24. How can I start a starter from scratch?

I'm puzzled why starting a starter presents a problem to many people.
It really is an extremely simple procedure. I often forget to hold
back some starter from a dough, so I wind up baking the whole lot and
I'm left with no starter to continue, and I have to regenerate from
scratch again. This is an inconvenience, not a disaster! Perhaps I'm
a little careless here, partly because it's so easy to do. In the
hope that it might be helpful to others, here are my thoughts on the
matter:

-       Firstly, forget everything you ever heard about catching
yeasts "from the air." Yes, there _are_ yeasts - and lactobacilli -
in the air, but from a practical point of view it is important to
note that there are far more of them already present in flour!  In a
cup of flour we're talking millions of them. So the good news is that
you already have the yeasts and bacteria you need, right off the
supermarket shelf, the bad news is that you also have mold spores and
other bacteria which aren't so desirable. Fortunately, given the
right conditions the yeasts and lactobacilli quickly dominate and the
starter becomes too acidic for the other organisms to survive. The
microorganisms are not destroyed (though they are probably
diminished) by bleaching so can happily get a starter going from
normal store flour. However, since they are more plentiful on the
surface of the grain, a wholemeal flour is the easiest (quickest) to
get going.

-       Remember that the sourdough microflora require food, moisture
and the correct temperature. You provide food from flour. Rye flour,
because it contains more sugars than wheat, provides more quickly
available food, so for this reason it is easier (i.e. quicker) to get
a sour going. Also, whole grain flour contains more proteolytic
enzyme and amylase (which exist in higher quantities just under the
surface of the grain), so again the food source is richer and the
sour is quicker to get going. The most important point to remember is
to feed regularly.  For a beginning starter you need to feed every 24
hours. At the first feed, you probably will not notice much or any
activity, except perhaps a slightly winey aroma (especially if you
use rye). Never mind: feed anyhow. I suspect this is where most
people go wrong - figuring that leaving it a few more days will get
it going! In reality, the yeasts are running out of readily available
food so they are less active, while the molds and other 'off'
bacteria continue to multiply, so you wind up with a slimy goo. By
the second or third feed the starter will be bubbling nicely. By the
fourth or fifth feed it will be adequate to bake with, but it will
continue to develop for a few more days.

-     Temperature should be 70-80F ( 20 - 25C ). You could go warmer
than this, but you would then need to feed more often; also, the
nature of your sour would be different, less desirable for a good
loaf.

-      Moisture comes from water which you add with the flour. I use
50/50 by weight, which by volume is approximately 1/2 cup water per
cup flour. You don't need to be too precise, so volumetric
measurement is fine, and simple. You can use a more liquid starter,
but you will have to feed more often. [I've seen various discussions
about tap vs bottled water, and tap water works just fine. I suppose
if you live somewhere that has outrageously high chlorination it
might be different, but in general if you choose bottled water you do
so for your own health, not the health of the starter!]

To put it all together: Take 1/2 cup flour (preferably whole meal
rye), mix to paste with 1/4 cup water in a 1 cup size container.
Cover and leave for 24 hours at 70 - 80F. Throw away half of the
mixture, and refresh with another 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water,
cover and leave for 24 hours as before. Repeat. By now, the starter
should show bubbles. If using rye, start using regular white flour
after the third or fourth feed. Now you have a starter which you keep
alive indefinitely by regular feeding.

Happy baking.

-Jonathan

From: JJohn90282@aol.com
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000

I was just looking at your article about sour starters. Lots of hard to find
Info. Just one thing I would like to add is the use of organic flours. Gold
Medal has an organic white flour in most of the stores around here, Portland,
Oregon. Try mixing 2 cups of this flour with 2 cups filtered water. This time
of year the starter can used in about 8 hours, or less. It's almost
unbelievable.

-Jim