NorthStarKennels@aol.com wrote:
>A friend told me of occassionally adding milk rather than water when
>refreshing starter for sourdough---any advice from the seasoned sourdough
>bakers on the list?
Some people do it, but I can't recommend it.
It adds a big variable to your starter, and you are depending on the
starter to prevent milk putrefaction. If you ignore your starter too long,
you could have a real problem. Spoiled milk can be dangerous.
As a result, I prefer to avoid adding anything other than water and flour
to my starters. There are people who will tell you that their mother and
grandmother did it for years, and no one got sick. And I'm sure they are
right. But, I still prefer to avoid adding milk to starter.
I have no problem with adding milk to dough, or using milk in dough. The
issue here is the length of time between the milk is used until it is
baked. Once baked, it's pretty stable again.
Some experienced bakers add a bit of salt to slow the speed of the
starter. I haven't found that necessary with any of my starters, but your
mileage may vary.
Mike
--
Mike Avery
MAvery@mail.otherwhen.com