Topic: Anyone to Share their Sourdough Starter with me please?

[artichoke]

That's helpful, thanks. The Herman instructions are so definite about not going in the fridge, but I imagine the sweet starter is very like the sourdough starter, tough as old boots and not very fussy about what happens to it in spite of the ten day routine insisted on.

[Duke Ellington]

My second sourdough using my original starter...... This one is a bit taller and tastes much better!




Duke

[goodlife]

Ohh...look at that!..what a beauty..its shame to cut it.. ::) ;D

[Duke Ellington]

 ;) ;D

Duke

[goodlife]

So...what did you do differently this time to get it to rise higher rather than spreading?

[BarriedaleNick]

Wow - thats a keeper!

[Duke Ellington]

This time the dough was a bit firmer than the first one. When I cut into it the air holes were much smaller but plentiful. I am really enjoying this whole process ....thanks Goodlife :)
Barridale Nick I might even invest in that dome you recommended.

Duke

[Alimo]

This thread has inspired me to make my own sourdough starter.  It has already started to work - only five days and it's bubbling well.  I'll use half with the ciabatta flour this weekend and hopefully will have my first proper sourdough loaf in a couple more days.  ;D

Alison

[BarriedaleNick]

Just knocking one up today and I hope I get a rise like the pic.  Just started feeding my starter with spelt flour and it seems to love it - so I have introduced a 20-80 mix of spelt and strong bread flour for todays loaf just to see if there is much a taste difference.

[jesssands]

I've got one in the airing cupboard right now, on its second rise.
Its not quite 50/50 but did it 200g wholemeal and 300g strong white with a couple of table spoons of the starter. I am now keeping the starter in the fridge and just giving it 2 feeds a week. I took it out yest, fed it again and used it this morning.
I got it in my cake tin to keep shape but I also started to make an apple cake, which now I can't finish until my bread is cooked!

[artichoke]

Our village baker has been promoting a sour dough fortnight which prompts me to revive this interesting thread. Goodlife's advice was prominent and helpful. Is anyone still making it? I gave it up 4 years ago but am prompted to start again by the delicious taste, texture and crust of our baker's loaves.

[Melbourne12]

It's delicious, isn't it?  I must admit to using a breadmaker for yeasted loaves in order to top up the supply, and for fruit bread for the grandchildren, but we regularly do a 10 or 12 loaf batch of white/rye sourdough and store them in the freezer.

[BarriedaleNick]

Odd I was sure I posted here yesterday!  Anyway I do still make a sourdough every now and then.  I find the starter keeps in the fridge for weeks - I just get it out on a Wed morning to feed up and revitalise for Friday to make a loaf and then pop it back in the fridge again..
Now you have got me thinking I may make one at the weekend...

[Old Central]

I make a loaf every week, starting on Friday morning and baking on a Sunday night.. Such a simple thing to do and gives me sandwiches on Monday and toast for the rest of the week. A real pleasure!

So here's one from last month.

OC

[galina]

BarriedaleNick,   if you have a starter and don't want to bake for a while, you can freeze the starter and reconstitute.  Have done this several times. 

I have seen dry sourdough starters in sachets, which means you can also dry, grind up and eventually reconstitute a starter (but haven't done this myself). 

Looking good Old Central 

[Jeannine]

Galina is right, Sometimes I don't use mine but I keep feeding it and when it gets a bit big, I freeze it. I do keep it in the fridge if I am not baking much but it wakes up when I bring it out.  Mine is pretty old now, occasionally it gets a bit weary and is a bit slow to respond but you can cheat a wee bit and give it a few granules of yeast to perk it up is you really find it needs it, I find the kitchen warmth is enough though.

You can get them freeze dried. I often see San Francisco ones for sale here which makes me laugh because of course it will naturalize to the wild yeasts in your area so it is not San Francisco for very long but it is a start.

It gives me a sort of good feeling making sour dough, I guess if I had been born a hundre years before I would have been making it in a covered wagon, probably while I turned the butter paddle with my foot. LOL