Sourdough starter for pizza

[Kermit]

I want to get started using a sourdough starter, after having tasted a pizza that was made from sourdough. I have a danish baking book that has a recipe for sourdough, but I am quite uncertain whether or not it would be optimal for pizza use. It consists of:
150 grams Plain wheat flour
75 grams grahams flour(don't know what it's called in English. But something between full grain flour and plain flour milling wise)
75 grams rye flour
900 grams of water

My concern is primarily from using rye flour in a pizza dough.

Can anyone comment on this, or come with a link to a good sourdough starter for use in a pizza?

[norma427]

Kermit,

If you are interested on this thread is where Toby and other members helped me with making natural starters.  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10008.0.html  I don’t use the natural starters I made in that thread anymore but bought the Ischia and Camaldoli starters and started them at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,11578.0.html  I only use them now when I have access to a higher temperature oven.

Norma

[TXCraig1]

My concern is primarily from using rye flour in a pizza dough.

Can anyone comment on this, or come with a link to a good sourdough starter for use in a pizza?

After you get the starter established, you can ween it off the rye.

I like the Ischia culture for pizza. It's one of the two Italian cultures from www.sourdo.com

[Kermit]

Thanks guys. I'll look into the links, and sourdo.com

Read one place about a wheat starter? 1 part water, 1 part white flour. Mix and let sit. Remove a cup the day after, and fill up with half a cup water, and half a cup flour. Would this give the same sourness?

[TXCraig1]

I don't know. I've never tried to grow one from scratch, and I have only fed mine (all from sourdo.com) KAAP or the occasional KABF.

CL

[ThePieman]

Thanks guys. I'll look into the links, and sourdo.com

Read one place about a wheat starter? 1 part water, 1 part white flour. Mix and let sit. Remove a cup the day after, and fill up with half a cup water, and half a cup flour. Would this give the same sourness?

I would culture and maintain at 100 percent hydration, or 50 percent flour and 50 percent water, by weight. That is about 1 cup flour to 1/2 cup water by volume. Start out small(a tablespoonful of flour). Keep your culture in a warm place. It typically takes around 7 days until yeasts begin to flourish. As far as sourness goes, it doesn't matter as the lacto will propagate very quickly and create a pretty consistent acidity. The culture can only become so acidic until the propagation of lacto slows. This same acidic environment is necessary for the "wild" wheat yeasts to begin to come out of dormancy and take up residence in the culture.

Rye is called for because it is said to have a larger amount of "wild" yeasts present. I have had great success with a 50/50 mixture of KA whole wheat and KA unbleached bread flours. Once the yeast begins to propagate(you'll be able to smell it), I then begin feeding it with only KA unbleached bread flour.

[Kermit]

I would culture and maintain at 100 percent hydration, or 50 percent flour and 50 percent water, by weight. That is about 1 cup flour to 1/2 cup water by volume. Start out small(a tablespoonful of flour). Keep your culture in a warm place. It typically takes around 7 days until yeasts begin to flourish. As far as sourness goes, it doesn't matter as the lacto will propagate very quickly and create a pretty consistent acidity. The culture can only become so acidic until the propagation of lacto slows. This same acidic environment is necessary for the "wild" wheat yeasts to begin to come out of dormancy and take up residence in the culture.

Rye is called for because it is said to have a larger amount of "wild" yeasts present. I have had great success with a 50/50 mixture of KA whole wheat and KA unbleached bread flours. Once the yeast begins to propagate(you'll be able to smell it), I then begin feeding it with only KA unbleached bread flour.

Thanks. I've started one with 100% hydration - just flour and water. Looking much forward to seeing how it evolves 

[David Deas]

Thanks guys. I'll look into the links, and sourdo.com

Read one place about a wheat starter? 1 part water, 1 part white flour. Mix and let sit. Remove a cup the day after, and fill up with half a cup water, and half a cup flour. Would this give the same sourness?

There are different types of sourdoughs.  Three types really.  There are ones made from naturally occurring yeasts and there are ones made from domesticated yeasts.  

You can, if you would like to, leave a mixture of flour and water out for a few days until the mixture turns a bit sour (smells faintly of buttermilk) and then simply add domesticated yeast.  That is the fastest way to a sourdough starter.  

What you're trying to do with just flour and water is the old pro method.  Lot of these guys around today just buy their starters or whatever.  They don't bother with creating them.

[Jackie Tran]

Thanks. I've started one with 100% hydration - just flour and water. Looking much forward to seeing how it evolves 

Kermit, when doing this I have had more luck with adding in a few drops of lemon, lime, or pineapple juice.

If it fails, you can make one with grapes.  Wash, poke holes in them, add some water, and wait.  Mine took off in 2 days, and began souring on day 3.

Your traditional method can take up to 7-10 days to take off.