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Re: Fungi on the sour dough

RossGW <RossGW@aol.com>
Mon, 12 Jan 1998 01:26:02 EST
v098.n004.14
In a message dated 98-01-11 07:46:16 EST, you write:

>  
>  From: "Paco Echalar" <echalar@uninet.com.br>
>  Subject: Fungi on the sour dough
>  Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 12:40:56 -0200
>  
>  Dear all,
>  
>  I have been trying to
>  make a "pain au levain" using a recipe from a frech
>  edition of Linda Collister's "The Bread Book". I stop
>  always at the first step:
>  
>  I mix 230g of flour with 250 ml of warm water, cover the bowl
>  with a wet cloth and let it stand by for 3 days, wetting the
>  cloth again every day.
>  
>  - the dough sours all right;
>  - but in the second day I notice always
>  white spots of fungi growing on it.
>  
>  Could someone tell me what is wrong or give me a tip?
>  
>  Thank you very much
>  
>  Paco Echalar
>  echalar@uninet.com.br
>  

Mr. Echalar,

This sounds like a classic "sourdough from nature" recipe. A question: do you
stir the batter every day? As your sponge captures yeast from the air, the
yeast microorganisms  will begin growing on the surface. You need to mix the
yeast into the sponge for it to leaven the whole sponge. If you do not stir
the sponge, two factors will come into play. First, the yeast will not get
incorporated into the sponge (the interior of which is its ideal growing
environment). Second, certain other opportunistic microorganisms will be able
to flourish on the surface of the sponge -- thus the white fungus spots.
(These same microorganisms would not do so well if stirred into the sponge.)

But even if you are stirring your sponge daily, I would guess that this is not
a problem. My inclination would be to simply spoon off the spots, and stir the
sponge down!

Any sourdough experts (or microbiologists) out there with any thoughts on the
subject?

Best of luck,
Gregory Ross