Sourdough starter

[i4ourgot]

So my sourdough start smells great kinda sour flour like smell to it, but there is a layer of grey water above the starter but below the bubbles. Is this normal? Any pointers would be great I already took a half cup out to create my "sponge" and that after 12 hours appears to be working.
Also what is a good feeding schedule for a starter? Is it everyday or can I do it every other day, and how much? Or is it better to put it in the fridge and feed it once a week and about how much to feed it?

 

[headbanger]

That's the hooch, just stir it back into the starter before you feed it. Every other day is plenty if it's active, I feed mine a cup of flour at a time. If it's in the fridge (dormant) try to feed it once a week or so.

 

[Melana]

I walk the fence and can go either way on the stir it or pour it. When my starter is really built up I stir the hooch back in. When it's been setting in the fridge for any length of time (neglected) I dump the hooch and start fresh. Mine seems to be very resilient and likes to keep coming back for more.

 

[jtd_419]

How does one go about starting a sourdough starter, I've wanted to but never tried

 

[Melana]

You can use a pre tested starter or hope for wild yeast....

 

[Melana]

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/ is a great resource for all things sourdough.

http://www.localharvest.org/blog/18258/entry/sourdough_starter_from_scratch_capturing

 

[Melana]

And... when all else fails... just ask, there are a number of us that have solid sourdough cultures and might be willing to send some along.

 

[jtd_419]

Thank you for the links and if I can't get started I'll try asking around

 

[i4ourgot]

I had never done it before (made a starter) and it was pretty easy. Mixed up water and flour adding a little water and flour (1/2 cup) every 24 hours. For 3 days then on the 4th day I let it rest. Next thing I know I have some sour smelling stuff and I baked some bread and it came out pretty good.

 

[dinnerstick]

the behavior of the culture can change, so it's common to train a new starter to work well on flour by chucking most out and re-feeding it every day for a week or two. also, i keep mine frozen when out of use, and for some reason it's always super active after i thaw it!