On 12/29/04 9:46 PM, "Samartha" >
wrote:

> At 09:23 AM 12/29/2004, Will wrote:
>> If the culture environment is dryer, as in dough-like, you can avoid
>> most, if not all, of the opportunistic growth from undesireable
>> bacteria.
>
> Absolutely untrue IMO - yeasts and LB's need moisture and if it's just
> moisture, many other organisms can grow in moist flour - anaerobic, molds,
> fungi, bacteria, bacilli - you have it.

Samartha,

But it is true. It works for me all of the time. It's why I posted it. It
falls under the well regarded "keep-it-simple-stupid" strategy. If a newbie
is having trouble with "hooch", what the heck, eliminate it.

Can we not accept there are many approaches to the challenge: "how to start
a SD culture"? It happens I like to make fresh starters tailored to each bag
of grain. I figure 50 pounds of nature's finest deserves it's own specific
levain. But something that's been around for 150 years, like Carl's for
example, would work too. It's just I am interested in seeing what different
grains do.

Anyway... this idiosyncrasy means I make starters regularly. So I am not
speaking from convention or something I read that sounds reasonable.

> And who knows what taste effects a bread can get when it's made with a
> starter sitting in the fridge for two month under 1/2" of hooch.

Didn't someone earlier in this thread make a comment about sourdough BS...
<bg>

Will