Wild Yeast Sourdough Starters Exchange

[janiejoey]

Here we go!

Tricia, Our weather right now, is rainy, rainy, rainy. I have a culture started, so you can get one going too in that kind of weather. I would start with unbleached white bread flour, but if you don't have that, then the whole wheat is good until you can get some unbleached bread flour (it's higher in gluten which gives your bread a more elasticity). If you start with the whole wheat, once you get your bread flour, just use that instead from here on out. Your DH will enjoy your bread, guaranteed.

Janis, Wine Country! It's perfect.

Suzanne, I think Reinhart's has the best instructions for making a culture. I'm going to have to look at more of his books. They are fantastic.

Will PM you soon, I hope LOL. Will also have to cross my fingers.

Janie


​

 

[Janis]

Hi Janey

Thanks for starting the wild yeast exchange and the check-in. I fed my yeast this afternoon and started two different bread recipes. One from Reinhart and one from Hertzberg. Tomorrow I'll start my wild yeast culture, Nancy Silverstein has instructions for using grapes, which I happen to have on hand, (I don't have pineapple juice) I'll read Reinhart's instructions side-by-side with Nancy's.

What flour are you using? I like Guisto's High Performer.

Here is the recipe for Fig Olive Tapenade

I recommend rinsing olives and capers for tapenade, which removes the briny-flavor and I only use very good quality olive oil. It's fine, fruity flavor is essential to this spread.


Makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) stemmed & quartered, dried Black Mission figs

3/4 cups water

1 cup black olives; Nicoise, Lyon, or Greek, rinsed and pitted

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

1 small garlic clove, peeled

1/2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Black pepper and salt, if necessary

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the figs in the water for about 30 minutes, until very tender. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the liquid.
2. If using a food processor, pulse the pitted olives, drained figs, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary to create a thick paste. Pulse in the olive oil until you've achieved a chunky-smooth paste. Season with black pepper and salt, if necessary. (The spread can be thinned with a bit of the reserved fig poaching liquid.)
3. If using a mortar and pestle, mash the olives with the garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary. Pound in the drained figs (I like the way that sounds!). Once they are broken up, add the olive oil and season with black pepper, fig poaching liquid, and salt, if necessary.

Serve this tapenade with slices of baguette that have been lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven, or smear a layer of it on a sandwich with goat (chevre) cheese, juicy-ripe summer tomatoes, and lightly dressed arugula.
Make the tapenade at least one day before you intend to serve it, which allows the flavors to meld and develop.

Enjoy!

 

[janiejoey]

Janis, Thank you so much for the Fig Olive Tapenade recipe. I'm going to enjoy that.

This is the 2nd day of making my culture, and it is already doubled in size. I can't believe how strong this one is going to be. You are in for a really nice surprise.

I get flour from Fred N Meyer's, don't know if you have one where you are or not, but the four is called Stone-Buhr, an unbleached White Bread flour.

Thanks again for the great recipe.

Noteworthy: In the Puget Sound Area where I live, I've found that using a red heat lamp on my cultures/starters helps growing the bacteria big time to leaven bread. Without it, and using only room temperatures, mine usually die out. With the heat they get very strong with lots of big bubbles. Perhaps it will be different when it moves to your location.

Also, I've discovered ingredient enhancers that help with baking bread to making a pizza to cinnamon rolls. At first you won't know what to do with some of these enhancers, but eventually as you bake more, they will come in handy. I don't think a lot of people know about these enhancers.

Here's the link:

bread101_ingredients_doughenhancers

If anyone is interested in making their own Diastatic Malt (a natural preservative and more) here is the recipe.

Making and Using Diastatic Malt


Janie

 

[story1267]

Just popping in to say good morning before we hop in our rowboats and escape this place. I can't believe how much rain we've gotten. A little pond forms in the front yard but today it's a lake and it's developed a river running down the back to the barn. Crazy.

Janie - per my Reinhart book I did start my starter with whole wheat and pineapple juice. I need to find a warm spot for it but I have been stirring as recommended. I know there's a lot of science behind it but right now it does feel very hocus pocus to me, LOL! I feel like I want to say some kind of "happy yeast" incantation over it.

King Arthur is the most widely available "good" flour around here. Plus it's on sale at my local market this week. I can pop some in the freezer to hold.

Janis - that tapenade recipe sounds wonderful!

Tricia - sorry I was hard to find. I think I found you!

 

[syzygy314]

Good afternoon!

Can't believe it's already this late! I hate daylight savings for this one reason!

Janie - You are getting way ahead of me with all these enhancers and malt things! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed! LOL!

Suzanne - Yes! You did find me! Don't know why you didn't pop up when I did a search on your name. I tried every variation! Go figure!

Janis - I'll have to try that tampanade recipe, it sounds yummy!

Haven't started my starter yet! I don't get up early enough in the mornings on the weekends or I go running first, so I'll be starting mine this evening. We'll see what happens as it is still really chilly here and my house doesn't stay really warm! We keep the temp at 66 in the house. Not sure what to do about that. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

I don't have the first bread making book, so this will be interesting. I do have some bread recipes in some of my cookbooks. I also have access to recipes through online sites, so I'll have to check around there for some ideas on what to try first when my starter is ready!

Have a great day and those of us getting dumped on will keep our chest waders and rowboats handy! Yikes!

 

[syzygy314]

Okay, checking in to let everyone know that I put my starter together this evening. Let's see what happens!

 

[janiejoey]

Suzann, Maybe we can all go trout fishing in your stream? LOL We have a lot of rain here too. Can't wait for better weather.

When I first made a culture for sourdough, I felt the same way. It's really interesting to me to see this glob of goo and later can make these fabulous loaves of bread out of it. Science is great.

Tricia, I'm sorry I overwhelmed you. I get ahead of myself at times too. The info is there if and when you need it, just tuck it away for another day. One thing at a time to learn. Right?

Have you tried to keep a pilot light on in your stove? That could help keep your culture warm. Maybe near a lamp, on top of something near a register.

Have a wonderful evening, will talk again.

Janie

 

[janiejoey]

My culture is slowing down it's bubbles. I don't know why, but I'll see what can be done to make it bubbly again. Any suggestions?

How's everyone doing on theirs?

Janie

 

[syzygy314]

Mine was looking decent until today. Wonder if the sudden sunshine is affecting its mood? LOL! This is only day 2 for me. I won't make my next addition until 7 pm tonight. I've been keeping it in the microwave to keep the temp even. I was supposed to cover it, wasn't I? I used a glass Pampered Chef measuring bowl and put the lid on. Let me know if I should do something different. I'm going to keep going with it and see what happens by the weekend. If it tanks, I'll go get unbleached white flour and start again. I'm not giving up! This is going to be great!

Second question. I'm using the one with the pineapple juice since I had some in the house. It's been in the fridge. Should I warm it to room temperature first or put it in cold?

 

[story1267]

Tricia - I have exactly zero experience but I think a glass container with a lid should be fine - is it a glass lid? I guess I wouldn't put a snap-on type lid on - I think it needs to breathe a little. But I don't know!

Mine is resting quietly....very quietly in the warmest spot I can find. I don't really have a place with a steady temp although I could use the microwave. I'm in the second phase where I've added more flour and pineapple juice.

It's supposed to be doing something - so, if I don't see real activity by tomorrow afternoon I'll start over.

Janie, did yours perk up?

 

[syzygy314]

Hi Suzanne!

Oh, mine does have a pop on plastic lid, but I can loosen it up. I was going to give mine to the weekend because I read on one of the sites that it could go quiet after a few days and the, boom, perk back up, so I'm going to give mine a little more time. I'll check it soon and feed it!

 

[janiejoey]

Tricia, You could use a bowl or a Large Mason jar. Just put some plastic wrap over it, should be fine. If you use a lid, just don't tighten it down. If you do go for more flour, make sure it's bread flour. Use the pineapple juice room temp.

Suzanne, You are right, the culture needs to breath. Mine has bubbles, but it isn't expanding like I'd hope. I'll just be patient.

Let you all know how it's going tomorrow.

Janie

 

[syzygy314]

Thanks Janie!

That's what I thought about the juice. Whew! I popped my lid open yesterday, the day before? Can't remember. Going to pick up some bread flour and more pineapple juice today. I may try another start while I try to keep this one going! Just as a backup, so I'm not too far behind everyone else!

 

[story1267]

Hmm. The second time I added pineapple juice (it was optional but I had enough) it was from the fridge.

Maybe I just need to give it a little more time. I can't remember if I'm at that point yet though. He says in some phases to move on even if you don't have activity. I'll have to check when I get home. I'm due to do something today, that's for sure.

I'll let you know!

 

[janiejoey]

My culture died!

My DH thinks my thermometer isn't working correctly, and may have been to hot. Shoot! I'll have to start over again. This time, I'm just going to use room temperature and maybe put it in the microwave. I'm so disappointed.

So, today was day one for me, again. O well, it happens.

Janie

 

[Janis]

Hi Janey, Tricia and Suzanne

Originally I thought I would start a new culture using grapes, but I have a large Mason jar of active culture, which I started in December, and have been feeding regularly. I fed it again today, and made a mother starter from it. If both stay active, I'll send each of you some of the seed starter.

I made 100% sourdough bread from the seed culture the other day, the guys report that the sour flavor was great even though the bread had a finer crumb than they like. (picky group )

I was thinking that to make grape based starter, it might be fun and better to use local, musky grapes, (am I being a purist?) but those grapes won't be available until September, and will involve raiding the local vineyard.

If all goes well, I'll post photos. As I type this, I have a large Ciabbata baking, from Hertzog's book, this one is all yeast.

What is so fascinating, and at times frustrating, is all the variables.

Janey - will drying out the seed starter kill it? Would it be better if I sent little jars?

 

[syzygy314]

Janie, should we have a few words for your dead starter? Darn! It makes me feel better, though, knowing that an experienced bread maker can lose a starter! I'm going to take a look at mine shortly. I picked up more pineapple juice on my way home today and some unbleached flour. If mine still looks like it might be a bit bubbly, I'm going to do the Day 4 addition and keep working with it and also start a new one with the new flour (the other I started with wheat flour) and see if that starts up better.

Janis - that sounds fantastic using vineyard grapes! I'm definitely going to have to get a bread recipe book other than my bread machine book.

Just finished plyo legs (I hate plyo legs in a good way!), so I'm going to go change and get the babies fed, feed my starter, start the new one (whew!) and fix MY dinner!

This is so much fun and I haven't even produced a yeast culture child yet! LOL!

 

[syzygy314]

Update: Yep. Nothing happening with the wheat culture, so I ditched it and started over with just the regular stuff. Hope that works!

 

[story1267]

Janie - Sorry about your starter!

Janis - How did that ciabatta come out?

Tricia - You sound very busy today!

When I got home and viewed my starter it had a bubble or two. Peter tells me that "when the dough becomes very bubbly or foamy or at the end of 48 hours, whichever comes first, move on to Phase 3."

So, Phase 3 it is.....it occurred to me that since I keep my whole wheat flour in the freezer I might want to let it come up to room temp before mixing. So I did that and we'll just wait and see. I think that this is the point where I may need to wait for it to do something.

Tomorrow is completely crazy for me - I'm going to have to write myself a note to remember to stir!

 

[syzygy314]

Suzanne - Hope yours continues to work! I also ended up choosing to restart my whole wheat one. For some reason, when I mixed it tonight it ended up being very thick. Is that how yours started out? I may have to start over AGAIN!