How to start a sour dough starter

[Shiloh Acres]

Shiloh...keep in mind, it doesn't take much rye to get your starter going, you will switch over to unbleached white flour after about 5 or so days. You may have to place some calls to your local stores and see if someone has unbleached in bulk.

The experienced SD girls here suggest that a higher priced higher quality flour is worth it for your SD.

thanks.

I don't mind buying higher quality flour for the starter. Like you said, it won't take much. . I did visit every grocery store (and our one health-vitamin store) near me just to FIND rye. There were no options of size or cost or anything else. Just one lil ole bag of rye flour, and I was glad to finally find it.

I get over to Dallas once every month or two. I've been SO looking for stuff there, and have been pretty disappointed so far. I buy a lot of what I need at Costco, and I hear there is a Whole Foods store there.

I guess I'm spoiled. I'm used to stores with bulk sections almost as large as some of the supermarkets out here, with ANYthing you could want sold in any qty you want, and most of it for a great price.

I should check into Frontier again and some other sources. Maybe I can someday get the lady who owns the vitamin store to order something for me. I'm just spoiled ... My last job I could get health-food quality at wholesale costs.

Being lucky to find ANY flour over 5# bags, and ALL of it bleached ... Sigh.

I guess since I started making just about everything from scratch, flour is a real staple here and I just want to buy 25-50 pounds at a time.

and now, back to your regularly scheduled sd posts.

Oh, I am happy that I will be going into town tomorrow and I can FINALLY get some bottled water and start my starter!!!

 

[Dace]

Hey Shiloh...sorry to hear about your shopping frustration, sounds like you are in a new area?

I am pretty lucky to have lots of options here...although I HATE Whole Foods, they are soo over priced

We have a few different stores where we can buy 50# bags of flour, I cooked everything from scratch and loved those big ol' bags of flour! Then I found out the 2 of my girls plus my Hubby were gluten intolerant.....so out went the bread.....and all the flour.

This is one reason that I am working so hard to get a starter going....they may be able to tolerate it (on occasion) and it is all my son eats these days.

Good luck!

 

[Dace]

Feeding # 16

Finally starting to see some improvement in my starter's rise! Up to about 50% vs the 20-25% I have been seeing, so I am stoked!

Switching to the unbleached flour and using 30% rye with each feeding seems to have sparked it back to life....thanks for the suggestion!

It looks like I may actually be able to bake with it soon....as soons as it starts doubling daily

 

[ORChick]

Dace, I am doing the exact opposite - turning part of my white flour starter into rye! I just started this last night, and while it smells good, and has bubbles, it didn't rise at all during the night. Of course, I am one step ahead of you as I am starting with a long established starter.

 

[Dace]

Dace, I am doing the exact opposite - turning part of my white flour starter into rye! I just started this last night, and while it smells good, and has bubbles, it didn't rise at all during the night. Of course, I am one step ahead of you as I am starting with a long established starter.

Cool!

Feeding #16 Looks like I am back on track!

Yesterday my starter finally nearly doubled again! Yay!! I will continue with a couple more feedings with 30% rye flour and then start to ease that back until I am using 100% white flour.

I may just try using it later this week

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Glad to hear your starter is back on track, Dace.

I'm finally able to start mine!!! No comments yet, LOL.

And yes, I'm in a new area. Just moved a few months ago. So actually I am amazed that I HAVE chickens, now laying, and goats, one now bred and one milking, a pup half-trained to help with the animals (I resorted to taking him out with me to keep the young buck goat at bay yesterday), rabbits with litters nearing slaughter age, guineas old enough to free range who are taking care of my small garden, as well as geese now getting huge and llamas doing great for me. I even started working on the INside of the house.

Wow, I'm tired just typing all that when I think of coming so far in a few months. Most of it I've done before though.

And I see you are in Southern Cali? I'm jealous -- that's where I moved FROM. LOL so I bet you DO have lots of shopping options. I figured being able to shop in Dallas -- it's a big city, right? -- I'd be able to find stuff. Well ... Either it's different here, or I haven't found the right stores. I wish Trader Joes, Winco, and Sees would come here! As well as the Ranch Market where I used to get tortillas fresh made and still steaming.

Anyways ... Maybe there is something here and I just haven't found it. Meanwhile, my little farm produces more and more so I need to buy less anyway.

 

[Dace]

WOW Shiloh! I would trade all my great shopping to live on a property that allowed me to have all those animals!

Dang, you are busy

 

[Shiloh Acres]

WOW Shiloh! I would trade all my great shopping to live on a property that allowed me to have all those animals!

Dang, you are busy

Thats pretty much what I did. Traded great shopping (and even more important, some GREAT people who u REALLY miss!) for a place that would let me have these animals.

There were so few places even available in SoCal. I was in the mountains, but the actual property was too small and I really didn't see a way to protect livestock from the bears and mountain lions.

I got some free firewood by removing some trees from a small horse ranch outside town. The guy told me the next place over was for sale -- land only, that is -- for two million dollars!!!


Ummmmmm .... Yeah. Let me get my checkbook!!! LOL

And even if I HAD two million dollars, the land was too dry. Nothing much but scrub grew there, and all the animals would have been on feed and hay and nothing else.

I miss SoCal, but I could never have had even a tiny farm there. Wasn't able to keep affording the local economy either, though I was able to keep my bills VERY low in that cabin.

 

[mamagoose]

Yeah I just threw it out so I can start over. I'm trying to find quality flour but proving difficult in my area.

 

[Dace]

Mamagoose....did you find some flour?

So I last posted that I thought I was back on track and then again it began to not double

I just keep pushing forward....and feeding....and hoping.....and yesterday it rose nicely and it is starting to get that sweet bananish smell to it again!

crossing fingers......