Hi,

Following several failed attempts at catching my own starter---the
self-caught starters were plenty strong yeast-wise but were lacking in
the area of flavor---I sent away for some of Carl's starter. It
arrived last Friday and it was looking very healthy by Saturday night.
It was very bubbly and easily climbed the walls of the jar I had it in.

Yesterday, I tried baking with it, halving the SF sourdough recipe in
Ed Wood's book: 1/4 c starter + 1/2 c flour + 1/4 c water fermented for
6 hours in a proofing box at 85 degrees, add 1/2 c flour + 1/4 c water
and fermented for 4 hours in the proofing box, etc...

The bread looks very nice and leavened nicely, but it isn't as
flavorful as I had hoped. Is this likely to be that the starter was
just activated and it needs some time to develop flavor and grow
lactobacilli? If so, about how long can I expect that to take with a
starter as established as Carl's? Is there a good way to encourage
flavor development?

Thanks,

Jonathan

"Jonathan B. Leffert" > wrote in message =
oups.com...

> The bread looks very nice and leavened nicely, but it isn't as
> flavorful as I had hoped. ... Is there a good way to encourage
> flavor development?

With a vigorous starter such as Carl's, one tends to bake too early.
If the dough is properly developed, the doughloaves can quadruple=20
or quintuple in volume before the effects of the bacterial complement=20
become obvious. A purpose of deflating/reforming the rising loaves
is to avoid that they are too big by bake time.

--=20
Dick Adams
<firstname> dot <lastname> at bigfoot dot com
___________________
Sourdough FAQ guide at=20
http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/sourdoughfaqs.html

Is 24 hours of fermentation before baking a good mark to aim for with
this starter?

Since the starter is so active, I assume it's good to start a batch of
dough with a small amount and build it up?

Jonathan

"Jonathan B. Leffert" > wrote in message =
oups.com...

> Is 24 hours of fermentation before baking a good mark to aim for with
> this starter?

I think you do it until it is done. There are cues to look for along =
the way.

> Since the starter is so active, I assume it's good to start a batch of
> dough with a small amount and build it up?

That could work.

Well, let's see what Felix and Roy have to say. Maybe there are some
FAQ's around here someplace. Maybe there is some information at the
web site where you found the starter.

Hi Jonathan,
Try a second rise.
Ed Wood has you baking with a large sponge and only one rise perhaps
3-5 hours after mixing the dough. If you punch the dough down or
stretch and fold it after 2 or 3 hours, you can let it rise (ferment) a
second time for several hours more and your final bread should have
both better texture and flavor. Try baking 6-10 hours after mixing the
dough and see if you don't have more flavor. Dick Adams, (parting with
his endearing facetiousness) has written a pretty good recipe:

http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/dickpics/billowy.html
click on the MSWord instructions.

HTH

--Lisse

I got Carl's starter and World Sourdoughs Yukon starter about 10 days
ago. The yeast activates first. The flavor comes from the bacteria.
I fed each of starters about three times to multiply the bacteria. The
Yukon has been producing excellent bread. Carl's always had very
active yeast but never did get sour.

I suggest that you feed it about every day, after the foaming stops,
for several days. The starter will get more sour. Just test taste it.