Questions tagged [starter]

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3 votes
3 answers
1k views

Beans Cultured with Yogurt

Is the store-bought yogurt a good "starter" to culture cooked beans to reduce the gas-producing oligosaccharides? Does it contain the right kind of bacteria to ferment the beans or is it only good for ...
4 votes
1 answer
9k views

Sourdough Starter Crust forming

I am creating a sourdough starter and read to use a "non-airtight" container and store in a warm location for the first 24 hours before beginning the feeding schedule. My issue is that 12 hours in my ...
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

I bought a sourdough starter from a bakery, fed it too much, and it overflowed the jar overnight. What should I do now?

I bought a starter from a bakery, and I think I overfed it overnight. It overflowed from its jar. What should I do now?
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

My sourdough starter is thick with small bubbles but isn't rising [duplicate]

I started my sourdough starter on the 17th. I was doing 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup flour with one feeding a day, discarding half before each feeding. It rose with bubbles the first two days and then began ...
2 votes
1 answer
204 views

White-wine vinegar mother & red-wine vinegar mother: what's the difference?

Aside from the coloration (presumably from the wine medium), is there any difference between mothers for red or white vinegar? That is, is it reasonable to use some mother from a red-wine vinegar to ...
2 votes
2 answers
71 views

Do Recipes Typically Account for Starters/Preferments when Reporting Dough Hydration?

I know there have been a couple of questions here before about what "counts" toward computing dough hydration % (honey, milk, etc.) but I always thought it was a no-brainer that starters and ...
1 vote
1 answer
127 views

Biga Bread sponge

I am making a loaf of bread using a Biga sponge of 2C + 2T of flour, 1.5t of yeast and 1.25C warm water. Sit for 18 hours. THEN, I add it to 2.5 cups of four and stir ?? Nothing is stirring as this ...
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

One time sourdough starter

Is there a way to make sourdough bread without the long term commitment of feeding a starter? My kids and I love sourdough bread, but I also work 2 jobs, so making bread is, sadly, a once in a blue ...
0 votes
1 answer
879 views

3 day old sourdough starter splits after feeding

My starter consists out of 150gr All purpose, 60 grams of whole wheat and 210 grams of water. On day 2 it bubbled nicely, but I fed it only with half a feeding fearing it would otherwise not stay ...
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

Cannot Get My Starter to Start

I have prepared my starter from Chad Robertson's Tartine Book three times. Twice it grew mold. Once it never grew anything for almost a week. I am using the exact recipe and clean utensils. What ...
8 votes
12 answers
10k views

Can I make sourdough starter with raw potatoes?

Looking at different websites I found sourdough starters using potatoes instead of wheat or rye. They all used cooked mashed potatoes. I wonder if it is possible to just grate raw potatoes or other ...
20 votes
11 answers
102k views

How to make yogurt without any existing yogurt

How does one make yogurt when there isn't any existing yogurt to use as a starter?
6 votes
1 answer
202 views

How long will it take for yeast culture to adapt to new flour

My starter is made from organic whole wheat. I feed it twice a day every 12 hours with 1:1 ratio of flour to water. It almost triples in volume each feed. I started it on April 12/2020 I decided to ...
19 votes
14 answers
81k views

What makes a good vessel for storing sourdough starter?

I was going to buy the King Arthur set of starter + crock, but the crock is on backorder, so I plan to instead locally source a vessel for the starter. What should I look for? Should I find a similar ...
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

Is this okay or moldy? Sourdough starter question

This was modestly active starter that I put in the fridge last week since I slowed my baking routine. Took it out today, a week later, to feed and saw this. Is it mold or normal variant? It’s ap flour ...
9 votes
4 answers
336 views

What are convenient and reliable ways to make the starter for rye bread?

The biggest issue with make good rye bread is to make the starter since it needs to rise in a very controlled temperature for some time. What are good and reliable ways to achieve this?
16 votes
7 answers
300k views

My sourdough starter is bubbling but not rising, suggestions?

I've been trying to grow my own sourdough starter; I went with a 'pure' method, with 50g each of hard-wheat flour from a local mill and water. I've fed it once and it seems to be bubbling nicely ...
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Amish Friendship Bread starter with buttermilk

I saw a recipe for an Amish Friendship Bread that called for buttermilk in the starter and feedings. If I made this and gave some away, are the recipients now required to continue to feed the starter ...
1 vote
1 answer
528 views

How to use sourdough starter?

A week ago I mixed 1 part AP flour 1 parts tap water, keeping it at room temperature (18-24c). I've been discarding a bit and feeding it 1:1 daily. The last few days, the next 4-6 hours after I feed ...
3 votes
2 answers
6k views

Sourdough starter - when do you give up?

I'm on Day 14 for my sourdough starter and can't get it to work. I had a half inch rise on Day 3 and nothing since then. I am using 1:1:1 with the flour component being made up of half whole wheat ...
8 votes
3 answers
23k views

Can I add instant yeast to sourdough dough that is not very active?

I have a sourdough starter (rye flour based) that is quite active and I use it a lot. I decided to make bread today and used AP flour instead of bread flour on purpose. I wanted to see what would ...
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

Forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter yesterday, can I just carry on today?

I just realized that yesterday I forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter, can I just go about feeding it as usual? I know there are some similar questions on here but they are a little vague. I ...
2 votes
0 answers
121 views

Millet (wild yeast/sourdough) fermentation decreasing thickness of the slurry

In order to reproduce a traditional Turkish drink recipe for Boza. Which has a thick consistency, low alcohol content (around 1%), and a slightly acidic sweet flavor. I'm repeating this two step ...
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can't seem to get my rye sourdough starter really going

I've been trying to get a rye sourdough starter going so that I can make all-rye sourdough bread. I've been at it for two weeks, with a 1:1:1 of water, starter and rye at 50g (the first two days I ...
6 votes
2 answers
27k views

Sourdough starter bubbling but not rising after months of feeding

I have successfully made sourdough whilst living in Texas - USA then back in Australia and now i am currently living in Nashville - USA. Since moving to Nashville i began a new starter and have ...
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Bubbles Are ONly on Top of My Sourdough Starter

My starter, (new) is bubbly on top and rising but does not have may bubbles in its body.Can it still be use to make a Levin or dough?
2 votes
3 answers
654 views

Sourdough starter - Have I been doing it wrong?

I made my own starter a couple weeks ago: flour and water, and left it on the top of the fridge. I have been feeding the starter each day for the past two weeks. I have not discarded any. Now the ...
2 votes
3 answers
8k views

Not feeding sourdough starter enough?

I'm new to the whole baking thing, so I'm learning as I go along. In that regard, there may be a host of things wrong with my bread baking process, but I'm mostly curious at this point about my ...
4 votes
1 answer
12k views

Sourdough Starter Black Spots

Hi All! I tried to make a sourdough starter, and after 24 hours I uncovered it and discovered black spots and 2 white fluffy areas. The black spots are only at the top layer so can I still use it ...
5 votes
3 answers
47k views

Blue/green mold on sourdough starter

I have been following instructions from KAF to start my own sourdough. On day 3, some small patches of blue/green mold appeared on the surface. The starter was fairly since the last feeding, ...
3 votes
1 answer
11k views

My sourdough starter stopped growing after day two

I've tried making my own sourdough starter. On the first day I added a cup of whole rye flour with 3/4 of cool filtered water. After 24 hours it already started smelling a little sour and had a few ...
1 vote
2 answers
644 views

Making Sourdough starter in the UAE

I live in the UAE where the climate is hot and humid. I started making a sourdough starter on the 28th of October and today, 30th October it seems to be doubling quickly. It has a strong acidic ...
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What size of jar, proportionally, should I keep my poolish in to prevent overflow?

This morning my ongoing poolish lived up to its troublemaking name. Over half of it (by weight) ran out over the counter overnight, through the screwed-down lid. This is after I saw it hitting the top ...
7 votes
4 answers
9k views

How do I properly substitute flour and water for sourdough starter?

I have a sourdough bread recipe that I want to try. The recipe calls for 2 cups starter but I do not have that much. It says I can use less and to just make up the difference with equal parts flour ...
7 votes
5 answers
3k views

How do I feed a sourdough starter?

The cookbook I'm using tells me how to make a sourdough starter, but not how to feed it after I take out what I need for the bread. What do I do with the starter once I've used some? I don't think I'...
3 votes
4 answers
3k views

Issue starting a sourdough starter

I'm making my second attempt at a sourdough starter. I tried once in the past and I now know that I just didn't stick with it long enough and had a bad bread recipe, but with a little more knowledge, ...
8 votes
2 answers
10k views

How can I reduce the amount of hooch my sourdough starter is making?

Sometimes my sourdough starter goes hooch (the brown liquid, alcohol) nuts and produces a ton. Other times it goes days and produces very little. I've never been able to isolate what causes this. ...
17 votes
5 answers
82k views

How long will a sourdough starter last between feedings?

I'm using a sourdough starter from the recipe in Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day and I have gone through several of the rebuilding cycles with it. It's been working fairly well for me and I ...
2 votes
2 answers
472 views

Maintaining Sourdough Starter

Given the time of year and my home's shoddy heating, I opted to put my starter on top of the clothes dryer to keep it warm. With five people in my family it gets regular use, especially towards the ...
2 votes
2 answers
6k views

My sourdough starter has turned yellow is it still good?

I have two sourdough starters going one I keep in the frig. the other on the counter. The one on the counter has all of a sudden turned yellow. It was fine yesterday and when I went to feed it today ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can cultured buttermilk powder contain live cultures?

I'm looking for some buttermilk starter, which I know I can buy online, but I wanted to shop locally first. The two local health food stores don't carry it, so I checked one of the local supermarkets,...
2 votes
1 answer
193 views

Starter with water, flour, grated apple

I successfully obtained a working sourdough starter using rye and wheat flour, water, and grated apple. The dough made with it rose in a banetton and was inverted onto a hot baking stone. The bread ...
1 vote
1 answer
361 views

Can I replace sugar with cane syrup in sourdough recipe

I'm baking my own sourdough bread (whole wheat-rye). Recipe calls for adding 2 table spoons of sugar with a bit of milk to get the starter, well... started. I thought about replacing it with cane ...
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I halve the Amish Friendship Bread recipe?

If you're not familiar with Amish Friendship Bread, or if it's been a while: Basically you mush the bag of starter every day for ten days. On days 5 and 10 you add one cup of milk, one cup of flour, ...
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do commercial yogurt starters (i.e.: store-bought yogurt) actually degrade over time?

I've seen quite a few sites make the claim that commercial yogurt starters will stop working after a few generations (example), so home yogurt makers should use "heirloom" starters. However, many of ...
1 vote
1 answer
5k views

Why did my Sourdough starter stopped rising? [duplicate]

Ok so I started my starter (no pun intended) a few days ago. I got a recipe that said I should keep it at room temp and feed it once a day with 1/2 cup of any flour (I used whole wheat) and 1/4 cup of ...
10 votes
2 answers
31k views

Starters vs Entree

I've been watching Hell's Kitchen USA and they have Starters/Appetisers, Entrees and Desserts. In Australia, we have Entree, Mains and Desserts, so its very confusing what Starters and Entrees are and ...
10 votes
2 answers
4k views

Will a Sourdough starter from one locale change to yeasts of current locale over time?

I currently have about 8 different sourdough starters purchased from other locales. They are all 5 plus years, I am wondering if they have all become the same. I have heard this debated, but no ...
6 votes
1 answer
4k views

Sourdough starter began acting strange after storing in fridge

I recently began developing a sourdough starter and it seemed much easier than it sounded - within a few days it was growing well and smelled good (like yeasty bread dough). On about day 5 or 6, I had ...
3 votes
3 answers
858 views

Maintaining Sourdough Starter - Are potato flakes/water necessary?

I just got some sourdough starter going with the Oregon Trail, and it seems to be doing quite well. However, the guide calls for using potato flakes or potato water to feed it- having neither, I hoped ...