doughwizard wrote ..
> Why is it that the Carl starter tastes so funny. I followed all the
> instructions to the letter and made the billow loaves on this site.
> Well nobody likes them. They are o.k. for normal bread but do NOT taste
> like the sourdough I grew up with (I know a little about sourdough as I
> grew up in San Francisco!).
>
> I think that the possibility here is that this starter may contain
> commercial yeast rather than wild yeast cultures so it will NEVER taste
> like sourdough. I've looked at older posts here and it seems to be
> common that this culture is infoererior to most others in terms of
> taste, but is a good riser. Which also makes me think that yes this
> culture does contain *some* commercial yeast.
>
> Help!! I need you ppl!

Then you should try not to be offensive and ignorant, both at once. The Friends of Carl take their work very seriously, and they do not, and would not, put bakers yeast in it.

Even if there was any reason to do so.

A number of microbioligists have tested starters and found that bakers yeast will not survive more than two refreshments in a starter. The acidity is high enough that bakers yeast can not survive.

As to "good" or "bad" taste, Carl's is on the mild side of the spectrum. I have gotten very sour loaves from it from time to time. My feeling is that what a starter is fed is probably the most important determinant of taste. Low ash flours tend to yield sourdough breads that are milder. More ash content causes more sour taste to emerge. Longer rises also lead to stronger tastes.

Mike