The Start of Something Good

I realize everyone has their own approach to sourdough, but I'm not sure whether when one uses sourdough only for flavoring as the author has here, the result can be called sourdough bread, or -pancakes or whatever. Perhaps the author doesn't trust the result from only using the yeasts in the starter. Using commercial yeast defeats the whole purpose and exhibits a bit of what seems to be a defeatist attitude for some reason unfathomable to me.

I have a sourdough starter I first got going with boiled potato water about 30 years ago. Undoubtedly the bugs thriving in there now are not of even the same species as those I started with, and they change every 6 months or so,or even sooner as natural evolution takes place, but I think that's the nature of the beast (or beasties as a friend refers to such things).

In my experience, most of what people say about sourdough starters is a lot of unsubstantiated mythology- some of it continued by this article. As opposed to what is stated in the article, starters don't have to be fed on a regular basis. Other mythologies to be debunked are that one doesn't have to refrain from the use of metal around them; one can get every bit as much of a 'rise' from them as from any yeast bought in the store, etc.

At all times, when the question arises as to how the starter should be treated, I hearken back to the old prospectors and inquire- what would they have done? Would they have been concerned about metal? Did they have anything else they could have used? Plastic? Glass (carried around on their mule- yeah, right)? Would they have had refrigeration?

In my case, I make about a dozen loaves of bread at a time, which I freeze and which last me several weeks depending on whether the kids are around, or its just me and my wife. The starter sits in the back of the fridge in an open plastic quart container for weeks, sometimes months, meanwhile probably sucking up whatever else is in the fridge (of which there is a lot since the fridge rarely gets cleaned out).

I keep my starter on the dry side- but over the course of the several weeks til I use it again it entirely dessicates into a bunch of hard crusts, meanwhile often having gone through a stage of having an ugly black liquor. No worry-- when I next use it, I pull it out, feed it some flour and warm water (usually that's all-- tho/ a bit of sugar can be used) and pound and mix it, breaking it up and after a few hours it'll start to overflow the container again with that wonderfully pungent smell. I pour off what I need into my sponge or whatever, and throw the rest back in the fridge for another month or so.

Again, tho/ keep it on the dry side- not soupy as I've seen some "experts" advise. I've seen a lot of people drown a starter by keeping it too wet, then they get discouraged when it doesn't activate through all the water, throw it out, and give up. The old prospectors just threw the unused starter right into the flour sack (which of course was very dry) then dug it out when they needed it. And this mythology about having to feed it every few days or week is just malarkey.

To me the sponge stage is the most useful stage, where all manner of stuff can be put into the bread- grains, veggies/herbs, cheese, even liquors, etc. The longer the sponge stage, the zestier the sourness. I usually go for a 12 hour overnight.

Sourdough is wonderful. Let's make sure everyone has a chance to truly enjoy it-- in ALL of its simplicity.