Before you tell me I should post this in the Natural Medicine community, or maybe that it's TMI and I shouldn't post it at all, my problem isn't too much yeast in all the wrong places, my problem is I Cannot find the shit ANYPLACE! And I'm not the only one experiencing this problem, it's apparently affecting many countries..
Of course I'm referring to dry active yeast. I use it all the time for baking my buns, I do around 60 buns per week. The grocery stores around here haven't had any for over a month, and now, they don't even have flour.
Oh but of course they're stocked to the tits with Wonderbread and other nasty, processed, chemical ridden garbage I can feed my family.
I managed to find flour through a local restaurant, and they did have yeast, for 1 day...and then it was all sold out. Word travels damn fast right now.
Enter...Sourdough Starter! AKA: Natural Yeast
I've always been very afraid to try and create my own starter. I've read before that it's pretty fickle. Needs to be at exactly 70 degrees F all the time, takes a week etc etc.
I started almost 2 weeks ago. I can testify that it is indeed fickle. It doesn't help that I'm trying it in a cool month. We don't get anywhere near 70 F in my house. Which is 22 C.
Here is my trial and error so far:
Day 1: The first recipe I tried starts with 3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP white flour and 1/2 Cup Water.
Mix it up, cover loosely with plastic wrap or towel and leave in a warm place (70 F) for 24 hours.
I decided the top of the fridge would possibly be the warmest and most consistent temperature in my house. After 24 hours I saw some bubbles and got pretty excited!
- Day 2: Again add 3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP Flour and 1/2 Cup Water. Mix it up and leave for another 24 hours.
The recipe says to continue on doing this until Day 5-7 where you will finally have your finished product...
I've had sourdough starter before, I got it from a friend a couple years ago, and managed to keep it alive for a long time until one dreadful day when I accidentally killed it by making pancake batter, in the effing sourdough starter container!
I was so tired I forgot to set a little of the starter aside first 馃槺 The point of this rant is, that I know what an active sourdough starter smells like and behaves like.
- Day 4: I was getting some good different sized bubbles, it smells good-sour, but still not active at all (the starter wouldn't grow).
- Day 5: I decided to switch containers to one I know would be 100% food grade plastic. I also poured out a bunch of the starter before feeding it (which the recipe didn't ask me to do, but that's how I usually feed starters and I thought it was weird that the recipe just wanted me to add and add and add.)
- Day 7: Hooch. Okay, now I know the starter is definitely fermenting, I have the telltale hooch on top! It smells like sourdough yet, the starter is still not active. Hmmm....
This goes on and on for days, until I have so much inactive starter that I decide I'm going to bake biscuits with it and try a new strategy...
Sourdough Biscuits
My new strategy was to say fuck it to using recipes and just go by look and feel with my flour/water mixtures and experiment with some variables!
I switched to using glass. One container has a metal lid, one has plastic wrap.
I have one container with white flour and a smidge of whole wheat, and the other is whole wheat flour with a tad of white.
And probably the most important thing I changed was to stop being such a cheap bastard and get some consistent heat by my starter babies!
It's ALIVE!!!!!
Lo and Behold the whole wheat starter grew today! It is becoming active y'all!!!!! Oooh such a good feeling. After I fed it, it grew about 1 centimetre! AHHAAA!! I know it doesn't seem like much but that's the best result I've had by far.
I'm thinking that after I feed it tonight, and tomorrow morning, I may have the longed for DOUBLING! (When it doubles in size, it is finally active.)
Thank you for coming on this rambling journey with me today #HIVEfam. I know I don't have a recipe for you, or any expert advice. I guess if I have any advice it's to just go for it! I was scared for so long to try and create sourdough starter, yet it's really kind of fun experimenting and trying to get it to become active.
I know once I reach success it will be one of the best feelings in the world.
I am naming my starter this time too! (The one I had all those years ago, had no name.)
Do you have any name suggestions, or is it bad luck to name a starter before it is born? 馃槀