I tried Peter Reinhart's starter from Bread Baker's Apprentice. After 24 hours it was just slightly expanded. I added the additional flour and water as instructed, and it went wild (no pun). In the morning it had more than doubled, blown off the plastic, and run out on the counter. I threw out about half of it and fed the rest. Trying to slow it down, I used 2.5 oz. water and 5 oz KAF bread flour instead of 4.0 and 4.5 per the instructions. Now it's not doing anything at all. I don't know the actual temperature of my kitchen, but it's probably in the 70s (F). Did I kill it? Should I just toss it and start over? The formula indicates that it should be a stiff starter, but with close to 100% water, how can that be? Well, I'd love any suggestions folks have.
Hi Diulin,
What you are preparing now is the seed culture. It is almost ready. After a quiet day it will rise again. That is normal for the method that you used, for liquid and very soft consistency starters.
It the book there is a typo. It should have been 1 cup of rye flour and 1/4 to 1/3 cup water for a stiff ball of rye dough thoroughly rubbed and kneaded by hand, the initial culture. Then, 24hours later, you add to it a cup of bread flour and 1/2cup water, knead by hand, etc. And it will slowly begin to rise and rise higher and higher with each refreshment.
You can both test the recipe as written, starting with a ball of very stiff rye dough kneaded by hand, and continue with your very soft culture, feeding it, stirring it with a spoon, until it rises. You will learn to create starters both ways.
The method from the book, starting stiff, with dark rye, then softening the dough as you go, switching to wheat, and kneading by hand is a professional method taught to the bread bakers apprentices in France.
These are simply two different methods and the starters they give behave a bit differently in time. One rises nonstop, each day higher and higher, while another tends to be very active initially, then calms down, then rises again.