Sourdough

[tortoise]

@Perris can you help us?

 

[tortoise]

Bad news, my sourdough starter attracted fruit flies, and the sprout screen didn't keep them out. I tossed it, will try again.

 

[Marie2020]

Why use a package when you can make the starter by scratch with minimal ingredients , flour , water , sugar , yeast , potatoes

I only used half flour and doubled the water

 

[flowerbug]

@R2elk I am glad to hear that you have been able to keep your sourdough alive and well.
My sourdough starter was 4 years old when I moved out to Wyoming. 2 months later is was pink with grey fuzzies. My second starter lasted almost a year before going pink. I may have been the problems, but I treated just like I did in Wisconsin. My neighbor (who thought she was a homemaker goddess) had the same problems that I did.
But I didn't give up, I am still working on getting a sour dough starter going in healthy.

it sounds like your air contains enough off-type algae, moss, bacteria or fungi that you should probably keep it covered in the fridge to prevent it from being contaminated. often just keeping the container closed but not so much that air can't get in will do it. there is no way i can keep a starter culture going here in the fridge at all - Mom needs every bit of fridge space she can get at times.

 

[flowerbug]

This looks... interesting in a good way. My Instant Pot could hold the temperature for the starter. Need to check my corn meal.

I'm concerned the starter and rising times could get off and I'll end up baking it at midnight.

Also that "distinctive smell" might not be a good smell.

i was thinking it might smell like a sour mash recipe for distilling hooch.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

So we have a softner for our water. If I get some water out the tap and let it sit for 24 hours, will it be good to use in the starter?

Edit- we have well water

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

it might be ok, but a bit saltier than wanted. letting it sit won't change much at all IMO - that is, i doubt you're chlorinating as part of a water softener set up.

i'm assuming you normally cook with bottled water?

We don't cook with bottled water. But we drink filtered water and so do the pets. I grew up on well water with a water softner. Are you not supposed to?

 

[tortoise]

You should not be drinking softened water due to its high sodium content. Normally the water softener is hooked up only to the hot water supply. It is not normally hooked up to the cold water supply because you should not be using it for cooking, drinking or watering plants.

I'm not sure that the amount of sodium in softened water is significant. If a person has high sodium or high blood pressure, the first intervention should be reducing insulin level. (insulin is the single biggest factor in sodium retention.) For those who don't have metabolic disease, sodium is pretty well regulated. For those on low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets, or who fast may have difficulty consuming enough sodium. There's some really interesting science starting to come out around nutrition and sodium. I don't expect it to become mainstream in my lifetime and I'm not waiting for the medical field's extremely slow adoption of new evidence-based advise.

 

[FarmerJamie]

You should not be drinking softened water due to its high sodium content. Normally the water softener is hooked up only to the hot water supply. It is not normally hooked up to the cold water supply because you should not be using it for cooking, drinking or watering plants.

Interesting, never heard that as a concern before. The well water here is very high iron content and the water conditioner filters both the cold and hot lines. Without it, the lines would gunk up pretty quickly.

 

[The Porch]

The basic starter is equal parts flour (any kind)
to equal parts non chlorinated water

Later today I'll take pics of mixing up the starter.
I am going to use 1 3/4 cups Bobs Red Mill Organic All - Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup of organic Rye Flour and 2 cups of water