I had a “pet” bread starter many years ago that I kept for about a decade. I am trying to start a new one but having no success whatsoever in starting it from the grocery store yeast. I definitely do not want a sourdough starter, something very refined like “Clyde the 1st.” He came from one of those “Friendship Bread” starters that used to get passed around churches and offices back in the 80’s. I haven’t seen one since the 90’s.
“Clyde the 2nd” was just an attempt to start a colony from a packet of Fleischmann’s. My plan was to slowly wean it off of sugar and on to flour and potato starch, but I couldn’t keep it alive more than a couple of days. It just grew way too aggressively. The packet yeast also isn’t giving me good results in my new bread machine - Celtling says the bread tastes “too yeasty.”
So, any ideas? There are a million places online to order a sourdough starter, but I’m not finding anything that would work for, say French Bread.
Actually the Friendship bread thing wen through my office a couple months ago. I don’t know of anyone who is still feeding starter, though. Did you try the starter recipe? I’d try that for two weeks before you start messing with the yeast’s habitat. Amish Friendship Bread Starter
Original recipe makes 4 cups of starter Change Servings
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk
Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
On days 2 through 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 through 9; stir only.
Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).
Though it may not be as refined as you’re looking for, consider making a while starter from organic blueberries or grapes. You may well end up with great flavors.
I grew a starter that isn’t particularly sour. I started with 2TBS whole wheat King Arthur flour, and 2 TBS water. Mix into a slurry and store in a sealed mason jar.
Each day, add another 2TBS flour/water until it starts to bubble. Each day after this, remove half of the ‘mother mixture’ and replace with equal parts flour/water.
You can simply add to the mother to build to the desired volume. Store in the fridge.
When you want to bake bread, remove from the fridge the night before, and allow to warm (and reactivate). Use as your levain (yeast). After you’ve removed what you’re going to use for baking, refresh with equal parts water/flour and store in the fridge.
Feed daily if kept on the counter, once every 2 weeks if in the fridge.
Depending on what yeasts/bacteria are on the flour you use, you may end up with a nice natural starter that isn’t particularly sour. If you want to increase the sour, start your bread dough as a wet ‘biga’ and allow to rise slowly in the refrigerator for a few days before final mixing, proofing and baking.
I’ve used a couple different starters. It seems Peter Reinhart, from whence most of my knowledge comes, doesn’t use standard terms, so let’s dismiss with barm vs. poolish. Essentially, a starter can be as simple as dough from the last batch, refrigerated and aged a bit to develop flavor. You can feed it or freeze it. My advice would be to use some from a French bread dough you like. PM me if you need a recipe or two–I bake a lot and have several.
