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?
I have been using a sourdough starter for about a year now and love the
bread it produces. I never add milk. I maintain about 3 cups of the starter
at all times in the refrig in a glass bowl(I think from Corning) that has a
flat glass top loose fitting. I take the starter out and refresh in a
larger bowl by adding 1 cup white flour and 1 cup water. After sitting 3
hours it is bubbling and about a third larger. I stir it down to get rid of
some of the air, pour off 1.5 cups to use in a 5-6 cup bread (This includes
the 1 cup of flour in the starter). I stick the remaining starter back in
the refrig until the next day when the origonal bowl is clean. Before
putting the starter back in the origonal bowl, I add 2 heaping tablespoons
of rye flour (It seems to like the rye as food to hold it over until the
next refreshment.) I make a sour dough bread once a week.
This method is simple and has worked consistenly. The starter is very
lively and strong. The origonal culture was from a friend who just
fermented flour and water from the yeast and bacteria in the air. It is a
true New Jersey sour dough.
Lloyd