Sourdough Starter Ii

Notes: A true sourdough starter is nothing more than the flour and
milk or water which sits at room temperature for several days and
catches live yeast bacteria from the air. Most starter recipes today
include yeast as an original ingredient as it is much easier and less
time consuming. In addition, many sourdough bread recipes also
indicate usage of yeast itself as it does provide a higher rising,
lighter loaf.

A sourdough starter should be kept in a glass or plastic bowl which
has a tight fitting lid. I recommend a bowl instead of a jar as you
can “feed” your starter right in the bowl easily. To make your
starter, mix together:

I mix the starter with an electric, hand held mixer on the lowest
setting. Cover your starter and place in a warm, draft-free location
for 4 to 7 days, gently stirring it once a day. You may notice that
the mixture bubbles and in some cases it may even overflow the bowl.
This is an indication that you have a healthy starter which should
simply be poured off and discarded.

If your starter ever changes colors, to purple, for example, discard
and start another one.

After allowing your starter to sit for 4 to 7 days it is ready to be
used. Take out whatever portion your recipe calls for and put into
the machine as you would any liquid ingredient. After removing a
portion from the starter, the starter must be “fed”. Simply add equal
portions of milk or water and flour as was used. For example, if you
used 1 cup of starter, replace it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of
bread flour.

Some hints on feeding your starter: always use the same kind of
flour. If you used bread flour in your original starter, use bread
flour to feed it. Also, alternate between milk and water for each
feeding. Since your original liquid ingredient was milk, the first
liquid feeding should be with water. If you forget which you used
last, that’s okay, but try to alternate at least every other time.
After feeding your starter, let it sit at room temperature for about
one day and then refrigerate.

Many cookbooks suggest stirring the starter once a day even when being
refrigerated; I find that it is not necessary. You must, however, use
a portion of the starter at least once a week. If you choose not to
bake sourdough breads that often, then remove a cup of your starter
and feed it as though you used some during the week. If this is not
done, your starter will turn rancid and have to be replaced. Should
you be away on vacation or otherwise not able to tend to the starter,
freeze it. Upon your return, thaw it in the refrigerator and then
remove a portion and feed it as soon as you are able.

You may be thinking that this sounds too complicated, but it really
is not, nor is the starter overly fragile. A friend of mine had the
same starter for 14 years!

My first few loaves of sourdough were not very sour and I feared it
was my starter. After allowing the starter to mellow a little by
sitting in the refrigerator and using only once a week, it and the
breads became more sour.

Another hint is to put the bread in on the timer cycle for early
morning baking. The milk put in the night before adds a little more
sour taste. If the bread is getting too sour for you, feed with water
more often than milk.