My starter became carbonated!

The last time I used it was about 2 weeks ago, when I was making some
sourdough bread to impress a girl I was interested in -- I cooked her
dinner, etc. I don't think I impressed her, to be honest, but at least we
had a nice dinner and dang good bread.

Anyhoo... I decided to make some more bread today, and I opened the
container I keep my starter in -- and the hooch on top was carbonated!

I keep it in the refrigerator. Usually, after I use some, I feed it, and
then immediately put it back in the fridge. It's never become carbonated
before.

Does that mean it's gone bad? Should I scrap the bread that I just started,
and also start a new starter? Or, do you think it will be OK?

I have some dried Carl's 1847 Starter that I haven't used yet in the
freezer.

Mine is usually a little carbonated as well. I use the same technique
as yourself. That is, I try to bake once a week with it, at which time
I feed it and put it right back in the fridge. The carbonation and
alcohol which mine has clearly exhibited does not seem to affect its
ability to make good bread. In fact, I like to think of it as very
active. On the other hand, I'm new at this, so I hope I'm not the last
word on this topic. You might try loosening the lid or periodically
releasing the CO2.

Carbonation in starter?..
Don't worry ..that is normal

Concisely speaking:
C12H22011 ( maltose) + H2O ( enzymatic hydrolysis) = 2C6H12O5
C6H12O6( fementation) = 2 C2H5OH( ethanol) + 2CO2( carbonation)

Question answered <( grin>

The REAL Pope Emperor FrogMaN wrote:
ontainer I keep my starter in -- and the hooch on top was carbonated!
>
> I keep it in the refrigerator. Usually, after I use some, I feed it, and
> then immediately put it back in the fridge. It's never become carbonated
> before.

Treat your starter better! Give it a chance to eat and live. If you put
it back right away in the fridge after feeding, it does not have much
chance to feed, multiply and develop a great potential.

Would you treat your girlfriend like that?

And this leads immediately to the question why starters are much better
than g/b-friends. Although, they are moody and can get sour easily -
they never talk back and know everything better. They can be put away in
some cold place, be neglected for up to two month and still come back
strong without complaining.

Well, I gotta run - but this is definitely food for thought having good
reasons to treat your starter well. g/b-friends come and go - your
starter stays with you, _if_ you treat it well.


Samartha

The REAL Pope Emperor FrogMaN wrote:
> My starter became carbonated!
>
> >
> Anyhoo... I decided to make some more bread today, and I opened the
> container I keep my starter in -- and the hooch on top was carbonated!
>

Ed replies,
I have had same carbonation when starter is put away too fresh.
I would bottle it tight in a glass spice jar then refrigerate.

A week later upon opening the lid, a column of CO2-blown foam ejects
from the container. It is most awesome! I've seriously thought of
trying to deliberately reproduce this at a larger scale, only with some
salt included. My thought is to open a larger cylinder and have the
carbonated dough shoot out onto a hot baking stone hopefully to produce
larger holes in the bread.

Ed Bechtel

"Ed Bechtel" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> The REAL Pope Emperor FrogMaN wrote:
> > My starter became carbonated!
> >
> > >
> > Anyhoo... I decided to make some more bread today, and I opened the
> > container I keep my starter in -- and the hooch on top was carbonated!
> >
>
> Ed replies,
> I have had same carbonation when starter is put away too fresh.
> I would bottle it tight in a glass spice jar then refrigerate.

I keep it in an old glass salad jar that I completely cleaned and sanitized.

> A week later upon opening the lid, a column of CO2-blown foam ejects
> from the container. It is most awesome!

LOL. I didn't get any projectile foam. But, it did fizz up and run all
over the counter.

I've seriously thought of
> trying to deliberately reproduce this at a larger scale, only with some
> salt included. My thought is to open a larger cylinder and have the
> carbonated dough shoot out onto a hot baking stone hopefully to produce
> larger holes in the bread.

LOL. I'd imagine that the bread would taste pretty heinous, though... being
pretty much just straight starter.

"Samartha Deva" > wrote in message
news:mailman.1128088291.4909.rec.food.sourdough@ww w.mountainbitwarrior.com...
> The REAL Pope Emperor FrogMaN wrote:
> ontainer I keep my starter in -- and the hooch on top was carbonated!
> >
> > I keep it in the refrigerator. Usually, after I use some, I feed it,
and
> > then immediately put it back in the fridge. It's never become
carbonated
> > before.
>
> Treat your starter better! Give it a chance to eat and live. If you put
> it back right away in the fridge after feeding, it does not have much
> chance to feed, multiply and develop a great potential.

Thank you. Yesterday, I transferred it into a new bottle that's the same
volume of the previous one, but wider. I will take it out of the fridge,
feed it again, and leave it out for a while.

> Would you treat your girlfriend like that?

Feed her and put her in the fridge? I don't have a girlfriend right now.
But... of course I wouldn't. :-P

> And this leads immediately to the question why starters are much better
> than g/b-friends. Although, they are moody and can get sour easily -
> they never talk back and know everything better. They can be put away in
> some cold place, be neglected for up to two month and still come back
> strong without complaining.

And they don't get angry at you when you do something stupid, or forget a
birthday or anniversary or something.

> Well, I gotta run - but this is definitely food for thought having good
> reasons to treat your starter well. g/b-friends come and go - your
> starter stays with you, _if_ you treat it well.

Thanks again.

>Hey, wait a minute; that's wheat beer!

Maybe? Let' see.

But the degree of carbonations depends on the nature of the critters
reaction and the existing environment.
....If the microbes are digesting the flour carbs in aerobic environment
( after refreshing)to promote their growth( anabolism) there will so
much CO2 but little ethanol and you will see a really bubbly starter.
as time passes by or what you call as carbonated..
Once the critters had reached the peak activity and there is less food
available it tends to go the opposite direction.
The critters are doing it mostly in anerobic conditions,or catabolism,
the resulting reaction tends to produce more alcohol and less CO2.
Then theoretically you are getting an exudation what you call as wheat
beer<grin> or maybe what you call as hooch?

"Chembake" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> >Hey, wait a minute; that's wheat beer!
>
> Maybe? Let' see.
>
> But the degree of carbonations depends on the nature of the critters
> reaction and the existing environment.
> ...If the microbes are digesting the flour carbs in aerobic environment
> ( after refreshing)to promote their growth( anabolism) there will so
> much CO2 but little ethanol and you will see a really bubbly starter.
> as time passes by or what you call as carbonated..
> Once the critters had reached the peak activity and there is less food
> available it tends to go the opposite direction.
> The critters are doing it mostly in anerobic conditions,or catabolism,
> the resulting reaction tends to produce more alcohol and less CO2.
> Then theoretically you are getting an exudation what you call as wheat
> beer<grin> or maybe what you call as hooch?

I wonder if anyone's ever tried to get drunk off sourdough hooch. *gack*

The REAL Pope Emperor FrogMaN wrote:

> I wonder if anyone's ever tried to get drunk off sourdough hooch. *gack*

I'm not sure about the etymology, but it seems to be a synonym for
massively inferior liquor so I imagine so.... ah, yeah... here it is:
http://www.merriamwebster.com/cgi-bi...=hooch&x=0&y=0

B/

>> I wonder if anyone's ever tried to get drunk off sourdough hooch. *gack*


>I'm not sure about the etymology, but it seems to be a synonym for
>massively inferior liquor so I imagine so.... ah, yeah... here it is:
>http://www.merriamwebster.com/cgi-bi...ictionary&va=h...

Sourdough moonshine?
Does it mean that devoted sourdough hobbyist should have to pay r an
excise tax for lllicit liqour< grin> ?

If one is a devoted sourdough hobbyist, one shouldn't be forming hooch in
the first place.

- Steve B

"Chembake" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does it mean that devoted sourdough hobbyist should have to pay r an
> excise tax for lllicit liqour< grin> ?

>If one is a devoted sourdough hobbyist, one shouldn't be forming hooch in
>the first place.


- Steve B

Steve, it was not a serious remark,,,, but a jest.....<big grin>