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Starter

"Greg Carpenter" <bredhead@breadworks.com>
Mon, 29 Oct 2001 10:31:36 -0500
v101.n052.8
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I have lurked here for several months and really enjoy the recipes.
Recently I have come upon a problem that I can not solve. I had my
originial sourdough starter that I use to make my German rye bread for 2 or
3 years. One day when I got ready to bake, I pulled the starter out of the
fridge and it had mold on top of it and smelled horribly. I went ahead and
made a new batch of starter. Then 4 months later the same thing happened.
Made another batch and sure enough last night when I took the starter out
it had gone bad again. (about 3 months). Can anyone tell me what the
problem might be?

Thanks,

Rita
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Rita,

When you say that you made a "new" batch of starter, did you use the old one
as a seed?  Or did you start completely from scratch, allowing the flour and
water to ferment on its own without a starter? If the former, your mold is
firmly established in the sourdough culture and will never go away.  If the
latter, your mold is being introduced from the environment or ingredients
used.

A simple, often neglected way to keep starter cultures healthy is to always
clean the container and mixing utensils when you feed your starter.  There
is an enduring folklore that perpetuates many myths about sourdough.  One
myth is that of the "sourdough pot" that never needs to be emptied, just
refilled.  Using this method is a surefire way to achieve an overly acidic
culture with low leavening power.  Although results can be achieved by using
this "starter" as a flavoring and acidifying agent in conjunction with
baker's yeast, such cultures rarely last. They typically languish until they
developed mold and are discarded.

Most cultures require feeding sessions at least twice a month if kept in a
refrigerator.  Remove the culture from the fridge and feed it until it is
vigorous (usually at least 3 feedings in clean containers), then put it back
in the fridge. Everyone has a different method of feeding, but the important
thing is to prevent the culture from becoming too acidic and killing off the
protective micro-organisms.  When that happens, mold moves in.  More
frequent feedings can prevent this.  Rye flour ferments quickly, so don't
keep the starter too warm while it is fermenting.  Room temperature is fine.

Sometimes a black liquid will appear on a culture that has sat for a while
unfed.  This is harmless (mostly alcohol) and can be stirred back in, but it
indicates that the culture is very "hungry" and should be refreshed
immediately.  If a red liquid appears, the culture is ruined and must be
discarded.  Do not use such a culture to start another culture.  You
wouldn't want to smell it baking.

So, Rita, if your containers are clean and you've fed the starter regularly,
perhaps the mold contamination is from your water or the flour you use.  If
so, try boiling the water (then cooling it, of course) or switching flour
brands.  Remember, the sourdough culture is a collection of micro-organisms
that come from the ingredients you use and the environment in which they
reproduce.  These organisms are continually duking  it out for food.  Some
win, some lose. The culture is evolving continuously and it is not the same
culture it was a year, or even a month ago.

If your next starter molds, email me off list and we can look into it in a
little more detail.

In search of the Tall Crusty Loaf,
Greg in Petoskey