school we had a Russian boy that would love to eat the snow.......I was forever on his back about not doing it.........I remember when our water went off and we needed some for a science experiment.........he went outside with me and we scooped what was pure white pristine-looking snow.....then he helped me melt it over the stove.........you should have seen his face when he saw all the junk and flotsam and jetsam and as Frank Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond would comment--- HC! Seriously, it really affected him.........I never saw him eat it again..........so who knows what's in the air here........I guess I could commercialize on a "radioactive starter" :):)
Not at all Political for my way of thinking. You are describing a lot about what goes on with people like us who try to make their own bread starters. Can you imagine if we could all have San Francisco genomes? I have taken my sourdough starter from the Bay Area to several other countries. It is great for a few loaves, then the local stuff in the air changes it, and eventually the San Francisco "sour" is gone totally.

Your situation worries me. The Stepps and the ancient people from there are in my blood. To think you might be living in an area that might still have radioactive waste in the air troubles me. I hope you are safe.
 
Just a suggestion...sometimes when I make a sourdough starter, I use potato water. Pare and slice up a nice russet and boil it in a fair amount of water. When squishy remove from heat. Smush it all up and stir well. Use as water in the starter recipe (of which there are many). For instance, for sour rye, start with some leftover crusts of a previous loaf to create a "sour". Etc, etc..........
 
Oh if I could only get Russets here. And if there was a good loaf of sour rye here. I do thank you for the information. I will be trying it with the stuff I can get here. Really makes sense to me too. Thanks again.
 
Here is the recipe that I used to begin a starter, I have had the starter and kept it going for years now. I used whey at the start


Dina



Sourdough Starter:


  • Day 1: In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour with 2 cups of cold water. (Using whole grain rye flour will give good results, but a starter can be done with white bread flour as well, You will also obtain good results if you start with whey rather than water). The soupy mixture should be covered with a double layer of cheesecloth. And secure with a rubber band.


  • Day 2: Add another cup of flour and enough liquid to retain a soupy consistency.


  • Day 3 -7: repeat same procedure for seven days, After a few days, the starter will begin to bubble and develop a wine-like aroma. After seven days, starter should be ready to use. Use four cups in a recipe and store the rest in a clean container in the refrigerator.
 
Dina:

That's a very good starter. One suggestion that really works: After the starter is going, I use a (cheap, like from a motel) plastic shower cap over the crock. It allows the excess gas to escape and is so much easier than fooling around with the cheesecloth every time you feed or use it. Warning, Beginners: Never, ever cap your starter tight! It can, and will, pop or explode all over. And it's one heck of a mess to clean up!
 
Dina:

That's a very good starter. One suggestion that really works: After the starter is going, I use a (cheap, like from a motel) plastic shower cap over the crock. It allows the excess gas to escape and is so much easier than fooling around with the cheesecloth every time you feed or use it. Warning, Beginners: Never, ever cap your starter tight! It can, and will, pop or explode all over. And it's one heck of a mess to clean up!
You can use a lot of different liquid mediums for starters: whey, potato water, fruit skins liquified. I get good results and do not use yeast. :)
 
Dina:

That's a very good starter. One suggestion that really works: After the starter is going, I use a (cheap, like from a motel) plastic shower cap over the crock. It allows the excess gas to escape and is so much easier than fooling around with the cheesecloth every time you feed or use it. Warning, Beginners: Never, ever cap your starter tight! It can, and will, pop or explode all over. And it's one heck of a mess to clean up!


Thats a good suggestion
 
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