On Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:55:08 -0800, BH
wrote:

On Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:29:26 GMT, "Mikey S." wrote:


specialty bread. I have been making these loaves with both my own starter
and with one from Carl's friends, both work well, the 'Carl's Oregon Trail'
starter rises a little faster and makes a less sour bread with a rather pale
but tasty crust, the 'Mikey's NJ ' starter rises slower but makes a more
sour loaf, with a richer golden brown crust that I love.

Will someone help me understand why / how a starter can affect the
color and taste of the crust?

TIA

Burney

Hi Burney,

I am not sure that I am understanding your question
correctly, but...

Do you mean why / how "different" starters can affect the
color and taste?

If that's is it, I have always thought of it in this way:

Different starters can contain different critters, or, at
least, can have 'em in different proportions.

As a result, they eat (metabolize) the various nutrients in
the dough in different ways, and perhaps at different rates.
Once that happens, the resulting dough bakes differently.

One example of this that I have mentioned here in a
different context may be useful:

I have had two starters side-by-side in my refrigerator for
something like fifteen years. When I feed them (again,
side-by-side, and in exactly the same way) one of them
(ACME) always increases in volume more rapidly than does the
other (Poilâne.)

I've understood that as an expression of the rate of
metabolism of the two.

If I am not responding to the question you intended, please
say something more.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

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