A while ago I resurrected a starter from some dried culture someone gave
me. After several weeks of subculturing (1 cup flour + 1 cup water + 1
tbsp. starter once a week) I finally got it to the point where it was ready
to use. I used one cup of starter culture to which I added three cups of
white bread flour in a standard ABM-type sourdough recipe.
The starter, however, turned the dough into the stickiest stuff I've ever
experienced. I mean like white Henry's roofing compound. It never formed
a ball, even when I added another cup of flour; it just loaded down the
mixing motor until I was afraid it would burn out. That stuff was soooo
sticky! Like white taffy. Like the stuff you'd like to use to tar and
feather those photographers who were chasing Princess Di. I mean, _really_
sticky. I aborted the run and spent about twenty minutes (I exaggerate
not!) cleaning the stuff out of my supposedly non-stick bread machine pan.
I had little glops of the stuff hanging off the hairs on my forearms for
days! I ended up having to cut them off with scissors.
Just wondering if anyone has ever had that happen. I subsequently was able
to use about a quarter-cup to make a sort of passable loaf (really crumbly,
dry texture, faint sourdough aroma) but I've never had sourdough starter
turn into such a mess. Any ideas what happened?
I still have the stuff in the 'fridge, and I'm contemplating trying it again.
Any comments appreciated.
Quinn
Laguna Niguel, CA