On Sourdough Bread and Keeping Starters

On a family visit to Alabama a couple years ago, I came across a bubbling container of goo on my Uncle's kitchen counter. I asked him what it was and he said it was his Sourdough Starter. That sounded neat to me, so we ended up talking about it for a while. He gave me instructions for making my own once returning to Raleigh. "You see, Dothan Alabama starter will taste different from Raleigh NC starter because of the different wild yeasts in the air", etc. This appealed to my civic pride. And having not baked bread in quite a while, what better way to get back into it than with a biochem project!

Fast forward a few months. I didn't buy his simple explanation for making my own starter, so I looked online and came across the Holy Grail of information on all subjects Sourdough: Sourdough Home!! This site is great and has all the necessary information to create your own starter (or locations where you can buy it mail order...some of the strains are over a hundred years old!), recipes, general baking advice and more. I created my starter with whole grain wheat from the Northwest (freshly milled into flour by a coworker), so even though it was technically "made" in Raleigh, the natural wild yeasts originated from either Colorado or Canada (the supplier was unable to be more specific). So much for "Raleigh Yeast". Oh, I tried and failed to make a starter using expensive store-bought flour. Don't waste your time.

The process of making a starter is tedious and time consuming. In other words, right up my alley! I loved watching it progress from a flour/water mix that just sat there to an active, bubbling creation that I now refer to as my 2nd child (Krusty the Dog being the 1st). On his website, Mike says the best way to get a starter you KNOW will get the job done is to order one. But if you're like me and you want a sense of accomplishment and ownership to go along with your starter, give it a shot: make your own!

Today I made another batch of bread and it's great. Again. The stuff will rise like a champ and all it asks in return is to be fed once a month and kept refrigerated. Not bad! (You can keep them at room temp, but will need to feed them twice a day). Sometimes I take it out of the fridge, crack it open and just smell it. YUM. That cake-batter consistency just drives me crazy.

Before I get to rambling too much, the following serves as a condensed, localized area of information for anyone I've ever given starter to, or who I may give it to in the future:

1. Keep it in the fridge in a glass or plastic container with a loose fitting lid. I use a mason jar. As the yeasts eat the flour, CO2 is created and you don't want an explosion on your hands.
2. Feed it every 30 days: weigh the amount of starter you have and divide by 2. Mix that much bread flour and that much water together and into your starter. If you thought, "Won't that make it double in size every with every feeding?", you are correct. Proceed accordingly. Wait about a week after feeding before using.
3. The gross looking layer of liquid on top of the starter is called "hooch" and is perfectly normal. Stir it back in or dump it. It smells sort of like alcohol!
4. I prefer the "San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread" recipe. Some tweaks I have developed are:

• Start at night for fresh bread at dinner the next day.
• Once dough is kneaded and separated, place in PAM'd bread pans and wrap with Saran (keeps them moist). Place in oven overnight with the light off.
• In the morning, punch bread down. Place back in oven with light on, unwrapped. The light gives it just enough warmth to kick it into high gear for the final rise.
• By 2pm, it should be ready to bake.

In closing: if you like bread and don't hate America, let me know and I'll give you some starter to try out.