[Sca-cooks] Starter went 'Pffft'

[Terry Decker]

The "sour" in sourdough doesn't refer to the taste, it refers to the 
spontaneous fermentation.  You are "souring" the starter.

If you want a sour taste, be careful not to overfeed the starter, no more 
than once every 12 to 24 hours.  Once you start using it, you can go a 
little longer between feedings.  When you stir the starter, you introduce 
air into the mixture.  The yeasts become active and produce alcohol and CO2. 
As the starter goes anaerobic, the yeasts slow down and go dormant while the 
lactobacilli increase production of lactic acid (the sour taste).  If you 
want to increase the sour taste, you need good lactobacilli and a long 
enough anaerobic side to the cycle.

Up to a point, the sour taste usually increases over time.

Bear

> Two days into the new starter, and I have what appears to be feremntation, 
> but no hint of sourness
> yet.  A few days more, perhaps.
>
> WdG