Comments on: Growing Up: Moving from starter to bread http://yumarama.com/blog/8/growing-up-moving-from-starter-to-bread/ My (mostly sourdough) bread making playground Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:03:09 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Paul http://yumarama.com/blog/8/growing-up-moving-from-starter-to-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Paul Sat, 16 May 2009 03:48:14 +0000 http://yumarama.com/blog/?p=8#comment-88 If the starter is just a week old from when you got it first mixed up, it's very possible it's not at all ready yet. At about day three or four, you typically see a little bubble action in your mix and get a small amount of rise but that is usually other bacteria in your flour soup feeding on the goodies in there. They'll bubble but soon die off. A while later your real yeasties and lacto bacteria - the ones you really want - start taking the neighborhood back from the other beasties, eventually setting up a symbiotic relationship that's generally unfriendly to other bacteria. The lacto produces an acid environment that the good yeast enjoy, the yeasts produce by-product that the lactos use. The acidic environment is perfect for the yeast but too acidic for most other bacteria, keeping them out of your starter. The bottom line is your starter should be doubling with each feed in about 4 to 6 hours, maybe even less depending on temperature. Keep feeding your starter twice daily for a full two weeks, even if it's reaching double size regularly. This assures that your colony is vibrant and strong. At the two week mark (if your getting consistent doubling) you can put your starter in the fridge and feed only once a week or whenever you make bread. You also need to get your culture "aged" so that it has developed it's own characteristic flavour.This point is normally about 2 months down the road, although if it's rising dependably each feed at the two week point, you can certainly use it to rise your bread, it just won't have reached it's best level of flavour yet. It'll still be tasty but not it's fully developed character. Hope this helps. If the starter is just a week old from when you got it first mixed up, it’s very possible it’s not at all ready yet. At about day three or four, you typically see a little bubble action in your mix and get a small amount of rise but that is usually other bacteria in your flour soup feeding on the goodies in there. They’ll bubble but soon die off. A while later your real yeasties and lacto bacteria – the ones you really want – start taking the neighborhood back from the other beasties, eventually setting up a symbiotic relationship that’s generally unfriendly to other bacteria. The lacto produces an acid environment that the good yeast enjoy, the yeasts produce by-product that the lactos use. The acidic environment is perfect for the yeast but too acidic for most other bacteria, keeping them out of your starter.

The bottom line is your starter should be doubling with each feed in about 4 to 6 hours, maybe even less depending on temperature. Keep feeding your starter twice daily for a full two weeks, even if it’s reaching double size regularly. This assures that your colony is vibrant and strong. At the two week mark (if your getting consistent doubling) you can put your starter in the fridge and feed only once a week or whenever you make bread.

You also need to get your culture “aged” so that it has developed it’s own characteristic flavour.This point is normally about 2 months down the road, although if it’s rising dependably each feed at the two week point, you can certainly use it to rise your bread, it just won’t have reached it’s best level of flavour yet. It’ll still be tasty but not it’s fully developed character.

Hope this helps.

]]> By: tessa http://yumarama.com/blog/8/growing-up-moving-from-starter-to-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-86 tessa Fri, 15 May 2009 14:33:26 +0000 http://yumarama.com/blog/?p=8#comment-86 hi there i made my starter for the first time this week been feeding it every day like i was supposed to ,. made a loaf of bread today and put some mix back in to bowl to restart it came out very heavy when baked, very pale brown crust but nice and crusty, it tastes not to bad , but its quite heavy and i was wondering what i had done wrong ..... if i had not kneaded it enough or if i had used the wrong kind of flour i just used plain flour , i didnt use a strong flour would that make a difference?? Thanks Tessa hi there i made my starter for the first time this week been feeding it every day like i was supposed to ,. made a loaf of bread today and put some mix back in to bowl to restart
it came out very heavy when baked, very pale brown crust but nice and crusty, it tastes not to bad , but its quite heavy and i was wondering what i had done wrong ….. if i had not kneaded it enough or if i had used the wrong kind of flour i just used plain flour , i didnt use a strong flour would that make a difference??

Thanks Tessa

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