Sourdough starter: make or buy?

[Lintu]

I love sourdough.  Love love love.  I tried making starter one time and it ended up smelling like rotten gym socks.  We're talking way beyond the sour smell you're supposed to have.  King Arthur Flour sells a starter.  If you make sourdough, what do you use?

[wherestheportojohn]

I am a king Arthur flour devotee. Squeal!

I have only made starter once, because it was a PITA.
We eat homemade rye bread, hearty bagels, but rarely sourdough.

Go ahead and try again, If you have the TIME...takes so long to get it bubbly and fermenting before you can even consider baking.
tip~~~> don't use tap/chlorinated water. Bottled works fine.

Another suggestion is to find someone who has initiated a starter and has some in the refrigerator which they can divide and share. have fun!

[cindyleigh]

I've done both - made a starter and used King Arthur's.  My homemade starter (I started with grapes, which are covered with wild yeasts) was much more robust than KAs ..it was also more SF style sourdough in tartness.

[wherestheportojohn]

CindyLeigh,
OMG, my great gramma used to do sourdough starter way!

I'd forgotten all about it, since I'd not seen it done by anyone else for 40+ years.

She had lovely full grapevines growing in her small town Iowa backyard.
The chickens would try to steal the grapes, so our job was to keep the birds away while granny harvested.

I think I recall that she allowed us to bury the grapes in the flour, and then retrieve them again the next day.
That's all I remember about the starter.
She was an excellent baker, so I'm sure we enjoyed the bread.
Wow...memories came flooding back!

[cindyleigh]

CindyLeigh,
OMG, my great gramma used to do sourdough starter way!

I'd forgotten all about it, since I'd not seen it done by anyone else for 40+ years.

She had lovely full grapevines growing in her small town Iowa backyard.
The chickens would try to steal the grapes, so our job was to keep the birds away while granny harvested.

I think I recall that she allowed us to bury the grapes in the flour, and then retrieve them again the next day.
That's all I remember about the starter.
She was an excellent baker, so I'm sure we enjoyed the bread.
Wow...memories came flooding back!

That's great!  I think grapes are best. 
 

I am quite old school.  I have a vinegar crock and make my own.  My Italian side comes out in the kitchen.  Sadly, it also comes out on the hips

[Lintu]

I had forgotten about the grape starter!  Cool

[caribougrrl]

tell me about making vinegar, because I'd really like to but have been too scared.

[cindyleigh]

tell me about making vinegar, because I'd really like to but have been too scared.

It's very easy!  You need a vessel, wine, and a mother..... a mother of vinegar, that is.

For the vessel, I use this:

http://www.claycoyoteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/ccpvinegar.jpg

from Coyote Clay Pottery (Google it)

For the wine to feed Mother, I use leftover bits from parties (someone always opens a bottle that no one drinks)

For the Mother, you can wait until the acetobacter naturally finds it's way into your crock or you can buy one, many beer making places have them,

Just feed Mother a cup of wine every so often, and you are all set!

I harvest and reduce mine down every 6 months or so (or year) and use it for dressings, sauces, etc.

[caribougrrl]

the very best red wine vinegar I've had has been made at home by italian immigrants... so I've always wanted to try it...  this might be the confidence I need...

[cindyleigh]

the very best red wine vinegar I've had has been made at home by italian immigrants... so I've always wanted to try it...  this might be the confidence I need...

It is delicious and a fun gift for friends.  The basic rules (1) despite what some instructions state, do NOT dilute the wine with water when starting your culture, add only wine, always;  (2) for real red wine vinegar add only red wine...no white, no rose;  (3) it's okay to add oxidized wine (old wine that is turning to vinegar), but never add "flawed" wine ...wine that is corked or has excess Brett or is too reductive (sulfer odor).

Good luck!

[RioG]

re: the SD starter -I have some in my fridge, but I haven't fed it in weeks (like 6?) because I forgot.  Is it dead?  I'm kind of askeered to open it for what the smell might be.

[cindyleigh]

re: the SD starter -I have some in my fridge, but I haven't fed it in weeks (like 6?) because I forgot.  Is it dead?  I'm kind of askeered to open it for what the smell might be.

You can probably revive it.  If the top liquid part is dark, pour it off (will contain alcohols that can inhibit the yeast resurrection) and stir in flour/water ....leave for one day, decant all but 1/4 and re-feed ...repeat until you see bubbles.

[RioG]

You can probably revive it.  If the top liquid part is dark, pour it off (will contain alcohols that can inhibit the yeast resurrection) and stir in flour/water ....leave for one day, decant all but 1/4 and re-feed ...repeat until you see bubbles.

cool - it is dark.  so what does decant mean?

[cindyleigh]

cool - it is dark.  so what does decant mean?

Dump it (or use it as a levain to make a loaf, but you will need to add yeast...levain is a small piece of  leftover dough used as a starter for the next loaf).