Sourdough starter - anyone make it?

OU812

Decided to start on a starter yesterday, all went to plan & I fed it today, Seems to be going well with a pleasant aroma & thick consistency. Gonna keep going with it & hopefully get to use some this weekend (on what I have no idea yet), after that, what do I do? Keep feeding it? Is it ok to keep at room temperature or should I refrigerate it? I've heard the flavours get better over time.

Any advice?

magicmushroom

I haven't made one yet but have been planning on doing so for a while.
So I'm going to follow his thread

I bought the book by James Morton 'Brilliant Bread' which gives some good advice on sourdough starters, how to store it at different temperatures etc.

JPA

OU812 wrote: »

Decided to start on a starter yesterday, all went to plan & I fed it today, Seems to be going well with a pleasant aroma & thick consistency. Gonna keep going with it & hopefully get to use some this weekend (on what I have no idea yet), after that, what do I do? Keep feeding it? Is it ok to keep at room temperature or should I refrigerate it? I've heard the flavours get better over time.

Any advice?

You can't use it this weekend if you only started today, next weekend maybe, going well.

You can keep it at room temperature if you'll be using it frequently, like every couple of days, and you'll need to keep feeding it.
Or you can refrigerate it between using it but you'll need to reawaken it by having it out and feeding it 24 - 36 hours before using.

pwurple

Yup, i have a starter going about 18 months. When i take some out to use, i top it up again. I'm not too sure about the ins and outs of the flavour to be honest, i did it for the free yeast!

I keep it in the coolest part of my house, so slightly below room temp, but not refrigerated.

You do need to keep an eye on it until you get the hang of how it behaves. When I started with it, i think i let a couple of them get too dry, and they gave up on me. Another one I lost when i went on hols and forgot about it (house smelled like brewery when i got back!)

I take from it twice a week, topping up each time.

OU812

Excellent. Thanks for that info JPA. I guess I'll be dumping a load of it over the week if I have to keep feeding it daily. Friends & family here it comes !

JPA

OU812 wrote: »

Excellent. Thanks for that info JPA. I guess I'll be dumping a load of it over the week if I have to keep feeding it daily. Friends & family here it comes !

Good guide/recipe here http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/10/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-recipes-sourdough

Whistlejacket

A lot of recipes say to use wholemeal spelt flour but I prefer not to end up with brown specks in my white loaves, so I just use strong white flour now. Mine lives in my unheated kitchen, so cool but not refrigerated, and I feed it 2-3 times a week. It's like having a low maintenance pet!

Bored_lad

I have a white starter myself. You'll want to feed to daily equal parts flour and water for the next week and a half or so and then you should be able to use it for your first loaf. After that if your going to be using it regularly keep it out and feed it daily discarding some every few days. Otherwise store in your fridge and feed as needed discarding a bit every time. If your keeping it in the fridge take it out around a day or two before you want to use it and feed it a few times to wake it up before using it.

OU812

Made a first loaf this morning. Gorgeous crust on it & such a fantastic taste.

tringle

Yes and no, I was just about to log on and see of anyone had any starter they would like to share with me (In in North Tipp)

I have tried and failed about 6 times to make it.
Firstly I used Paul Hollywoods recipe which is strong white flour and an organic apple, tried about three rimes and each time got it to about 10 days and then lost it just before I went to use it.
Then I tried to just leave it open in the polytunnel to catch the natural yeasts but it over heated.
Then finally an American recipe which started with a packet of yeast, again I got it to about a week but never got any bread from it.

Bored_lad

tringle wrote: »

Yes and no, I was just about to log on and see of anyone had any starter they would like to share with me (In in North Tipp)

I have tried and failed about 6 times to make it.
Firstly I used Paul Hollywoods recipe which is strong white flour and an organic apple, tried about three rimes and each time got it to about 10 days and then lost it just before I went to use it.
Then I tried to just leave it open in the polytunnel to catch the natural yeasts but it over heated.
Then finally an American recipe which started with a packet of yeast, again I got it to about a week but never got any bread from it.

If your looking to buy starter there are a number of places online that sell starters sourdo.com is an American one that I know of for sure but there are loads more.

I'd advise you to try again at least one more time I looked a Paul Hollywood's methods and its completely different to what I do and a lot different to what I've seen done on sites such as Egullet and The Fresh Loaf.

What I did was day one take a few table spoons of flour and an equal quantity of water and mix them together in a small container. I left them loosely covered with some clingfilm for around 24-48 hours. After this is should have changed colour slightly and you should have that distinctive sourdough smell. Then you want to mix it in to 100g of flour and 100g of water. You should be using strong flour btw. Keep growing by mixing in 100g of flour and water until you have around 500g of starter. Then I started adding 50g of each a day. You want to grow it for about a week after you mixed in that first 100g for water and flour before using it. Its still young at this stage but will bake just fine. After your first loaf you can move it to the fridge where you can feed it every few weeks or as needed or keep it out and feed it daily discarding some every second day or so. Depending how often you use it.

Over time you get to know your starter amd can tell when it needs to be fed etc. At the beginning try to feed it at the same time every day and use the same type of flour. There's nothing much too it and if you fail just try go again its only flour and water its not expensive.

Also has anyone on here experimented with French flours? I'm looking to move away from your bog standard mass produced Odlums flour to something a bit better preferably something organic but I'm not sure where to source it.

OU812

Made a sourdough loaf this morning. I thought my started had died when I ran out of flour on Tuesday & didn't get a chance to get any until Saturday. Pulled it back though, it's two weeks old now & doing well. I made a dough Sunday which I left in the hot press for 24 hours before baking. Did it this morning & the flavour is intense.

Tringle, I can send you some starter if we can figure out how to get it to you in the mail. - don't think a jiffy bag is going to cut it... doing well.

Bored_lad

If your looking to post starter it will need to dry out the starter and then when whoever your sending it to gets it they'll have to rehydrate it again. It's quite a simple process and you can find loads about the process with a quick Google.

magicmushroom

Bored_lad wrote: »

If your looking to buy starter there are a number of places online that sell starters sourdo.com is an American one that I know of for sure but there are loads more.

I'd advise you to try again at least one more time I looked a Paul Hollywood's methods and its completely different to what I do and a lot different to what I've seen done on sites such as Egullet and The Fresh Loaf.

What I did was day one take a few table spoons of flour and an equal quantity of water and mix them together in a small container. I left them loosely covered with some clingfilm for around 24-48 hours. After this is should have changed colour slightly and you should have that distinctive sourdough smell. Then you want to mix it in to 100g of flour and 100g of water. You should be using strong flour btw. Keep growing by mixing in 100g of flour and water until you have around 500g of starter. Then I started adding 50g of each a day. You want to grow it for about a week after you mixed in that first 100g for water and flour before using it. Its still young at this stage but will bake just fine. After your first loaf you can move it to the fridge where you can feed it every few weeks or as needed or keep it out and feed it daily discarding some every second day or so. Depending how often you use it.

Over time you get to know your starter amd can tell when it needs to be fed etc. At the beginning try to feed it at the same time every day and use the same type of flour. There's nothing much too it and if you fail just try go again its only flour and water its not expensive.

Also has anyone on here experimented with French flours? I'm looking to move away from your bog standard mass produced Odlums flour to something a bit better preferably something organic but I'm not sure where to source it.

These instructions make more sense to me than I have read in any cookery book - thank you - I am going to try one now based on exactly what you've said here

catho_monster

magicmushroom wrote: »

These instructions make more sense to me than I have read in any cookery book - thank you - I am going to try one now based on exactly what you've said here

I'm just back from a sourdough masterclass with Dan Lepard and he emphasised using not white flour (rye, wholemeal spelt etc) for the starter because it's the outside of the wheat kernal that bears the yeast. Worth trying that too...

pwurple

Bored_lad wrote: »

Also has anyone on here experimented with French flours? I'm looking to move away from your bog standard mass produced Odlums flour to something a bit better preferably something organic but I'm not sure where to source it.

There are a few shops in the english market in Cork city that have a reasonable range of non-odlums flours. Are you near there?

pwurple

catho_monster wrote: »

I'm just back from a sourdough masterclass with Dan Lepard and he emphasised using not white flour (rye, wholemeal spelt etc) for the starter because it's the outside of the wheat kernal that bears the yeast. Worth trying that too...

Or, you can start your starter off with yeast from a non-flour source. That's what the apple in the other recipes is about, or leaving it uncovered at the start for airborne yeast to land on it and start growing.

fiddlechic

I've finally moved into a house with a proper kitchen, and sourdough is majorly on the to-do list.
I used this recipe before, and thought really helpful -http://www.thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com/sourdough-unleashed-a-how-to-to-help-you-get-baking-your-own-at-home/

This thread will inspire me!

magicmushroom

Bored_lad wrote: »

What I did was day one take a few table spoons of flour and an equal quantity of water and mix them together in a small container. I left them loosely covered with some clingfilm for around 24-48 hours. After this is should have changed colour slightly and you should have that distinctive sourdough smell. Then you want to mix it in to 100g of flour and 100g of water. You should be using strong flour btw. Keep growing by mixing in 100g of flour and water until you have around 500g of starter. Then I started adding 50g of each a day. You want to grow it for about a week after you mixed in that first 100g for water and flour before using it. Its still young at this stage but will bake just fine. After your first loaf you can move it to the fridge where you can feed it every few weeks or as needed or keep it out and feed it daily discarding some every second day or so. Depending how often you use it

I wanted to ask this question before but it sounds stupid, even to me, so I didn't

However, I want to make this tonight whilst I have the flour out for the pancake batter so I'm asking!

When you say you use 100g of flour and 100g of water, do you weigh the water or do you mean you use 100ml?

Gosh it sounds even more stupid when I read it back haha

Alun

magicmushroom wrote: »

When you say you use 100g of flour and 100g of water, do you weigh the water or do you mean you use 100ml?

It makes no difference, 1ml of water weighs 1g, so whatever's more convenient.

If you put a bowl on the scales, zero it, add 100g of flour and then add water up to 200g, you've added 100ml of water just the same as if you'd measured out 100ml in a measuring cup or jug and poured it in.

magicmushroom

fiddlechic wrote: »

I've finally moved into a house with a proper kitchen, and sourdough is majorly on the to-do list.
I used this recipe before, and thought really helpful -http://www.thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com/sourdough-unleashed-a-how-to-to-help-you-get-baking-your-own-at-home/

This thread will inspire me!

What a great link, very helpful to look at - I've printed it for reference, it's going on my fridge when I get home

Thank you

magicmushroom

Alun wrote: »

It makes no difference, 1ml of water weighs 1g, so whatever's more convenient.

If you put a bowl on the scales, zero it, add 100g of flour and then add water up to 200g, you've added 100ml of water just the same as if you'd measured out 100ml in a measuring cup or jug and poured it in.

Thanks - I didn't know that 100ml of water was the same measurement 100g, I learnt something new today

Whispered

I got some starter posted to me. In a Jiffy bag. Apparently it does ok overnight it just arrived today so I don't know yet.

I've a couple of questions. I know you're supposed to feed it with the same ratios of water and flour to starter. Is that by weight or by volume?

Does the container I store it in have to be airtight? And silly question maybe but does it have to be an upright container? I was thinking of using a glass butter dish.

It's still in its bag in my fridge, I think I should pour it into its new home now and feed, right?

tringle

Thanks for the offer of posting it, Im going to give it another go and if that doesn't work will get back to you,

tringle

1 cup of flour and 1 cup of strong wholemeal flour now in a container with the lid off. Ive left it beside the fruit bowl hoping some stray yeast might find its way in

meeeeh

I am complete bread making novice but Daniel Steven's River Cottage book on bread is brilliant for novices like me.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-River-Cottage-Handbook-No/dp/074759533X

I followed his instructions for starter, kept it in hot press for couple of days and now it happily sits in utility room and I feed it every couple of days.
http://www.them-apples.co.uk/2012/01/starter-to-loaf-how-to-make-sourdough-bread/

tringle

Its driving me mad.
Ive read all the posts here.
Ive read the three books I have about sourdough.
Ive looked up the internet.

And they tell me to start my sourdough
...with more flour than water
...with equal amounts of flour and water
...with more water than flour

Ive to feed it
...twice a day
...every day
...every second day
...once a week

I don't know what to actually do anymore.

I have two starters on the go using different methods but they aren't really doing much.
Finally today they stared to bubble a little, only about 1cm of the top though, certainly no doubling in size.
I am feeding them 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup of water every day and whisking it in well
They are in the utility room which is 18 degrees
any more suggestions

And then if I do get it going there seems to be so many methods for baking it.
Some make a sponge first, and then the dough. Some straight to the dough, what do you do?

I don't want to give up but I seem to have a lot of flour invested in it so far.

magicmushroom

tringle I have seen lots of different advice too, my mind is boggled with it all.

Also, some advise that when you feed it, you should throw half of what is already there away...does anyone here do this??

tringle

And now Ive juts found this, great advice but different again

http://www.riotrye.ie/common-loaf/#ryess

tringle

Ive just watched the two instructional videos, they are excellent and I have to say Ive bought bread from them and it is very good

OU812

I was told (father in law is a master baker) not to let metal touch it at all - kills the yeast. Are you using a metal whisk by any chance?