Any Sourdough Bread Bakers here? I have questions.

[ScoopKona]

I even bought her some fancy 400 year old strain of starter to get her going! cant wait!

Not necessary.

Starter is just "your air, in liquid form." I can go to Paris or San Francisco and buy the best starter. Two weeks after I take it home, it's Hawaii starter. (Which, thankfully, is quite good. I've lived places where sourdough starter can't survive the bad bacteria and wild yeast in the air.)

The local microbes don't play nice. They're going to wage war on your imported microbes unless your kitchen is the kind of clean-room found at the CDC.

 

[TUGBrian]

it was a gift, will see how it goes. its currently growing on the kitchen counter!

 

[ScoopKona]

it was a gift, will see how it goes. its currently growing on the kitchen counter!

Once it's fed to the point where it can leaven bread, you have about a week until it morphs from "the sourdough you bought" into "the sourdough that's all around you all the time." Often less time. Really depends how aggressive your area's cultures are.

It's not really a scam -- because they're selling a quality culture. They just don't mention the second part of the equation. I sell local culture here on the Big Island for would-be bakers. It allows them to kick-start the process. Price: $2. I won't sell it to visitors because there's no point.

 

[DeniseM]

I have been baking sourdough for about a year. Once your starter is active, put it in the refrigerator and it will be easy to maintain. Don’t worry if it has a layer of grayish liquid - that is just the “hooch” which is a byproduct of fermentation and gives your starter its own unique flavor. Don’t pour it off - just stir it in when you feed your starter.


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