How to start a sour dough starter

[ORChick]

"So you don't all pour out half and re-feed the same volume back in? For me I have a family of 6 and I am hoping that my girls will be able to tolerate SD....so I would probably bake 2 loaves twice a week. Any advice about bumping up the volume would be great. I tried BBH's suggestion about pulling some out of the fridge and feeding it a good amount....and I killed it.
Maybe I need a book"

Dace, instead of trying to up your volume all in one go, try just adding enough to double what you have. And then, when that is going nicely, add enough to double that, instead of pouring some away. Keep on until you have enough for your need. Also, you don't need a book. Take a good look through that sourdough site you posted awhile ago, and/or the one I posted. Or google, and find another.

 

[Dace]

GUESS WHAT I GOT!!!!!











Give up?







ORchicks STARTER!!!! postmarked Aug 18th by the way....apparently it didn't come straight here, but decided to do a little traaveling along the way

I am going to get it started this afternoon!

Orchick....when I get the next one do you just want me to repackage it up and send it on to someone?
Or maybe I should hold it :/ Just. In. Case.
No, I will not kill this one!

Thank you soooo much!
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Edited to add....since this one is already a stable starter, I should NOT feed with rye correct? Just unbleached plain ol' all purp flour?

 

[ORChick]

Now I wonder where that starter has been wandering? Can't have gone too far afield as it doesn't have a pasport . Guess I can stop worrying about the feds turning up on my doorstep
If someone wants the new lot please feel free to send it on. However, since I was dehydrating some anyway, for you, I just did a bit extra, and stashed it in a jar in the pantry - *just in case*; you might also want to have that extra little stash. Though I have no idea how long the little beasties will stay viable in their dehydrated state.
No, you won't need rye flour for this one, though you may decide at a later date that you want a rye starter for some reason. I would split some off, if you do want to do that, and keep one going with the white flour, and wean the other onto rye - which I have done just lately, to make some dark German rye bread. (I had similar problems getting it to like rye, as you did trying to get yours over to white - but now it is doing very well)
Have fun baking!

 

[dagaul101]

Now German rye bread, sounds delicious

 

[ORChick]

It is a dense, moist, Pumpernickle type bread. If you'd like I will be happy to work out the American Standard measurements for it the next time I bake.

http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/270821103893479/Schwarzbrot-aus-Sauerteig.html

 

[Dace]

This is what I found online and am going to try:

To rehydrate your dried starter:

Soak 1/2 teaspoon of the dried starter in 1 tablespoon of lukewarm purified water for a few minutes to soften. Stir in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, cover and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours stirring again once or twice during this 24 hours.

Stir in another tablespoon of flour and purified water. After 48 hours you should be seeing some bubbles.

Continue with twice daily feedings of 1 tablespoon flour and water. After a few days your starter is good to go.

Seems simple enough....let's see if I can manage to NOT to kill ORchick's starter!

PS, I hope this works because I have already asked for a cloche and a SD crock for my birthday

 

[ORChick]

 

[miss_thenorth]

Is it imperative that when I switch over to white flour, that it be unbleached? I don't have any in the house.

 

[ORChick]

Not imperitive, no. For that matter you don't even really need to switch over at all, unless it is important to you to have snowy white bread. Although in the end a loaf of bread will only have a small fraction that was the starter; a rye starter in a white loaf will hardly be noticeable. What do you have - bleached white, whole wheat? If you are concerned about the outcome you can always divide your baby starter, and just switch over with half of it, and see what happens.

 

[urban dreamer]

Did you know sourdough starter turns into concrete when it drys? I made a sourdough starter this evening and it exploded all over my counter. :/ We managed to save some of it. I guess my container wasn't big enough. I hope I have enough to make bread with tomorrow.