Starter #3: Third Time's the Loaf

I'm a big fan of sour dough. I'm not very successful making it. Here's a diary charting my third attempt making a sour dough starter.

Starter #1 was, by the loosest possible definition, a success. It fermented. It bubbled. It eventually produced a loaf of bread that could mostly be described as "a paperweight with ambition." Then it decided its true calling was livestock, giving rise to a thriving colony of fruit flies.

Starter #2... the less said the better. It soon developed a look. A color. The kind of color the WHO holds emergency briefings about. It did not make it to bread. It was buried in a shallow grave in the garden, beneath a bush I don't particularly care for.

And now: Starter #3

This is the one. I can feel it. I'm attempting a two container system this time. The theory: Each day combine 100g of the previous day's mixture, 100g water and 100g flour. Transplant to a new container and wash out the old container.

Flies are an absolute nightmare. If your sour dough is in an open container, they will come from nowhere and crawl all over it. Keep it in a closed container. But reasonable sized as it still needs air.

The Log So Far

• Day 1: Mix 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour
• Day 2: Rest. Give it a stir.
• Day 3: Siphon 100g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour
• Day 4: Nothing. I was away. I'm such a neglectful parent
• Day 5: Siphon 100g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour. That yeastily smell is building.
• Day 6: Siphon 100g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour
• Day 7: Siphon 100g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour
• Day 8: Siphon 100g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour.

There is a layer of clear liquid floating on top now, apparently this is hooch - an alcohol the bacteria gives off when it runs out of food. I'm not going to drink it. But progress! I'll siphon 50g and feed every 12 hours from now. Baby needs food.

• Day 9: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 10: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 11: 1 Feed today. Siphon 60g mixture, 100g water, 50g brown flour, 50g white flour. A larger feed as I had to leave it unattended.
• Day 12: Nothing
• Day 13: Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 14: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 15: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 15: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 25g brown flour, 25g white flour.
• Day 16: Morning / Evening - Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 50g white flour. (running low on brown flour)

The starter is incredibly sticky stretchy dough like now even right after feeding. Is it nearly ready? I give it a big feed as I'm away for a day again.

• Day 17: Morning - Siphon 60g mixture, 100g water, 100g white flour.
• Day 18: Nothing
• Day 19: Morning. Siphon 50g mixture, 50g water, 50g white flour. I attempt a bake with the cast off starter. It's still too early and doesn't really rise.