Day 4 on my 1st ever starter routine..nervous, excited

[texmex]

I have been waiting to get Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread book, and decided I should probably be  prepared and go ahead and make a starter.   

SO, of course I read all over this great place, and more on the general internet, and found an interesting method probably left in a link by Norma, at least I think it was Norma, she always leaves handy links, just as many others here do. ... Thanks kind people!  Wow, talk about a run-on sentence.

Have not made very many pizzas since I built my MBE (truth be told I'm not a big pizza nut like most people, but I do like to experiment, and the party is fun, and hubby loves pizza, so it's all good!) My friends and family keep asking for another pizza party, so here I am to read the best advice for mad pizza making skills.   anywhooo once I started reading I learned about the tartine bread and seeing all those great pictures, my head got all yeasted and I ordered the book. 

Anyway, I fell headlong right back into this forum and came out with this "Slice/seriouseats" link for making sourdough starter: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/how-to-make-sourdough-starter-day-0.html


I guess I'll start documenting my trials now, and making a starter is part of that...
I'm following the method described in the link above, but I used a 50/50 whole wheat / unbleached white flour blend. I'm pretty sure they are both King Arthur flours, duh, I guess I should have used some newer stuff that is still in the original bags.  so, this is day 4 and my sour muck is ripe, pheehyoowieee (that means it stinks) but not very bubbly, yet.  I know...patience. 

Today I got my Tartine book and saw the difference in that muck he prepares, and this muck I prepared,  but I figure muck is muck, and it's gonna be an experiment anyway, so I'm sticking to this one since it looks promising.  Yeah, I'm kidding...muck is not muck, but it'll still be fun to see what happens. I was gonna call him quagmire (people seem to like namimg their starters) , but I once named my dog that, and I figured I'd feel bad if I had to eat this and think of my old dog every time. Come to think of it, that may happen anyway...funny how the mind works.
I guess I'll call him Chuck. 
Captain Up Chuck
haha
Wish me luck with my stinky new pet.

[norma427]

texmex,

Best of luck with your stinky new pet!     Those pets are fun.

Norma

[plainslicer]

The stink should go away in a few days. Good luck!

[texmex]

Thanks!  I think Chuck is just happy to nap away.
I have very few bubbles today and he doesn't seem to want to wake up even after feeding. Maybe he needs a warmer bath.
Yes, patience....I know. feeding and patience.
He still smells about the same, and there's nothing odd going on that I can tell to make me think he's not going to finally grow up and become the manliest of sourdough starters!

[plainslicer]

The last starter I made took well over a week, maybe 10 days, before it showed any signs of life beyond a couple of bubbles. I'd feed it, and it'd do absolutely nothing except smell strange (not vomit smell, just a bitter, unpleasant smell), but finally one morning it was alive and smelled normal. Stirring it a lot made it smell more yeasty, which I believe is consistent with how yeast reproduces. My kitchen is usually around 78F or so, and I was feeding it room temperature water. So, patience is indeed the key.

[texmex]

The last starter I made took well over a week, maybe 10 days, before it showed any signs of life beyond a couple of bubbles. I'd feed it, and it'd do absolutely nothing except smell strange (not vomit smell, just a bitter, unpleasant smell), but finally one morning it was alive and smelled normal. Stirring it a lot made it smell more yeasty, which I believe is consistent with how yeast reproduces. My kitchen is usually around 78F or so, and I was feeding it room temperature water. So, patience is indeed the key.

Yeah, I was a bit mean about Chuck's odour.    He's just a bit ripe, but not in a totally gross kind of way. Only slightly gross. haha--not like that one potato you manage to forget that has been hiding in a cupboard and wants to run you off with it's stench. Been there!  (Running off to check my potato cupboard...as I may just be setting myself up, now that I think about it!) LOL

It's pretty warm here too, around 75 in my kitchen as well, and I don't usually get the a/c going until later in the day, so he's got plenty of truly warm time.  My water is also room temp.  I just know he's gonna start dancin' up a storm soon.

[texmex]

Chuck lives! 


He's frothy and slightly beery today.

[doodneyy]

Now comes the fun part! 

m.

[texmex]

Oh that pizza looks so good.

Chuck is ready, I'm sure of it, but I will keep feeding him, and try to use him in a couple days.

[texmex]

Son of Chucky  just came out of the oven.
 I used a recipe found at King Arthur Flour.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/extra-tangy-sourdough-bread-recipe
....although I halved the recipe and didn't exactly follow the directions.
Smells wonderful, looks beautiful on the outside. 

Chuck is still doing well in the fridge now. 
  Should I keep pouring off the hooch, even if I don't feed him?

[RobynB]

No need to pour off the hooch.  If there is a ton, pour it off when you feed him.  Otherwise, just stir it in or pour it off if you prefer.  How's that first loaf taste??  I need to start baking with mine again - I mainly use it for pancakes and english muffins lately.  Here's my favorite sourdough pancakes:  http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/02/24/sourdough-pancakes/  and even though they claim these are crumpets, they're not - but split and toast them after skillet-baking and they are awesome english muffins!  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-crumpetsbrior-how-to-resurrect-a-neglected-starter/i-recipe

[texmex]

No need to pour off the hooch.  If there is a ton, pour it off when you feed him.  Otherwise, just stir it in or pour it off if you prefer.  How's that first loaf taste??  I need to start baking with mine again - I mainly use it for pancakes and english muffins lately.  Here's my favorite sourdough pancakes:  http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/02/24/sourdough-pancakes/  and even though they claim these are crumpets, they're not - but split and toast them after skillet-baking and they are awesome english muffins!  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-crumpetsbrior-how-to-resurrect-a-neglected-starter/i-recipe

Hi Robyn and thanks for the tips.  I poured it off the first time I saw the hooch, cuz somewher I read that you should. This was after about 5 days in the fridge with no feedings or attention paid to it. On Friday I fed it a few hours before trying to mix it into a dough to bake Saturday.  I chronicled those efforts in Chau's Lazy Man Bread thread. 

My starter worked beautifully, and I hoped it would be really sour the way I like sourdough, but it was rather mild.  Only after having eaten numerous slices with butter, and continuosly sipping beer on Saturday, I managed to find the flavor hidden deep within the bread.  It reminded me of my granny's super hydrated buttermilk biscuits.  Never knew how she'd get so much buttermilk into her dough and still have them rise!  Now I just may be able to replicate those biscuits. 

I just started a new batch of sourdough today for 4 loaves this time, and just put it in the fridge for an overnighter.  I imagine it will be a bit more sour, and as my starter matures it can only get better.  Right?

Thanks for the recipes!