An alternative

Since I am in the mood of experimenting, I decided to give the basic sourdough starter by Avner Laskin a go and perhaps have something to compare with. I don't own many bread books, in fact in total I have 2 both of which I got on sale. Both books come with lovely coloured pictures and I've tired some their recipes using the breadmaker and so far so good. I'm not a hardcore professional baker, more a novice actually but I must confess that there are some obvious limitations solely relying on the breadmaker for the final product. I hope to extend my knowledge and ability.

This Starter also takes a week to prepare. The only difference is that I do not need to feed it at every 12 hours interval. In fact, for the 1st 4 days I am to leave it aside.

I have reproduced the recipe for those interested to have a look or compare, etc.

Step 1
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp sugar

Mix ingredients and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside 4 days. Bubbles on top indicate fermentation.

After 4 days, the mixture will turn a grayish colour. A soft crust may form on top of the starter and it should develop a slightly sweet-sour smell. Remove any crust that has formed on the top of the starter and discard.

Step 2
1/2 cup rye flour
1/3 cup water

Mix in additional rye flour and water. Cover and set aside day.

Step 3
1/2 cup bread flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (used plain flour)
1/4 cup whole rye flour (used rye flour)
3/4 cup water

Starter should have tripled in volume. Add flours and water. Mix well, cover and set aside for 8 hours.

Step 4
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 cups water

Transfer mixture to the bowl and add flour and water. Mix with dough hook of electric mixture and knead on low for 5 min. Transfer to floured bowl, cover with plastic and set aside for 6 hours.

Starter is now ready to use. If not using immediately, store in a tightly closed jar glass in refrigerator.

Here are some pictures of the progress thus far Days 1-3.

Consistency of the mixture was similar to a thin batter.

Maybe I mixed up too vigorously as the mixture was quite bubbly before I set it aside!

Comparatively, the Starter by Wildyeast (pic in front) produced a lot of gas which led to rapid rise, the Alternative (pic at the back) was very flat, much flatter than a pancake with no sign of life. :(


Day 3 - Noticed lots of bacterial fermentation development. Doesn't look too appetising actually. But based on the recipe, a grayish cust is suppose to develop and I'm suppose to discard it. With the remaining 'clean' Starter, feed it. Let's see how tomorrow goes.

Some comments..... so far, the Starter by WildYeast seems to be triving and more healthy looking! Refer to my other post. Fingers crossed I am heading the right direction as I wouldn't want to 'poison' my family unintentionally! If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know ASAP!! LOL