DEMO: How to Make a Sourdough Starter

[Donna M.]

Most Amish starters have a lot more sugar in them than yours does. You actually could use that starter to make bread, since it is not really sweet. Yes, you could feed your starter with milk and flour, but there is really no need to. Put your milk in the dough instead. Feeding a starter with milk can get kind of expensive, since you have to continually discard part of the starter before feeding to keep it healthy. If you bake a lot you could use this discard, but it is hard to keep up with it.

[Saeriu]

As far as I know the Amish starter did not have any pineapple juice just the milk. I received it from a friend with directions of what to do. I think every 7 days you would end up with 3-4 loaves of bread (or several ziplock bags of starter to give to friends).

At the time I received it, I kept up with it for about a month and a half and then got totally overwhelmed and tossed it. There are several Amish communities around here so I'm guessing, they would choose the milk over the pineapple juice in an attempt to be self-sufficient (here in Iowa). I think I had once found a similar recipe here on the Zaar but haven't tried it.

I'm assuming the use of milk would make the texture more tender (instead of the firmer sourdough texture) but it has less naturally occuring sugar than the pineapple so I wasn't sure how that would affect the yeast. I'm assuming, that's maybe why the Amish bread included the sugar--to offset the sugar that is in the pineapple juice?

Maybe I'll start another starter just to experiment a little. I have found that the yeast is a little slow with the one I've already started but I think that's because our house is about 60-63 degrees. (Every other 'fed' I use rye or regular flour.)

Saeriu

[Donna M.]

The pineapple juice in the starter is used only in the first few days and the reason for it is the acidity helps to lower the pH and get things going. It helps you to avoid the smelly stage that usually happens without it, and it speeds up the process.

The use of milk in a yeast dough tenderizes the product and may help it keep longer before drying out. Sourdough also will dramatically increase the shelf life of your bread because of the fermentation process it goes through.

If you want to experiment, you can just take a couple of spoonfuls of your current mixture and start feeding it with milk. You don't have to start a whole new one from scratch.

[duonyte]

The Amish starter has nothing to do with the Amish - it was a girl scouts project. Nothing wrong with it, the name just adds some interest. There are a lot of different kinds of starters - with grapes, with potatoes, with other ingredients. I think it's fun to experiment and see what happens - just keep a supply of dried starter flakes so you have a backup.

[ala-kat]

Having never made sourdough bread or starter before, I got a bug up my butt to do so tonight. What is fermenting now is just flour, water & yeast. Then I came across this thread. I will continue with what I have going on (why not?), but will start another batch after I've had time to read through (and understand) all of your tips. The pineapple juice is really going to play into things nicely (being the holidays and all) as I'll be using quite a bit of pineapple anyway. Just glancing over your tips and all, it seems that your way has the sour taste I'm looking for (I like my sourdough, well, sour ...) Thank you for taking the time to document all of this, and wish me luck

[Saeriu]

I've made sourdough bread recipe three times now and each time the flavor has become more developed. This last time, I left out the lemon juice because I didn't have one fresh and the flavor was still sour and wonderful. I think the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise, I've found it takes a bit longer (4hrs) for the dough to rise. Definitely glad I tried it.

Saeriu

[DAR Lady]

Quote:


Saeriu, would you post your recipe for the sourdough you use lemon juice in? It seems interesting and I just started another starter so it's quite young only 7 days. I usually use Sourodlady's Deluxe Sourdough Bread recipe and it's delicious. Now I want to branch out and try some different ones.

[Saeriu]

I just used the recipe that is posted here on the boards.

Saeriu

[Demelza]

It has been years since I have done anything with sourdough. I have had both the traditional starter for bread & a sweet one (it was called Amish) for sweet quickbreads. I got a batch of starter going yesterday & added the flour & pineapple juice today. Day 2 & I have some bubbles happening in it already. Patience is going to be the hard part now!

[Demelza]

Katzen wrote:
In case you're curious... Bromate in Bread?

So I'd say it's a good think it's not bromated!

Ok, that is some scary stuff
I did an accidental experiment with some Wonder HotDog buns one time. They stayed fairly soft for about 3 months, not fresh soft, but rather like day old home baking. I finally threw them out after about 6 months. They were dried out, but not moldy. At that time I told DH never to buy any Wonder bread/buns again. I wonder what kind of preservatives are in it

[Red Apple Guy]

I used to make bromine compounds. They can be very beneficial, but I don't want to eat them.

Congrats on starting your starter. Keep us posted on your starter and breads.
Red

[duonyte]

Demelza wrote:
It has been years since I have done anything with sourdough. I have had both the traditional starter for bread & a sweet one (it was called Amish) for sweet quickbreads. I got a batch of starter going yesterday & added the flour & pineapple juice today. Day 2 & I have some bubbles happening in it already. Patience is going to be the hard part now!

That sounds like you are well on your way, let us know how it progresses!

[Demelza]

duonyte wrote:

Demelza wrote:
It has been years since I have done anything with sourdough. I have had both the traditional starter for bread & a sweet one (it was called Amish) for sweet quickbreads. I got a batch of starter going yesterday & added the flour & pineapple juice today. Day 2 & I have some bubbles happening in it already. Patience is going to be the hard part now!

That sounds like you are well on your way, let us know how it progresses!

Will do!
I made up a batch of artisan bread dough yesterday, just the basic boule. Pizza on the menu for Monday nite, & it makes a great pizza crust. It has filled the container in the fridge, so rising properly.

[chefmick]

wow. my brain hurts from reading 4 yrs of posts all at once. I was wondering, what are some warning signs of a bad starter, such as harmful bacterias and molds.

[Demelza]

chefmick wrote:
wow. my brain hurts from reading 4 yrs of posts all at once. I was wondering, what are some warning signs of a bad starter, such as harmful bacterias and molds.

You are definitely suffering from information overload. Donna is the expert on sourdough starters. I am sure she will see this and give you some pointers. The mold is pretty obvious. As for the bacteria question, that I am not sure about. I know Donna advises using pineapple juice in your starter for the first several days as it discourages the bad bacteria growth. I followed her instructions for the starter & had great success with it. Good luck & keep us posted on your progress.