using juice in a starter is ok?

[pnj]

I think I am going to try to make another starter. I tried one about a year ago with bad results.

I found this video where they use pineapple juice and flour for the starter. He also appears to put the lid on the container. I am guessing it's not on very tightly?

http://www.breadtopia.com/make-your-own-sourdough-starter/

Using the juice method seems a good way to go as it is supposed to prevent bad things from forming in your starter. the last time I tried making starter it went bad in the first few days.

[scott r]

On this forum most of us are using purchased starters.  Many will tell you that you don't need anything but white flour and water.  I spend a lot of time on bread baking forums and it seems like a lot of people have had great success with orange or pineapple juice to keep it an acidic environment.  You may also want to start with some rye flour in there as well since the little beasties seem to prefer rye over just about any type of flour.  Once things get started I would switch back to feeding only white flour and water.  Good luck!

[givearats]

I just got my first starter going this week.
Here is the site I followed.
http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm

I used King Arther organic flour and Gold Medal bread flour to try 2 starters at once to increase the odds in my favor.
I also used bottled water for both when feeding.
I left the containers open a few hours each day for the first 2 days near an open window.
I removed half of each starter and fed both each night 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour.
I pored off any excess liquid each morning and stirred up the starters to incorporate air and redistribute any organisms.
It took about 4 days to see any action.
On the 7th day (today) it was very bubbly with about 3/4 on an inch of froth on top with a pleasant yeasty/bread aroma.

Since today is the 7th day, this is all I can tell you.
After consulting a trusted bread making friend, I plan to continue feeding starters for a couple more days or until I get about a  1 1/2 inch layer of froth to ensure starter is well populated. Then I will store in fridge and feed weekly.

The Gold Medal flour is giving me the best results. The King Arther is working, just not as well so far.

     givearats 

[scott r]

oops

[givearats]

I'll give it a try on my slower starter.

Thanks Scott