I made a sourdough starter and left it in the cabinet with my vinegars and, well, then I kind of forgot about it. My girlfriend noticed something stinky while I was gone, discovered the starter, and put it out on the porch. I hope it’s still out there because I want to see the blue stuff she was talking about. And take pictures, of course!
Here’s how I made my failed and forgotten sourdough starter:
1/2 cup warm water + 1/2 cup flour + 1 tiny pinch of yeast (to help things along)
To test the water, stick your finger in it. If you can’t really feel anything (cold or hot) then it’s around 98 degrees which is perfect for making yeast happy without killing it.
So, I’ll attempt the starter again when we move into our new place and get it into the fridge before it turns hazardous.
Trace said,
December 26, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
You should skip the adding yeast part and instead add some unwashed organic grapes or berries. Commercial yeast will out compete the wild stuff and use up all the food (they’ll eat it in a matter of hours). Also, commercial yeast often has things in it that will inhibit the bacterial/fungal symbiosis of the sourdough starter. It has to be wild yeast in order to get the right balance. And the fruit has to be organic in order to avoid any anti-bacterial crud.
I can give you a cup of my Wilmington beasties. They have been around for a while and taste really good.