# Sour Dough Starter



## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Started a new batch a sour dough starter taday. 

My old batch had been workin fer well over 30 years an fer some reason it just wouldn't work up no more. Tried everthin, givin it a bit a yeast, more water, more flour. Nothin really did it.

So I just started a new batch. Here be a recipe fer yall what would like ta try sour dough an don't know how ta make up a starter.

2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons bread yeast
1 ta 2 teaspoons a sugar

Mix yeast inta water an let it set fer say 1/2 hour.
Add ta all them dry ingriedients an stir real well.

I keep mine in a old glass jar, so after mixin I put it in the jar, cover with a dish cloth an let it work fer at least a couple a days. Stir it lots. It should start bubblin an get a funny lookin liquid on top as it works up. 

After a couple a days ya can put the lid on yer jar loose, an store it in the fridge. Use it at least ever two weeks. Ifin ya take a cup a starter out, add back a cup a flour an a cup a water. Stir well an it will keep workin on its own. Ever once in awhile ya can give it a teaspoon a sugar fer a boost.

I had some dried up remains from my last batch so scraped them in there hopin ta get some a they old yeast an flavour in the new batch.

There be lots a recipes fer sourdough bread, biscuits, pancakes, waffles an such. 

Ya can also buy starter ifin ya wan't, but I be cheap!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I copied this into the recipe section too. :factor10:


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Wow, the same batch for 30 years?!
I admittedly bought my starter about a year ago, and me and my buddy both have it going from that same batch. I keep one out and feed it every few days unless I'm making bread/pancakes, and one in the fridge as a backup that I feed once a week.
I like my pancakes, shes just not a fan of them generally. My bread still turns out, uh, more like a brick. I'm actually ok with that since I really wanted to make a kind of trail bread anyway, assuming that one day I wouldnt have access to other materials (milk and prolly not eggs either, but I'm working on that). It would be nice to make a decent bread though.

Congrats! 30 years? Wow. She lived a long and fruitful life!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Added this recipe to my SHTF recipe binder. Once we are done unpacking I'll give it a try.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

OCH, Question!

If you dont keep the Sour Dough starter in a fridge, will it go bad? Would it be good long term left out on the counter if you just added to it ever few weeks?

When we were kids my mom used to keep a starter but I never paid much attention to what or how she did it.


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## Chickensittin (Jul 25, 2012)

This thread has got me thinking about preserving sourdough starter for future use. A few years ago, while in Alaska, I bought a wooden spoon coated with starter. I brought it home, forgot about it for a year or so, and then decided to activate it. It worked and has been supplying me with great tasting sourdough bread ever since. I would like to try dipping wooden spoons in the starter and keeping them on hand to give away as gifts or for personal use. Has anyone tried this? :dunno:


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Davarm said:


> OCH, Question!
> 
> If you dont keep the Sour Dough starter in a fridge, will it go bad? Would it be good long term left out on the counter if you just added to it ever few weeks?
> 
> When we were kids my mom used to keep a starter but I never paid much attention to what or how she did it.


I've always kept it in the fridge, but, back in the day they kept it on wagon trains an in cabins what had no electricity. I'd say the secret ta that was they used it all the time. So a feller would prolly need ta use it at least once a week an feed it. Sure wouldn't hurt ta try. Worst would happen be ya might have ta start over.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Well, I guess I'm going to give it a try, be motivation to make the weekly batch of bread!

Thanks.



OldCootHillbilly said:


> I've always kept it in the fridge, but, back in the day they kept it on wagon trains an in cabins what had no electricity. I'd say the secret ta that was they used it all the time. So a feller would prolly need ta use it at least once a week an feed it. Sure wouldn't hurt ta try. Worst would happen be ya might have ta start over.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Chickensittin said:


> This thread has got me thinking about preserving sourdough starter for future use. A few years ago, while in Alaska, I bought a wooden spoon coated with starter. I brought it home, forgot about it for a year or so, and then decided to activate it. It worked and has been supplying me with great tasting sourdough bread ever since. I would like to try dipping wooden spoons in the starter and keeping them on hand to give away as gifts or for personal use. Has anyone tried this? :dunno:


The yeast be what gives sourdough it's particular flavour. That be why different sourdoug from different areas will taste different. The old sourdough was started from wild yeasts, whatever fell inta the mix be what grew. Taday ya can start it with a bit a bread yeast. It will still develop its own flavour over time.

I thin ifin it was dry to long ya might have ta encourage it a bit with some fresh yeast. The starters what be sold er simply dryed an mailed in a envelope.


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php

My understanding was that if its not fed regularly (at least once a day) its best to keep it in the fridge. I cant imagine keeping it out and not feeding it, but that site says otherwise.


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

*Handed down starter*

In the late 1970's I was given a batch of sourdough from a lady across the street from me. She got it from her dad who brought it from Alaska, she was in her late 80's when I met her.
I have kept it in a refer ever since and made hundreds of loafs, pancakes, waffles and such from it. It will get a layer of liquid on the top that looks nasty, brown and pinkish, no problem just pour it off add more flour and water, set out for a while and magic bubbles start to appear, now ready to rumba.
I do not put anything in it except flour and water to expand the sponge.
Be careful adding anything, even sugar, I recently gave some to a friend and she added sugar because Emril said it would enhance it. Well it went bad and I had to give her a new batch.

BB


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Immolatus said:


> http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php
> 
> My understanding was that if its not fed regularly (at least once a day) its best to keep it in the fridge. I cant imagine keeping it out and not feeding it, but that site says otherwise.


Thanks for the link Immolatus! Looks like a huge wealth of knowledge there.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

does the new starter have to work or come alive at at certin room temp?? 
I tried this once n it just ended up going flat n dying I guess...total failure. 

someone told me it could be that it's to cold and the starter needs a min temp to "come alive"

anyways...im willing to try again n maybe set it in a south facing window if that would warm it up...

any thoughts??


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

House generally be 70 degrees an mine smellin like bread booze so it be workin.

Ya could set it in the oven an turn the light on. That should be fairly warm.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

*First Batch in the Machine*

Got my first batch a sourdough bread in the machine from the new starter.

Smells good already. See what we get when it be done.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

thank you..ill try that..


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

I dont use regular white flour and never have, but once I took some to friends and its all they had, and the stuff went nuts over it.

That site does have a wealth of info but its pretty simple, and its pretty tough to kill it off. Hardy stuff, tis!


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

*Update!*

Here be what a real nice loaf a sourdough bread look like when all yer ingriedients works tagether!



Nice big solid loaf a goodness! Man was that good with some nice butter meltin inta it!

Momma toasted some fer us this morning. Oh yeah, be why I can't make it to often. Don't do much fer my diet! But ifin yer gonna cheat, might as well be as tastey as yall can get!


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Wow, is that like three loaves of bread in one? Where did you get a bread pan that big? Are you using a bread maker?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Bread machine be yer friend! Yup, it makes bout a 2 pound loaf. Also handy fer just mixin dough to although the mix master does that job most a the time.


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