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Sourdough 2.0
Declared the old stuff dead, tossed it. And then of course ran across a website that claimed sometimes you get a period of several days where it looks dead but it's not; it's just swapping out bacteria or something. Whatever!
(As per the previous batch: I'm following a specific protocol laid down by a citizen science group. Do feel free to make comments or suggestions, but I won't follow them for this batch because I need to stick to the protocol for reporting data.)
Started on the 28th with the same thing: two Mason jars, one with 2Tb white AP flour/2 Tb dechlorinated water, and one with 2Tb whole wheat flour/2Tb dechlorinated water.
First feeding. April 29
At first glance they look much the same. But the white flour starter has a few largeish holes in the top where bubbles of gases have come up and a pretty decent amount of clearish liquid on the top. Yup, that's hooch according to The Perfect Loaf. If it's left alone for a few days it will darken. The hooch is alcohol produced by the microbes when they don't have enough to eat. You can stir it back in or drain it out. I just stirred it back in, after reading elsewhere that pouring it out can affect the hydration levels. (The experiment just mentioned it, didn't say whether to pour it off or stir it in.)
The whole wheat has a few teeny bubbles if I look hard. I forgot to discard the tablespoon before adding new flour and water, but I figure discarding 2 tablespoons tomorrow will be fine. They explicitly say the reason to discard is just to keep the exponential growth under control.
They both smell much like flour and water, with a very faint whiff of sourness coming from the white.
Addition on the morning of April 30
I won't be feeding them until later today. I put them in the oven (turned off!) overnight, with the oven light on.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
myrialux mentioned that the whole wheat one looked bigger and I thought it was because I forgot to discard, but it's also because there's a lot of bubbles in it!
The white flour starter looks much the same, with a few more bubbles in the top, but has developed a buttery smell--cultured butter, not generic American.
The whole wheat is smelling interesting.myrialux characterized it as alcohol, cheese and bread. I would agree with that, with the addition of "feet" to the list. Not the feet that smell like Fritos*, but the other kind. Let's just say the cheese note is an exceedingly funky cheese.
*A specific kind of bacteria that colonize some people's feet. And Sora's feet. As he like to put his paws on my face, although I don't want him to, I am quite familiar with the smell of his feet.
(As per the previous batch: I'm following a specific protocol laid down by a citizen science group. Do feel free to make comments or suggestions, but I won't follow them for this batch because I need to stick to the protocol for reporting data.)
Started on the 28th with the same thing: two Mason jars, one with 2Tb white AP flour/2 Tb dechlorinated water, and one with 2Tb whole wheat flour/2Tb dechlorinated water.
First feeding. April 29
At first glance they look much the same. But the white flour starter has a few largeish holes in the top where bubbles of gases have come up and a pretty decent amount of clearish liquid on the top. Yup, that's hooch according to The Perfect Loaf. If it's left alone for a few days it will darken. The hooch is alcohol produced by the microbes when they don't have enough to eat. You can stir it back in or drain it out. I just stirred it back in, after reading elsewhere that pouring it out can affect the hydration levels. (The experiment just mentioned it, didn't say whether to pour it off or stir it in.)
The whole wheat has a few teeny bubbles if I look hard. I forgot to discard the tablespoon before adding new flour and water, but I figure discarding 2 tablespoons tomorrow will be fine. They explicitly say the reason to discard is just to keep the exponential growth under control.
They both smell much like flour and water, with a very faint whiff of sourness coming from the white.
Addition on the morning of April 30
I won't be feeding them until later today. I put them in the oven (turned off!) overnight, with the oven light on.
myrialux mentioned that the whole wheat one looked bigger and I thought it was because I forgot to discard, but it's also because there's a lot of bubbles in it! The white flour starter looks much the same, with a few more bubbles in the top, but has developed a buttery smell--cultured butter, not generic American.
The whole wheat is smelling interesting.
myrialux characterized it as alcohol, cheese and bread. I would agree with that, with the addition of "feet" to the list. Not the feet that smell like Fritos*, but the other kind. Let's just say the cheese note is an exceedingly funky cheese.*A specific kind of bacteria that colonize some people's feet. And Sora's feet. As he like to put his paws on my face, although I don't want him to, I am quite familiar with the smell of his feet.
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