On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 14:10:17 -0700, "Rod & BJ" >
wrote:

>my current starter was started
>with a dark rye almost 4 years ago(quite happy with it). Both the rye
>(subsequently fed with white flour) and a cracked wheat started out with a
>lot more vigor than a previous attempt with bleached white.

Then dark rye and distilled water it is. I will get these components
tomorrow when I am out, so I will have to wait until Friday morning to
see if I get results.

The product I have in mind is:

Bobs Red Mill
FLOUR,OG,DARK RYE
Ingredients: Ground dark rye.
$2.39 for 22 oz.

That should do the trick since I won't be using more than 1/2 cup per
attempt.

I am concerned that if I wait too long for the starter to begin
fermenting that the reason there is any activity is caused by a
foreign pathogen. Samartha recommends 10-12 hours and expresses
concern if it takes longer.

How long did you have to wait before you got noticable fermentation?
Did you cover your original starter? I plan to cover mine just to make
sure something does not drop by unexpectedly.

I also plan to convert the starter to white flour after the rye flour
goes thru one rise and fall.