Sylvia's Sourdough Starter Method

Sylvia's Sourdough Starter Method (capturing the Wild Yeast)

To make the starter, I cleaned my kitchen, emptied the trash and washed the can, scoured everything until it glowed, and washed and put away the pre-compost collecting bin for the duration. Opened the windows and aired the house. That got rid of most of the potentially negative invaders. Oh, and we ate all the ripe fruit in the house (fruit flies are death on starter and they gravitate toward the stuff, naughty little dive bombers).

In a glass bowl, with my bread-only wooden spoon, I stirred a couple of tablespoons of active culture plain yogurt, a cup of unbleached wheat flour, and a cup of filtered water. I set it out on the kitchen counter in a room temperature spot and left it uncovered.

To fill the air with good little yeastie beasties to befriend and influence the yogurt guys, I set a pyrex measuring cup of proofing yeast next to the starter bowl and replaced it daily. I also placed some empty wine bottles nearby, empty but for the sediment that is. An unfiltered 1980's French Bordeaux has a lovely effect on starter.

The starter burbled pretty quickly and I fed it for a few weeks before consigning it to a Tupperware in the frig. I gave my dad some of it a few years ago and within months his had a completely different flavor from mine.

beadlizard
(1/11/05)

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