From: dixon@spot.Colorado.EDU (Life is real?)
Subject: Re: Starting a Starter from Local Atmosphere!
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 14:53:45 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.182321.14987@henson.cc.wwu.edu> pamhall@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Pamela Hall) writes:
>
>Hello everyone!
>
> [stuff deleted]
>
>Well, Tuesday at 6:00pm I mixed together some flour (all purpose white
>flour) and warm water, stirred vigorously and let it sit (set) all night.
>I stirred it again (vigorously) twice during the following day, and by
>9:00 pm Wednesday night it was *full* of bubbles!  According to the FAQ
>about STARTERS, I shouldn't have expected many (if any) bubbles quite so
>soon.  It was also somewhat "puffy."  [I'm not sure if that's the word
>I should use.]

Excellant!  In most cases, it takes longer than that, but it sounds like
the 'local atmosphere' in your area is teeming with yeasties right now
and your starter was quick in starting...I love that warm fall weather!

>
>Anyway, I'm *completely* new at this and I want to know if something is 
>wrong, or is everything completely right!  I put the flour/water mixture
>in a wide glass bowl (uncovered) so it has lots of surface area exposed
>to the air.  I placed it in a corner of the room by a window (the sun
>shines quite nicely through the window and warms the room, but the sun
>does not shine directly on the dough).   Is all of this ok?

Yes, all is FINE!

>
>I'm not even quite sure I know what the mixture is supposed to smell like!
>Maybe I'll buy some storemade sourdough bread, smell that and try to make
>a comparison.  Well, I also don't know how many bubbles is "enough."
>Mine has about 120 small bubbles on the surface (the bowl is about 6" in
>diameter) plus bubbles under the surface.  According to everything I've
>read in the FAQ (I have no other sources!) this is ok.
>

The mixture probably won't smell like the sourdough in the store, or even
the sourdough bread produced from your starter...the smell/flavor changes
a bit when it's baked and mixed with other ingredients.

>Oh, one other thing.  Is it possible for this mixture to go bad?  I mean,
>well, I don't know what I mean!  Is it possible that I'm not collecting/growing 
>any lacto bacilli, etc, and something else is happening?  I know that's a
>dumb question, but I'm a novice!  My house is also about 50 years old and
>kind of musty (ugh!)--does that make a difference?  Should I sit the 
>mixture by an open window?
>

Your starter should now have both yeast and lacto bacilli in it, since both
exist in the air by the billions.  It may even contain other microorganisms
right now too, but not to worry.  The yeast and lacto bacilli will form
a symbiotic relationship that'll drive the other beasties out of existence
(relatively so anyway).  I wouldn't worry about the musty house, and no,
an open window won't hurt a thing.  If anything, the open window is a good
idea since it'll help get a fresh supply of flora to the starter.  I'd
let the starter continue to age a bit longer until it appears to have died
down just a bit, i.e. less bubbling action, then try feeding it: 1 cup of
the new starter, plus 1 cup warm water, and 1 1/2 cups fresh all-purpose
white flour, and proof it covered at 85 degrees for 12 hours.  This feed/proof
will show you if your starter is really healthy or not and it'll help move
it towards a stable state.  The smell may be anywhere from slightly sour
to a strong sour.  I suspect that since yours took off so quickly and showed
reasonably good bubble concentration that you already have a good colony
of yeast growing in it, so I wouldn't expect it to be super sour or 'flat'
like I mentioned in the FAQ, i.e. you needn't worry about having a really
high lacto bacilli count combined with a really low yeast count.  It really
sounds like your starter is well on the way.  Try the feeding thing and
check it's status according to the FAQ, i.e. frothy top, bubbles on top
and below the surface...it should be obviously healthy.  Then, assuming it
passes this test, try making a simple white bread dough and checking the
rise time...I'll bet my bottom dollar that after the initial feeding (maybe
plus one more?) that your new starter will rise the bread to double in about
2 to 2.5 hours.

Congratulations on your success!

Brian D.