- Feb 10, 2009
- 410
- 23
Have been wanting to try my hand at sour dough breads and biscuits and was ready to send off for a start from Carls, when I remembered an old bread book we got some 35 years ago. It has a sour dough process in it. Three of them to be exact. They said you could do your own starter, so I took a whack at it and here is what happened.
Basic wild yeast starter starts with 1 part whole or skim milk (I used whole). This is put in a non metal container and left out at for 24 hours or so at room temperature or slightly warmer (70 degrees plus) covered with two layers of cheese cloth only. No lid. I take it this is the inoculation period where the wild yeast in the air is moving in. Milk differing from water in that it has lactose sugar and other stuff in it. A good place for yeast to grow.
After 24 hours, you add an equal part of regular unbleached white flour. Again, cover with two layers of cheese cloth. Within 1 to 3 days, depending on temperature, it should start working. Mine was going good after 48 hours. After it's doubling in size, it's considered good to go.
Feeding is always equal parts of milk and flour. Feed it in the morning or evening, give it about 8 hours or so to work, then into the fridge with a loose lid. It's supposed to store for up to a week or so with little attention beyond an occasional stir.
I've never seen it written anywhere, but I'm going with trying not to add much more than double my starter at any given time. Never leaving more than one cup of starter....preferably two cups. I don't make full recipes. More like half or 1/4 even.
Have done a few runs of sour dough biscuits. This was my first try at a sour dough french loaf:
Not real "sour", but the starter had just been fed that day, so hadn't had a chance to work much. All things considered, it's off to a good "start".
I think I may still send off for a start from the Carl's group, just to compare. I noticed in the history of Carl's 150 year old starter that his ancestors left for Oregon from Missouri in the 1840's and that's as far back as they know it goes. I live in Missouri, so I assume there must be something good in the air around these parts. Who knows, maybe 150 years from now folks will lining up to get a start from the "Warden".
The point being, I suppose, if you have a notion to try this (it's fun and easy to do), don't get all wrapped around the axel thinking you have to use one of those old starters. Fine if you can get em, but I'm proof you don't have to.
Basic wild yeast starter starts with 1 part whole or skim milk (I used whole). This is put in a non metal container and left out at for 24 hours or so at room temperature or slightly warmer (70 degrees plus) covered with two layers of cheese cloth only. No lid. I take it this is the inoculation period where the wild yeast in the air is moving in. Milk differing from water in that it has lactose sugar and other stuff in it. A good place for yeast to grow.
After 24 hours, you add an equal part of regular unbleached white flour. Again, cover with two layers of cheese cloth. Within 1 to 3 days, depending on temperature, it should start working. Mine was going good after 48 hours. After it's doubling in size, it's considered good to go.
Feeding is always equal parts of milk and flour. Feed it in the morning or evening, give it about 8 hours or so to work, then into the fridge with a loose lid. It's supposed to store for up to a week or so with little attention beyond an occasional stir.
I've never seen it written anywhere, but I'm going with trying not to add much more than double my starter at any given time. Never leaving more than one cup of starter....preferably two cups. I don't make full recipes. More like half or 1/4 even.
Have done a few runs of sour dough biscuits. This was my first try at a sour dough french loaf:
Not real "sour", but the starter had just been fed that day, so hadn't had a chance to work much. All things considered, it's off to a good "start".
I think I may still send off for a start from the Carl's group, just to compare. I noticed in the history of Carl's 150 year old starter that his ancestors left for Oregon from Missouri in the 1840's and that's as far back as they know it goes. I live in Missouri, so I assume there must be something good in the air around these parts. Who knows, maybe 150 years from now folks will lining up to get a start from the "Warden".
The point being, I suppose, if you have a notion to try this (it's fun and easy to do), don't get all wrapped around the axel thinking you have to use one of those old starters. Fine if you can get em, but I'm proof you don't have to.
