Sourdough starter?

GameHat

Lately, I've become interested in cooking.

What I haven't done, ever, is bake bread.

The nerd in me is deeply intrigued by the process. There's biology AND chemistry going on.

So tonight I googled for "sourdough bread". I'm shocked to see that cultivating a yeast "starter" seems so simple -

Most pages say - mix 1 cup water, 1 cup flour. Let sit at room temperature, open to atmosphere, until gas bubbles are visible and the starter smells "right".

I mixed this up and poured it into an open plastic container.

Will this work? Is there more to the process? Advice for a novice cook?

I had a blast this last weekend cooking, I can really see this becoming a proper hobby, so any advice is welcome!

The Cat

well, you have to actually stick the yeast in there too, don't you?

You can buy the stuff in supermarkets, but a good sourdough one might be harder to find. Health food stores, maybe, or online ordering.

GameHat

I would like to know how varying levels of yeast / water affect the starter.

I'm using "whole grain" flour, regular supermarket kind.

1c water / 1c flour seemed too thick, so I added a bit of water (probably 2 parts flour / 3 parts water resultant) to get a mixture that was pourable.

Will this much water prevent yeast growth?

Also - I don't live in the cleanest apartment on earth - should I be worried about leaving a food source open for maybe days?

GameHat

well, you have to actually stick the yeast in there too, don't you?

You can buy the stuff in supermarkets, but a good sourdough one might be harder to find. Health food stores, maybe, or online ordering.

The idea I get from the intarweb is that back in the day, before store-bought activated yeast, people just left mixtures like this open to the environment where they developed natural yeast that floated in from the regular air.

This certainly isn't necessary for me, but I find it attractive from a geek standpoint.

The Cat

GameHat wrote: »

well, you have to actually stick the yeast in there too, don't you?

You can buy the stuff in supermarkets, but a good sourdough one might be harder to find. Health food stores, maybe, or online ordering.

The idea I get from the intarweb is that back in the day, before store-bought activated yeast, people just left mixtures like this open to the environment where they developed natural yeast that floated in from the regular air.

This certainly isn't necessary for me, but I find it attractive from a geek standpoint.

That's kind of incredibly grubby, given that plenty of other bacteria species can move in too. I was always taught to keep the starter and the rising dough in a warm place, covered by a clean cloth.

Anyway, for more detail I'd advise hitting up the cooking section at your local library. There are some really good books on cooking technique available, like Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion that are must-haves, but they're a little pricey to buy.

devoir

http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/sourdoughqa.html

Blake T

Most times that you want yeast to germinate as they are little bugs you give them a kick of sugar.....

Infact I've gotten bored of writing this, have a link.

http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/cooking_class/yeast