April 29, 2011 - 5:15am
Starter Splitting
Hello Everybody,
I attempted a Sourdough starter 5 months ago and it started puffing up bubbles within a few days. Now, when i try it just splits (water on top) no matter how many times i whisk it splits again and looks very wrong. Could it be the change of weather as i live in Bahrain and it's getting close to summer? Do these starters not survive in hot countries? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
ghazi
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Not sure what you mean by "when i try it". Do you mean when you try to make a new starter, as you did 5 months ago? Or do you mean that you have kept your starter from 5 months ago and are now trying to feed it and activate it?
I think you mean a new starter, in which case, maybe you could try the pineapple juice method to get going quickly. Search here and you will find all the details.
Good luck
Jeremy
Not sure what you mean by "when i try it". Do you mean when you try to make a new starter, as you did 5 months ago? Or do you mean that you have kept your starter from 5 months ago and are now trying to feed it and activate it?
I think you mean a new starter, in which case, maybe you could try the pineapple juice method to get going quickly. Search here and you will find all the details.
Good luck
Jeremy
I live pretty far north and so I can't offer much advice from experience, but reading through the forums I found some links dealing with sourdough in hot weather and I thought they might be worth linking here for you.
There is some good advice in the comments here.
You could also look here for some more advice.
Above all, do not despair! Leavened bread has been around thousands of years longer than commercial yeast, so people around your part of the world (or anywhere, really) had to be using starters to raise bread. It must be possible.
I suspect you had a "starter" that is only mixed up a day or two and has been sitting the fridge ever since? Sounds like a dead starter without a culture in it. The flour and water are separating whenever flour and water are added to it.
Start over and follow directions for making a sourdough starter. There are several on site but find one and stick to it for a week or two to get your starter culture going.
what hydration is your starter, and what is your feeding procedure (please include information about frequency as well as feeding ratios and materials used)
Thank you all for the feedback. I start my starter by whisking equal volume rye flour and water in a non reactive bowl. 150g flour to about 250 warm water. Once whisked to aerate i leave covered in the kitchen overnight. I wait a day or two until i see the first signs of fermenting, then i whisk in another 150g flour and 250 ml warm water. For the first week, i discard half my starter and feed it again daily only using cold water this time. I got that "nice" sour smell last time i did it when the weather was cooler, now i cannot even get past the first stage ie. the first feeding without it smelling bad and splitting. Do you really need the pineapple juice? Why can't it just be plain and simple ie. flour water
ghazi
is you have way too much water to the flour - you're at 166% hydration here. So the flour is just "sinking" because there's soooo much water.
And 150g of flour is a HUGE amount to get started, you can easily cut back. Adding yet another 150g of flour and you're already at a very large quantity of starter. No need. The same thing can happen in proportionally MUCH smaller amounts.
I would urge you to check out Mini's links (added below) which will take you to excellent info about starting a starter the 'easier' way. You can see that very same process with step by step photos here. You'll see that Debra Wink's procedure uses a LOT less flour and gets your starter up and running in just a few days.
And with no splitting.
Yup, your hydration is way too high, so the flour is just sinking in the water. Try mixing equal parts flour and water by weight, not volume. 100% hydration (i.e. 50 g flour, 50 g water) is a pretty good baseline. The consistency should be like a thick batter or paste.
Thankk you all for the great advice and references, it seems that the starter should still work no matter the climate. I will give it another shot and let you know. The pineapple juice method really comes back again and again when talking on the subject. What a great site this is. Just when i thought i would pack up the sourdough for the summer.