"Mike Avery" > wrote in message
news:mailman.1.1177198026.89402.rec.food.sourdough @mail.otherwhen.com...
> no wrote:
>> Good starter Carl.
>>
>> Every few years I take a pinch of one of the several Carl's baggies I've
>> collected and make a working starter. For a few batches is's great: rise
>> time, including sponge, first rise, and final rise total about 24 hours.
>> The flavor and texture is everything I could want. Without fail, though,
>> within a few weeks it evolves into a fast-rising, bland tasting starter
>> that's not much better than commercial yeast.
> How are you maintaining your revived starter? How do you store it? How,
> and what, do you feed it? I suspect that is where the answers will lie...
>
> Mike
>
Mostly following "starters.txt"

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-gro...dough/starters

mix with warm (approx 80 deg) water and flour to pancake batter consistency,
set at room temperature until sponge just starts to collapse, then
refrigerate, use, or feed again. It sits in the refrigerator until the next
use, with a room-temperature rejuvenation cycle to sponge if it's been a
while since the last use (usually no worse than "Stage C: Barely Living," in
"starters.txt.") I've been using tap water so chlorine might be an issue. I
also use plain old "Better for Bread" grocery store flour and about 3/4 tsp
salt per cup of water in baking.

If it means anything, my fast-rising bland (still a little better than using
commercial yeast) bread does turn sour about a day after it's baked, but
it's not just about the sour. The slow rising stuff, when it happens, just
has a superior texture and flavor right out of the oven. I especially like
the crust: it's kind of shiny, thick-chewy-skinned, and a little splotchy
when I let it cool under a towel.

Dave