I've been baking bread for a while and relatively successfully. I still
classify myself as a beginner at bread baking, however. I thought I'd try
my hand at a sourdough. My baking text provides some information on
starters and some formulas. I tried the first and most simple - a dough
made up of high gluten flour, water, and a little bit of fresh yeast. The
instructions suggested that a room temperature proof would yield a starter
in about 18 hours. What I got in 18 hours was a large, overproofed dough
that I think was pretty much dead and smelled faintly of alcohol. It
certainly wasn't a sourdough starter. I've ordered a starter but I'm
wondering what caused the original failure. Can a successful starter be
made from commercial yeast?

Fred
The Good Gourmet
http://www.thegoodgourmet.com

On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 19:38:46 -0500, "Fred"
wrote:

I've been baking bread for a while and relatively successfully. I still
classify myself as a beginner at bread baking, however. I thought I'd try
my hand at a sourdough. My baking text provides some information on
starters and some formulas. I tried the first and most simple - a dough
made up of high gluten flour, water, and a little bit of fresh yeast. The
instructions suggested that a room temperature proof would yield a starter
in about 18 hours. What I got in 18 hours was a large, overproofed dough
that I think was pretty much dead and smelled faintly of alcohol. It
certainly wasn't a sourdough starter. I've ordered a starter but I'm
wondering what caused the original failure. Can a successful starter be
made from commercial yeast?
No
Read the FAQ. Lots of good stuff there.

On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 19:38:46 -0500, "Fred"
wrote:

Can a successful starter be
made from commercial yeast?

Hi Fred,

In a word... "Yes."

But a starter of that sort is not a sourdough starter. It is a
(commercial) yeast starter.

A sourdough starter is a colony of wild yeasts and lactobacilli that
are living happily together.

To get a sourdough starter it is probably easiest to do what you have
done, that is, buy, or borrow one.

It is also possible to grow 'em from "scratch" from the wild yeasts
that occur naturally on the grain, and from the lactobacilli that
occur naturally (are you ready for this?) on, and in, the baker...

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."