[Sca-cooks] A question about dough starter

[Terry Decker]

Starters from commercial yeast tend to lose their kick in a few weeks.  S. 
cerevisiae doesn't like high acid environments which is what you get in a 
starter.  That said, what you have should work until the weather clears out.

Since you are using the starter regularly, leave it on the counter covered 
with plastic wrap.  Feed it a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour every 12 hours or so. 
If you store it in the fridge, feed it once a day.

If you want to make your own starter, mix two cups of flour with one cup of 
water (roughly 1:1 by weight) in a bowl, cover it with plastic and leave it 
on the counter to ferment for two or three days.  Start feeding it as above 
when the initial ferment slows.  On the counter, the starter will go through 
an aerobic/anerobic cycle in about 12 hours.  An active ferment should keep 
any mold from growing on the starter, but keep it covered when not using it. 
Oklahoma has a fine selection of mold.

The last time I was able to use snowshoes in Oklahonma was around 86 or 87. 
I haven't used snopacs in about five years, but my 40 year old pair is 
keeping my feet nice and toasty.  Should have broken them out for the big 
ice storm a couple years ago, but I forgot I had them.

Bear


>
> Here in Tulsa, OK, we got hit with 15 inches of snow on Tuesday, which is 
> the more than I've ever seen before, and I've been living in Oklahoma 
> since I was 3.  As of this morning, we still can't get out of the parking 
> lot.  We usually get ice, not snow, so snowplowing is kind of a foreign 
> concept around here.
>
> Anyway, when stocking up on Sunday, I misjudged how much bread I had on 
> hand, and ran out Wednesday morning.  I rarely bake bread, and the only 
> yeast I had was a partial packet of quick-rise that was way past the 
> expirations date hiding in the back of the fridge.  In desperation, I 
> coaxed it with warm water and honey and nurtured what was still viable 
> into a decent sponge, half of which I used to make some manchets, and fed 
> the rest of the starter and set it aside.  The next day, I took half to 
> make a sandwich loaf and fed the rest.  Last night, I used some to make 
> pizza dough, and fed the rest.
>
> My question is:  What is the best way to store and keep starter under 
> cultivation?  On the counter?  In the fridge?  How often should I feed it?
>
> The leftover manchet made wonderful pain perdu for breakfast yesterday. 
> Today I'm making Digby's bread pudding with the rest of the sandwich loaf.
>
>
> In servicio,
>
> Talana