Starter cultures - in questions and answers

Hello everyone, 1) can you add wheat bran to bread with sourdough? 2) can you add sourdough with bran?

Hello everyone, 1) can you add wheat bran to bread with sourdough? 2) can you add sourdough with bran?

Can. Both. Bran is all the same spare parts for grain (wheat or rye). They will never harm the leaven.

Can. Both. Bran is all the same spare parts for grain (wheat or rye). They will never harm the leaven.

Thank you H uchelka another question - bran 50 to 50 with flour or you can ferment some bran

Thank you H uchelka another question - bran 50 to 50 with flour or you can ferment some bran

No, better with flour. Brans alone are mostly coarse shells of the grain. They do not contain nutrients for the microorganisms living in the leaven. They feed on sugars, in the absence of which they break down starches. In grain, all starch is contained in the endosperm (from which flour is made). Without adding flour you simply deprive them of "food". What should they eat?

I did not find such a leaven ... on grain in half (wheat + barley), when it sprouts, pass it through a meat grinder, add sugar, water and flour and cook for an hour, then heat for a day and you're done. For anyone interested, you can see it here 🔗 at the end of the video the recipe. But I am interested in what kind of bread can be baked by equating this leaven. It's just that I have never cooked bread, and tomorrow the leaven will be ready, what to do with it next, what kind of dough to knead (what to put in it) Maybe someone can advise something, or maybe such a topic already exists, then poke me into her))

Hello everyone! I'll read this topic to the end later, but for now, help the newbie save the leaven! She lived on my table for more than two weeks (she often baked from her), used to be like a thin spongy dough, she smelled a little of wine, bread and sour milk, resisted stirring, and yesterday ... completely over-acidified In general, it turned out like this: began to actively feed her in the evening, so that the next day to bake bread for dinner. But that day the first snow began to fall, the city became, I got home by midnight. I rushed - and there were 300 grams of white flour left and there was nowhere to buy it at night, I fed the sourdough with these leftovers and added 0.5 tsp. sugar, because the yeast in the morning did not eat anything, I felt sorry for them. I transferred the starter culture to a 1.2-liter pan, it turned out 2 cm at the bottom. In the morning it was on the lid of the pan and on the table, only it tasted very sour and smelled strongly of alcohol. The structure of the leaven has become viscous, which is obtained if there is a lot of acid in the dough. The bread turned out from it, went well, but even with the addition of a large amount of sugar it sour. The next sourdough loaf turned out to be even worse: the gluten formed in it in 7 minutes, the dough easily stretched into a transparent film (this had never happened before), but the dough did not really want to come up. After three hours of waiting, I put it on Baking, the loaf tasted sweet, but for some reason it tasted bitter ... Maybe the leaven was infected with what? The last kvass 2 for her also became bitter, although before that there were no problems for several weeks.
Now I put 50 g of the starter culture in a new clean 1 liter jar, added 50 g of flour and 65 g of water, closed it with a lid with holes (without a lid, the crust dries up in a matter of minutes). Did I do the right thing? What could have caused bitterness?
* sourdough was made with grape juice, white flour and a pinch of baker's yeast.

[Oca]

Ocaputting 50 g of sourdough in a jar, give it 50 g of water and 60 - 65 g of flour, and not vice versa. Peroxidizing, the leaven becomes thinner, not thicker.
And also, if you want to "kill" her, give her sugar. Alcohol is formed and will finish off lactic acid bacteria, whose waste products feed on yeast bacteria. And they will starve to death even in the presence of flour, water, heat, etc.

[Viki]

Viki, thanks for the answer! Probably, lactic acid bacteria (if they were there) died. Amen Now I keep one bag of flour in reserve - NZ, so to speak, in case of sudden starvation of the yeast. I read up to half of the forum, there are a lot of different opinions ... It should be clarified that I had a half-leaven-half-pair. Just reactive. And before baking, I mixed it with a spoonful of sugar, from which the dough rose 2.5-3.5 times in 3-4 hours. The raisin rolls were cool and moist. She successfully fed the peroxidized sourdough these days (it grew as if nothing had happened) and in the morning processed it into pancakes. Surprisingly, they turned out delicious, there is no sourness.

50 g of water and 60 - 65 g of flour, and not vice versa.

Maybe everyone's flour is different, but when mixing flour and water 50/50, a very dense lump is obtained, like plasticine. Sourdough is like sour cream ... Wouldn't it be hard for her to breathe in a thick dough? So I want to grow my own mini-zoo.
* there is a drop of leaven left, I will try to feed it. Not sour any more, puffs slowly.

... there is a drop of leaven left, I will try to feed it. Not sour any more, puffs slowly.

She wants to survive. So he puffs. He tries. You will get a lot of leaven from this drop, I really believe in that. She will be healthy and beautiful. The main thing is not to give up. So from the dough or semi-dough semi-sourdough excellent leavens are obtained. Good luck to you!
And if, when feeding 1: 1, a dense lump is obtained - this is good flour for you.

And if, when feeding 1: 1, a dense lump is obtained - this is good flour for you.

I took new flour, with it the density of sour cream is obtained, but only with a mass of the finished mixture of about 300 g. And for 100g it remains a lump.
The cause of the disease seems to be in the "left" torment. It looks like she's infected with something. Before that, the ingredients were purchased at the wholesale and retail market, where everything is fresh and taken away quickly. The last meal was from the nearest supermarket. Today yeast bread turned sour and the fed leaven again became bitter (not sour with the smell of alcohol, "bites" like mustard) and separated into fractions in a few hours. I had to go to a trusted store and take a new bag of flour. I washed the banks, started a new, healthy living creature ...
Thanks for the kind words. I continue to read the forum, write down smart thoughts

Hello dear starters! I have always avoided the topic of leavens, because I did not want to fool my head. And here - they brought it as a gift ..., she is cute, blowing bubbles at the bottom of the jar. They said that she grew up on water and wheat flour and it was the seventh day for her. According to all the canons, it seems to be correct - it stretches, it smells good ... I threw it in the refrigerator and now I puzzle over what to do next ...
And many more questions: what is liquid star-leaven? what does "humidity 100% (60 or 40)" mean, what is dispersed sourdough? ...
Good people, please enlighten! Or poke around where to read ... I have a baby, you won't sit at the computer for a long time. Thanks in advance to everyone who answers

I forgot to write that I rarely bake bread in KhP, but I would really like to try it in the oven and with sourdough!

Hello, dear bakers! :) came to you with questions about sourdoughs. I periodically grow leavens (as I understand, what is called eternal leaven here), and this is what I noticed: over time, these leavens (especially on rye flour) begin to smell like acetone and grow very quickly even in the refrigerator. I read somewhere here that this smell is a sign that the leaven is dying. Explain, please, what is bad about it? wrong microorganisms? and their waste products from baked goods remain harmful? I baked this sourdough a couple of times, growing a dough on it - it no longer smelled of acetone, and the bread was perfect and was not sour, the taste was excellent! if my leavens smelled pleasantly, a little sour, etc., then the bread suited badly: (ah, and sour more. I don't like this taste. Please explain where I am making a mistake that my leavens smell like acetone and grow even in refrigerator, and also - why it is harmful.

It seems to me that the smell you call acetone is actually acetic. A pungent sour smell is just an indicator of starvation hunger.

It seems to me that the smell you call acetone is actually acetic. A pungent sour smell is just an indicator of starvation hunger.

Thank you for your reply!
I will take the liberty of saying that after all, this is exactly the stock of acetone: I recognize it well, and I can distinguish it from the smell of vinegar ... and, most importantly, the leaven ripens quite vigorously on the top. refrigerator shelf, and I was reading it somewhere. that this is a sign of pathogenic flora. and what is this flora, I would also like to understand

[Admin, hello, I have a question about "kefir", for some reason I couldn't ask.
in the cooking technology it is written to add flour to a medium thickness, so you don't need to add kefir or you need to add, if so, how much, otherwise you can ad infinitum if you add kefir and flour, if you can still in gr or glasses, so that
to understand how much I need to add flour and kefir to the initial 0.5 l of sour kefir with each feeding.
Thank you, yana

Admin hello
I'm about the kefir sourdough
and my kefir has been standing for a week and does not sour in any way, that is, it does not flake off.
I have a store kefir, and the temperature at home is 20 degrees. Maybe I can already use it
t e add flour? yana

[Admin]

Hello, leavening luminaries!
Here I read, I read ... I'm gaining my mind.
I admire more and more the work that you, Admin, Viki, do it!
It is necessary, to shovel so much literature, to inspect, to assimilate, to try out on our own experience ... And then collect some more cream from this and put it on the forum.
And here I am, not to read first, took and got myself "neither a mouse, nor a frog, but an unknown animal" ...
I confess, I started my "leaven", obeying the herd feelings, as it says here:
https://Mcooker-enn.tomathouse.com/index.php@option=com_smf&topic=9345.0
Well, do not judge strictly, everything is so beautifully laid out there. I also came to this forum using a link to this bread from another site. And the bread turns out, though it quickly became boring.
Then I read something already about the leavens here, but also somewhat on the "diagonal"
And I began to feed her with equal amounts of whey and rye flour, just when necessary, once every 5-7 days, I will feed her, take in 10-12 hours as needed, and the rest in the refrigerator.
Sometimes there was no whey and gave her, then water, then kefir. Once I confused the cans with flour and fed it with whole grain wheat.
There was a case, she was hungry for 2 weeks. And in the refrigerator she wanders from shelf to shelf where there is space, then to the compartment for vegetables, then to the zero zone, then to the very top ...
I have been baking with her for almost 4 months now, according to some sixth sense in recipes where agrams and the like are needed, she replaced some of the flour and liquid. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not very well. Now I've tried a couple of breads from here. This is a delight! Well, thoughts immediately started to climb.
I’m reading it here, all the leavens are so thoroughbred, of noble blood, well-groomed, and even with pedigrees ... And my straight puppy is a mongrel, it’s not clear who is with whom ...
So this is how you think
should I keep her further (she will not bite me)?
if so, can she improve her living conditions (and then suddenly order her to live long)?
or can it be corrected somehow (to improve the breed)?
So, she seems to be lively, it smells delicious, after a night in the warmth with feeding, I put some in the refrigerator, puffs, rises 2-2.5 times. The only thing that became sour over time, but I'm just trying to achieve a clear sourness in bread. And the color has taken on a shade of pink ... Is that normal? Or is there someone unnecessary settled there?

Or get a thoroughbred, according to all the rules? But I'm sorry to throw mine away, she's not to blame for anything!

I may have put everything in a mess, but I'm worried about something.
I will read everything that is written here, I promise!
But when it will be, and the little belly is here it!
Can you take me to your starter club with this one?

Good day. Experienced leavening bakers, please help. Something simple sourdough bread does not work for the 3rd time.


I studied the whole topic about sourdoughs, made hop sourdough # 1, turned out as expected, fed it up, let it stand all night on the battery, and in the morning baked bread on it as usual. Wheat flour 400 gr, water 250 gr, salt, sugar, vegetable. butter and leaven 3 tbsp. l. I must say that my leaven did not rise overnight, but it was alive, bubbling. The bread is low, almost odorless, the crumb is dense, moist.

Hello, master leavers! I've been baking bread for about 2 years, but with yeast. So I decided to try making sourdough bread. although somehow I'm afraid it won't work. Therefore, I put it off until the last moment and now I decided. And questions arose: what kind of leaven would you recommend for a beginner and how does bread made with leaven differ from yeast?

Good evening !!!! Can you please tell me if they make sourdough for bread from wheat flour? or always from rye?

Can you please tell me if they make sourdough for bread from wheat flour? or always from rye?

Of course! We have wheat leavens.
Both on grapes and on raisins, two French and both wheat. Look in the section. We grew a lot there. Choose what you like.

Good evening! I buy myself bread called "Noble" yeast-free custard hearth. I wanted to ask experienced and all-knowing bakers, is it possible to bake such bread at home? If possible, where to look and taste the recipe.

I studied the whole topic about sourdoughs, made hop sourdough # 1, turned out as expected, fed it up, let it stand all night on the battery, and in the morning baked bread on it as usual. Wheat flour 400 gr, water 250 gr, salt, sugar, vegetable. butter and leaven 3 tbsp. l. I must say that my leaven did not rise overnight, but it was alive, bubbling. The bread is low, almost odorless, the crumb is dense, moist.

Baking sourdough bread must be learned by hand. From the loaf, I can see that you were trying to portray bread in HP. It's not as easy as it sounds. HP cycles and programs are designed for dry yeast. They work much more stable and, most importantly, much faster than leavening yeast. Therefore, the duration of the fermentation / proofing cycles for the sourdough is violated and at the exit we have a brick. Usually the whole picture is spoiled by the last kneading, after which dry yeast without any problems have time to raise the bread again before baking, but the leaven does not. She needs much more time. Further, the ratio of flour and water could also be violated, judging by the crumb. Roof cracks are usually indicative of starter underdevelopment and over-oxidation. The whole night on the battery is too much. Overnight at normal room temperature, it easily reaches a peak and already begins to fall off. And the temperature on the battery is too high.

Sourdough bread not in a bread maker? For me, this is still higher mathematics. Our usual gas oven is coarse, bread will not pull. Thank you, Chuchelka, huge for the clarification. in any case, for now I will stop experimenting with leaven, translating flour ...

Sourdough bread not in a bread maker? For me, this is still higher mathematics. Our usual gas oven is coarse, bread will not pull. Thank you, Chuchelka, huge for the clarification. in any case, for now I will stop experimenting with leaven, translating flour ...

No, you can do a semi-automated process if HP allows. That is, not completely set the program, but manually adjust all cycles. First mix everything, leave to come. Crumple, leave to come again. Has risen well - include baking.

It is also an option! Thanks, I'll try. Unsubscribe and "take a picture".

Dear luminaries!
Can you make sourdough from wheat germ? And if so, how?

Can you make sourdough from wheat germ? And if so, how?

You can, but there are some nuances.
May I ask you: is it the germinated grain sourdough that matters?
The fact is that she is quite capricious.I have adapted to take the usual wheat leaven and add the sprouted grain to the bread itself. It's much easier that way. And we have recipes:
Dispersed grain sourdough bread.
Dispersed wheat grain sourdough bread.
Sourdough bread with dispersed wheat grain (in the oven).
Sourdough wheat-rye bread with dispersed grain

You can, but there are some nuances.
May I ask: Is it the germinated grain sourdough in principle for you?
The fact is that she is quite capricious. I have adapted to take the usual wheat leaven and add the sprouted grain to the bread itself. It's much easier that way. And we have recipes:

It doesn't matter. I thought it was easier with sprouted grain. I live in England. There is a "tension" with rye. But I still sprout wheat and crush juice from green sprouts. At the same time I wanted to make the leaven "from the same material". Although I am already the second Panasonic "wearing" and I like this business, I have never even tried to bake bread with sourdough. I'm a very beginner in this business. Therefore, I will listen to the advice of experts and will not fool people. Thanks for clarifying. I received the answer to my question.
By the way, in my experience, with regular use in England, the Panasonic x / p pays for itself in 1 - 1.5 years.

Good day! I wanted to ask the bakers, is sourdough bread considered yeast-free? Sorry if the question seems silly! And what is the best starter culture to use for the sample? I want to try, but since I'm a beginner and there are a lot of starters, I ask for your advice. Help me please!!!

[Viki]

sourdough bread is considered yeast-free?

Well, yeast is necessarily present in the sourdough, only wild, natural, so to speak, without nowhere because they are everywhere, even on you and me.

What is the best starter culture to sample?

If you want to bake rye bread, I would recommend a semi-finished product from Viki.

Is there any for wheat bread?

Is there any for wheat bread?

Well, it seems to me that any sourdough can be overfed, but if you are going to bake mainly wheat, can you try the French liquid? She is greatly praised. I'm growing it now, already at the stage of making the first bread. Join us.

Thank you, Sandrine, for the advice. I will try.

Vika, wanted to clarify some of the nuances of sourdough. I understand that, in principle, it is not necessary to take just a spoonful of sourdough for baking. I now have just an overabundance of it. After all, we can take not 50, but 150 grams?

After all, you can take, say, not 50 but 150 grams?

Can. I take 300 gr for Darnitsky. The main thing is a healthy leaven and that in a good mood.

Thank you.
I already did this with rye - even more porous bread came out. But with the "spontaneous Tahero" ... have not tried it yet. The spoon went fine, but there is so much of it ... ... horror ... it is necessary to quickly use it to the actually consumed amount.

And I understand correctly - you can bake any bread with sourdough, where yeast is present - just remove it from the recipe. And if, for example, I take 200g of sourdough, then this is a minus from the recipe 100g of flour and 100g of liquid.

And I understand correctly - you can bake any bread with sourdough, where yeast is present - just remove it from the recipe. And if, for example, I take 200g of sourdough, then this is a minus from the recipe 100g of flour and 100g of liquid.

Yeast, if you bake bread in cotton, you should not completely remove it, the sourdough with yeast has a wonderful commonwealth. The yeast helps the sourdough to meet the automatic bread making time, and the sourdough makes the bread very aromatic and tasty.
If you take 200 grams of sourdough, then yes, minus 100 grams. water and 100gr. flour. If the starter cultures are 300, then 150-150, respectively, if 400-200-200.

Today is the second day of the ferment of "Pashka's mother". It rose and fell during the night. And today the bubbles disappeared and a crust appeared on the surface.This is normal?

[Angela Leonidovna]

Today is the second day of the ferment of "Pashka's mother".

Angela Leonidovna, Hello!
You would have asked this question in the subject of Pashka's mother's sourdough, very few people have dealt with her, perhaps the author will be able to better answer your question. It happens that the author comes to the forum, looks that there is silence in his topic and does not look into other topics. Somehow, I really want you to succeed.

Somehow, I really want you to succeed.

Thank you! My leaven came to life. How do you know that she is ready?

Nobody in the thread about Tahero's leaven answers me .... Maybe someone can help here? From the source material, I realized that you can take pieces for baking for a very long time. But how? They run out, then what? Or do you need to update? Or start a new one?

But how? They run out, then what? Or do you need to update? Or start a new one?

As far as I know, Tahero himself starts a new one. Really ... he has slightly different amounts and gets several kilograms of starter at a time.

Thank you, Vika, probably like Tahero I can’t make a ton of sourdough and keep it ... I’ll watch ... how it comes to an end, I’ll start the next one ...
In consistency, it reminds me of a bigu more now. The taste is still normal, let's see what happens next.

In consistency, it reminds me of a bigu more now.

Only with a lot of worries somehow less.

let's see what happens next.

We'll see. I haven't started her yet, although I have been reading Mr. Tahero for a long time ...
And I should try. So I'm waiting for the results.

tell me pzhl-
I made a kefir sourdough, it’s standing at the withers, because the bread does not need to be made yet, after how many days can it be baked without re-feeding it (cycle)?
And also, I look at recipes for bread with sourdough - you need to get it for a day, feed it, make a dough, for 12-18 hours in the cold (why?) or there are simpler recipes

Without feeding in the refrigerator, the sourdough can live up to a week if it is heavily mixed. If liquid 3-4 days. But before baking for a day, it must be fed

Hello girls!
I have been reading your forum for about a year now, five times I tried to make the leaven, but my hands did not grow from there, or the stars did not add up. And now the moment has come - we have formed! Raisin sourdough from Viki (low bow), came to life and breathed. Yesterday I baked bread on her - she perfectly lifted it in 2.5 hours! I added 1/3 of the yeast norm, I was afraid och - but in vain! The bread turned out to be excellent, fragrant! I feed the sourdough 50-50-50 and it grows and swells on the windowsill, where 10C is all. But the question is, I want to make rejuvenation - as I understand it, this is useful for leavening. After I rejuvenate it - where should I put it? On the battery (35C), in the room (25C), on the windowsill (10C)? I beg you, please answer, so I like it - sourdough