Greetings from Texas - A few questions...

darwinhoel

Hello all, My name is Darwin from the San Antonio, Texas area.  About two weeks ago I got a starter going using King Arthur AP flour and bottled water. Things are going very well with it and I have made several batches of Pancakes and one batch of 100% sourdough biscuits (no BP or BS) They were better than I had hoped for and I'm looking forward to perfecting them in the coming months.

I have been reading as much as I can about sourdough both in a few cookbooks I have as well as on line. I have come to realise that there is a large amount of conflicting inforamation on the subject which has left me with a few questions that I would like to have answers to. I thought this community might be able to help.

Most all instructions for making a starter explain that all the yeast and nessesary bacteria are already in the flour that you use to make the starter. I have also read where the airborne Yeast and bacteria are what start it all bubbling away.

I have also read that no matter what starter you use the local yeast and bacteria will eventually take over the starter and become your own unique blend and then read that once a starter is established it won't change.

 

Questions:

 

1. Can I collect local Yeast and bacteria to make a truly unique starter without the flour adding to the mix?

2. If I were to buy a culture online from say... Polish or Finish origins, would that remain pure over time? Would my flour change it?

3. Will my starter get better/ripen/evolve over time and improve it's flavor and strength? Or is it, all it will be, in a week?

Thank you in advance for some clarity...

 

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farinam's picture
farinam 2015 September 8
<p>Hello Darwin,</p> <p>I don't think that airborne factors contribute much. It is pretty much all down to the flour unless you add other yeast bearing factors.</p> <p>The same yeasts and bacteria exist in any culture no matter where it comes from though the proportions might vary depending on conditions. So I imagine that a culture from any source will change if the source of yeast and bacteria (e.g. flour) changes and if it is kept under different conditions of hydration temperature and feeding regime.</p> <p>I think a culture does mature with time but it is probably never perfectly stable either for the reasons outlined above.</p> <p>Good luck with your projects.</p> <p>Farinam</p>

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