I recently have tried to make my own natural yeast start. I am using whole wheat flour that nothing has been added and nothing removed. I started with 2 tbsp. Pineapple juice and 2 tbsp flour. I did that for a couple of days per instructions. Then I started to see bubbles on like the 3rd day and on the flour I switched to taking 1:1:1 ratio for starter, filtered water and flour. I have tried finding the warm spot in my house but I don't know if that's my problem. The thermometer says it 75 degrees. I have even added 1/4 tsp of apple cider vinegar to wake the yeast up. I have gotten the dark liquid on top and it does smell very ripe and yeasty, but I'm not really getting the bubble activity that I have seen in photos. Am I just being impatient?
or by volume? IF you feed by weight then equal amounts of four and water, if you feed by volume then 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water. I don't remember any vinegar in D. Wink's instructions? Don't put it n. The pineapple juice is the acid and only for the first couple of days or so If I remember right. Yes you are being impatient - but aren't we all?
I would feed it some four to thicken it up so that no hooch (brown liquid) will form I'm guessing it is fine but too liquid to hold the bubbles in. Then leave it alone for awhile and see what it does before feeding again. Once it is going really good then toss some and feed it again.
Happy SD baking in the future:-)
"Am I just being impatient?"
Yes. It takes about ten days for the starter to really take off, and about a month for it to mature. I suggest you read Mike Avery site on starting a starter: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=starterprimer. Also Debra Winks postings: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10856/pineapple-juice-solution-part-1. and http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10901/pineapple-juice-solution-part-2.
I wish you the best. When you get a mature starter, spread some of it on a piece of parchment paper and let it dry out, then crumble it. and place it in a plastic bag and store it. If your starter goes bad, this dried starter will be a great starting point.
Ford
just keep on keeping on, and probably omit the vinegar and you'll be golden.
give it 24 hrs at 75°F (hang onto it until you make this test, don't be keen on dumping it, just feed it a tbs of flour each day after removing a sample for a test)
Tomorrow, when the 24hrs are up and it smells very yeasty. Take 10g or a tablespoon of the lower portion of the starter and combine with 100g water and 100g flour stir well and pack into a tall narrow glass, mark the level, cover loosely and allow to ferment and expand for the next 12 to 24 hrs. until it peaks in activity. The first few hours it should do nothing as the yeast multiplies, then it will dome and start bubbling and rising eventually flattening out and form a dimple in the surface before it starts to fall anytime after about 8 hrs. (in case you were wondering)
So you can be doing other things those first 8 hrs. After it falls, it can rise a second time but the first rise is what you want to notice. When the starter is falling from the first rise, remove a small amount and feed it adding water and flour, you don't need to repeat a 1 to 10 feed like the test (a 1:2 or a 1:4 feeding might be better feeding every 12 hours after the first peak. But the test will give you an idea as to the strength of the starter.
If it peaks under 12 hours, Super! It can be used for bread as well. If it takes closer to 24hrs to peak. Ignore it (dump it) and return to feeding the older starter culturing on the counter for a few more days with small additional daily feeds. Run a test later to compare.