I've been feeding my Carl's starter with King Arthur bread flour.
After a few learning experiences related to temperature, it's been
doing quite well and producing good sourdough loaves.

I'm curious about the effect that changing to a different grain would
have on the performance and taste of the starter. I have access to
wheat, rye, oat and rice flour. Any experience out there on this
subject ?

Thanks as always,
Doug

wrote:
I've been feeding my Carl's starter with King Arthur bread flour.
After a few learning experiences related to temperature, it's been
doing quite well and producing good sourdough loaves.

I'm curious about the effect that changing to a different grain would
have on the performance and taste of the starter. I have access to
wheat, rye, oat and rice flour. Any experience out there on this
subject ?


It will change - results may vary.

Mineral content, taste of grain, grain properties.

Btw. oats are not a bread grain, nor is rice.

If you cook something with barley and do the same thing with wheat
berries - do you expect it to be the same?

IMO, sourdough is mainly an experience and no words - printed or spoken
can substitute that experience.

In a way, it seems you are asking here for the experience.

There is so much to sourdough fermentation - injera, pannetoni cake,
pumpernickel, full grain sourdough pan cakes, all are using similar
organisms to come to vastly different results.

I can only encourage you to experiment, discover and enjoy.

Sam

wrote:
I've been feeding my Carl's starter with King Arthur bread flour.
After a few learning experiences related to temperature, it's been
doing quite well and producing good sourdough loaves.

I'm curious about the effect that changing to a different grain would
have on the performance and taste of the starter. I have access to
wheat, rye, oat and rice flour. Any experience out there on this
subject ?

Thanks as always,
Doug

When I want to make a rye loaf, I just take a spoonful of my all purpose
unbleached flour starter and add rye flour to grow up a batch in stages.

I was running two starters, one rye and one wheat flour, but don't see
any difference in the finished product when using a teaspoon of the rye
starter mixed with rye and wheat flour or a teaspoon of wheat starter
mixed with rye and wheat flour.

I do end up with a 'mixed' loaf either way, usually 60% rye to 40%
unbleached flour and the growth rate appears the same.

Mike
Some bread photos: http://www.mikeromain.shutterfly.com

On Sat, 5 Apr 2008 06:43:06 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I've been feeding my Carl's starter with King Arthur bread flour.
After a few learning experiences related to temperature, it's been
doing quite well and producing good sourdough loaves.

I'm curious about the effect that changing to a different grain would
have on the performance and taste of the starter. I have access to
wheat, rye, oat and rice flour. Any experience out there on this
subject ?

Thanks as always,
Doug


Rye is very commonly used, as you will see if you google it here in
this group or read Samarta's sourdough pages.

Frankly, I think you're better off with the basic wheat or rye
starters, and then varying the flours you use in the breads. Be
careful about that with rice flour, though, as there is no gluten in
it.

Boron

Good words, well said Samartha!

Dusty

"Sam" wrote in message
news:mailman.5.1207405112.4061.rec.food.sourdough@ www.mountainbitwarrior.com...
wrote:
I've been feeding my Carl's starter with King Arthur bread flour.
After a few learning experiences related to temperature, it's been
doing quite well and producing good sourdough loaves.

I'm curious about the effect that changing to a different grain would
have on the performance and taste of the starter. I have access to
wheat, rye, oat and rice flour. Any experience out there on this
subject ?


It will change - results may vary.

Mineral content, taste of grain, grain properties.

Btw. oats are not a bread grain, nor is rice.

If you cook something with barley and do the same thing with wheat
berries - do you expect it to be the same?

IMO, sourdough is mainly an experience and no words - printed or spoken
can substitute that experience.

In a way, it seems you are asking here for the experience.

There is so much to sourdough fermentation - injera, pannetoni cake,
pumpernickel, full grain sourdough pan cakes, all are using similar
organisms to come to vastly different results.

I can only encourage you to experiment, discover and enjoy.

Sam