Stone

I made some taco meat last night and left it on the counter to cool -- over night. I figure if I heat it up thoroughly, it will kill any bugs? I mean, haven't we all eaten cold pizza that sat out in a box all night? Or just toss it?

Discard focaccia. Second try.

The starter is "active" when it's all puffed up? About 6-8 hours after feeding? I found that when I did a 1:1:1 ration, my starter was very loose and didn't really grow and it smelled like acetone. I tried a 1:1.5:.8 feed, and got a very good rise. Still doesn't smell great.

My first sourdough bake - discard English muffins. Cooked on the stovetop in my carbon steel pan. A bit uneven on the cooking, and didn't get great bubbles inside. (I think they were a little undercooked.) But they taste great. I added 2 cups of flour and 1 cup milk to 1/2 cup discard last night. it doubled by the morning. Then added some more flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, and kneaded. After cutting out the muffins, I let them sit about an hour before cooking. didn't get much of a second rise in that hour.

We're not speaking the same language.

How do I know when to switch from daily feedings to bi-daily feedings? I had a good wheat/rye starter going with daily feedings. But I switched to a 12-hour feeding with AP, and it went thin and runny and developed an acetone smell. I did another feeding with wheat/rye and, it's doubled in 12 hours. should I let it go another 12 before feeding, or feed now?

Stromboli Tart. Chocolate paté sablee; chocolate peanut crunch; hazelnut ganache and a cocoa nib tuille.

I made the mistake of trying again. I started with 50/50 rye/wheat from the 4th street coop. First two days were great. Big bubbles. It grew to the top of my jar. Third day, I fed with Trader Joe’s unbleached ap flour. I think I killed it. I fed it again the fourth day, still nothing. Just very lose sludge with clear liquid on top.

I started with 140 g each water and WW flour. After 24 hours, saved 140 g and added 140g each water/ AP flour. Same second and third day. After three full days, I did the same feedings, but in 12 hour increments. Tried twice. About a week each time.

Probably around 70* 75*. I tested the starter once and it was 75.* I thought that was ok. I guess not.

I tried two starters, and neither went anywhere. One, with a regular wheat flour I had lying around -- who knows how old it was or where it came from. (Bob's Mill, probably.) The second with "premium wheat flour" I got an an Asian restaurant. Neither worked for beans. Is there a recommended brand for the starter? Although I've got much better ways to ruin flour. (Who knew baking powder died? I did, after making a flat disc of a cake. At least it still tasted good and was a lovely platform for a lemon royal icing.)

Not sure if folks are aware that Bridge Kitchenware is still operating as an e-tailer. I recently found some baking stuff on their website that I couldn't get on Amazon. Very prompt service. Good prices too, on the items I checked.

It has only little bubbles and it does not float. My sourdough days may be over.

Is the starter supposed to be this thin? This sat overnight and is unfed. Also, last night I used some discard to make pizza dough. Mixed it with water, flour, salt and some oil. It sat on the counter over night, but didn't seem to rise at all. (How do I embed the video in the post?) 977B7362-5697-488A-B613-C9BE5298C8AD.mov

I started over Monday night. In a fancy jar I bought from Amazon. This morning, still only small bubbles. I started washing the jar because all the photos I’ve seen of starter jars have nice clean sides. Mine was a mess from pouring out the discard.