"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> graham wrote:
>> "zxcvbob" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> ERSHC wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:34:24 -0600, zxcvbob >
>>>> wrote:
>>>> ....
>>>>> I started another loaf last night. I used almost a cup of very active
>>>>> starter to a pound of flour (and a cup of water and a tsp of salt),
>>>>> and it is rising just as slowly as the previous batch. I'll bake it
>>>>> tonight whether it's fully risen or not.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any suggestions? What about taking a golf ball sized piece of dough
>>>>> to keep it going instead of feeding the remnant of starter, so the
>>>>> culture becomes salt tolerant? (I think you call that a "chef"
>>>>> instead of a starter) I don't dare pinch a piece off of this batch
>>>>> because it'll deflate.
>>>>>
>>>> How warm is your home? I find my starter more sensative to temps than
>>>> packaged east. It will double in 3 hours at 80 degF, 6 hours at 75 degF
>>>> and Way Too Long at 68 degF.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> House is pretty cool; even the kitchen. I put the dough in the oven
>>> with the light on (I turned the burner on for about 1 minute first to
>>> get it nice and warm) a few hours ago and it still hasn't done anything.
>>>
>>> I feed the starter and within an hour or two it's foamy. I make dough
>>> and store it at the same temperature and it just sits there. AFAIK,
>>> salt is the only variable.
>>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>> Try the poolish method. Mix your starter with half the flour and all of
>> the water and leave overnight. The following morning add the salt and the
>> rest of the flour and go from there.
>> Graham
>
>
> Great idea, but it didn't work. I tried that -- it wasn't overnight but
> about 6 hours -- and it rose even less than dumping everything together at
> the beginning. It tasted good though.
>
> This starter is so much different from my old starter, which was created
> from the same bag of rye flour! I think I need to add salt to the
> starter; the dominant yeast seems to hate salt, but it's inhibiting any
> other yeasts from taking over. Whatever lacto-bacteria is in there just
> takes it all in stride.

Don't salt it!!!!
I think that you just have to wait until it builds up strength after
multiple refreshments. So many baking books imply that you can make your
first loaf about 3 days after starting a culture and I think that is wrong
and gives many a false impression and they give up too soon.
Graham