| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Mar 31 2018 : 05:58:35 AM
I started my Mother this morning and she is snuggled under her damp tea towel on my counter. I made a list of six days with morning and evening times to check off when I feed her. I don't want to forget her daily feedings.
She is just inches away from two jars I have fermenting - asparagus - snack size tomatoes. I have one bank of cabinets against one wall so counter space is limited. Will have to wait and see have they all cohabitate. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 6:56:40 PM
Joan, hopefully a fresh start will be the answer. I hope your proofer arrives soon!
Sara, the refrigerator mother phase is great! Less daily maintenance and more flexibility in the types/styles of breads you can make. |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 2:54:31 PM
Joan I know you are looking forward to having the proofer and I am looking forward to hearing about your successes making wild bread.
My mother is perking along but I am so ready for her to be matured enough to chill out in the fridge. |
| Joan H |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 1:53:18 PM
Thank you Ashley. I am in NE Virginia and although it’s been on the dry side, for us, last week when it warmed up it was humid too. At your suggestion I was spending more time stirring it with each feeding. Maybe that’s why it was smelling less vinegary. I agree about the microbes being out of balance! I dumped it out and will start again when the proofer arrives. Fingers crossed! |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 10:16:12 AM
Hi Joan,
I’m sorry to hear about your most recent Bake Day. It sounds like you’re following all of the steps and I understand that at this point, the process has become frustrating to say the least. Temperature could be the issue here, and on top of that, it really sounds like your mother has formed a lot of lactic acid (the result of active lacto-bacteria) and not so much yeast, which could be due to temperature issues. Sylvia makes a good point about humidity—63° in a humid climate versus a dry climate feels much colder, and could hinder the development of wild yeast. Lacto-bacteria isn’t quite as finicky about temperature, which would account for that being over-established in your mother. The fact that your mother smells a little less vinegary this week is promising. The problem with these two thing being out of balance is that both are seeking the same “food” in your mother—the starches. With over-active lacto-bacteria, it consumes the food, starving out the wild yeast.
I’m trying to think of ways to encourage more yeast growth. Stirring your mother for a little longer as I said last week helps, along with doing your best to stabilize your room temperature will help. As Sylvia pointed out, your mother is a little slower due to temperatures, and the breads do take along time to rise, especially in the beginning. Individual environmental factors have a great impact on this timeline, as your mother is ultimately a product of your environment. The shipping delay on your proffer is unfortunate, because it sounds like you could really benefit from it. |
| Joan H |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 09:48:03 AM
Thank you, Sylvia. I have an old candle warmer with a hot, maybe halogen?, bulb in it. I was placing it near, and even over, my bowl for periods of time, but no real change so I stopped doing that. I don’t have a seed mat and my range hood has LEDs. Last week, when it was bake day for me, the house temp got to nearly 80 and I thought Oh Yay, but the dough in the baking bowls didn’t rise, maybe due to the temps the previous week being so chilly. This past week was chilly again! I think I’ll just toss this out and wait for the proofer to arrive in a week or so then start all over. |
| Sylvia Jacobus |
Posted - Apr 22 2018 : 09:34:35 AM
The proofer makes a difference. Sourdough takes a long time to raise dough. Your starter may be okay just slow de to your house temp. I know, I live in wet western WA and the proofer is a godsend. My kitchen is usually at 63º whjich doesn't raise bread very well. Do you have a seed warming mat? or an incandescent lamp? I replaced my LED bulb over my kitchen island with incandescents and put my dough higher to get the warmth and it's around 70º, Much better. |
| Joan H |
Posted - Apr 21 2018 : 3:35:20 PM
Waiting on success, but no.
Today was technically my fourth bake day. As I wrote a week ago, my mother has not progressed properly. The tangy smell remains, not as much like vinegar as before but not what I would call yeasty either. I have read the book over and over and cannot figure out the problem. I’m using the Organic Kamut from Montana. I am using purchased distilled water. I change the towel two or three times per week, it is always damp. I never miss a feeding. My mother feels a bit foamy when I stir, always for one to two minutes, but no real bubbling going on. Today I again tried the bowl loaves, added the honey, salt and flour in the correct proportions. No bubbles, no rising whatsoever! I feel so low now, all the time and money spent on getting it right!! The only shortcoming I can identify is having a cool house, usually a bit less than 70 degrees. I do try to create a warm place for the mother, placing it in a sunny window, or near the stove when the oven is on. My pricey proofer was backordered and has not arrived, but should raising the temperature 5 degrees or so make all the difference? I would just give up except for the financial investment! |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Apr 09 2018 : 06:22:32 AM
Music to my ears. Reading retention!!!!! It's becoming an old-fashioned trait/desire/skill. People are wanting how-to instructions in a single Twitter post these days. I get things like, "Tell me how to farm," or "Tell me how to take care of a milk cow" (in 140 characters or less).
Yup, I just tuck mother's flour-sack towel all around her into the water kind of like a shawl whilst I'm feeding and stirring her. Then, I just pull it back over the top of her bowl and tuck the edges in. I've learned to make sure there aren't any stray bits of towel not tucked in because it will wick water out onto the counter and you'll wake up to a puddle of water on your counter. Remember, ALL tucked in, with a single loving glance as you walk away. |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 08 2018 : 06:46:15 AM
Thanks MaryJane you made my morning.
When I first started Mother I hadn't really looked at the pictures and I should of cause I was making it so much harder for me. Each time I went to feed her I removed the damp towel - put it on wax paper that I had placed in the sink. Fed her then put the towel back on and checked the water level. Sometime around Wed or Thurs (can't remember which) I was looking at the pictures for make Mother and there it was - the damp towel was pulled up on one side - gathered across the top of the bowl to the other side and pushed down tucking it around the bowl. No more taking it off and putting on wax paper. From now on I will look very closely at the pictures and read every word before I begin a new recipe. |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Apr 07 2018 : 3:24:22 PM
Yay, Sara. I'm lovin' your mother's daily diary:) |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 07 2018 : 09:17:44 AM
Had pancakes for brunch and I like them. I nibbled on the first one as I cooked the others. Gave Annie a taste then I couldn't get her out of the kitchen so she got another bite.
Mother is fed and in clean bowl so she is happy. The next six days should go much better than the first ones did. I now know how to keep Mother warm.
I put the leftover Mother into freezer safe 8oz jelly jars. |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 05 2018 : 11:47:35 AM
Sara, I'm glad you found a solution for keeping your mother warm. :)
Janelle, I agree that there are just too many interesting things to do instead of being idle. I think the best "down time" is when I am doing something that interests me and is also productive in some way. |
| Nelle |
Posted - Apr 05 2018 : 07:56:46 AM
Good for you, Sara! I wondered about the controversy about having different cultured things going next to each other. I have kombucha neighboring my mother and they seem friendly!
And Ashley...my ideal she shed would involve sewing and herbs! I have way too many things that interest me to sit around with my feet up...although there is time for that while I am learning via the internet, like right now! Lol! Maybe an awesome chair in there...?
You know they say necessity is the mother of invention...I like to look around and see if there isn’t something I already have that could have a multi purpose, rather than have to buy and store another gadget. Improvise! I make yogurt (have for years) in a glass gallon jar which I set inside a 2 gallon water cooler, which has a good inch or so clearance around the jar that I can fill with hot water. It works great! I keep thinking of that in connection with sourdough mother... |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 05 2018 : 04:35:16 AM
Overnight with top heat did wonders for Mother - she's looking good - more bubbling. Being next to fermenting veggies hasn't affected her or them. They're lined up 1,2,3 and all doing their own thing. Life is good in my kitchen this morning. |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 4:57:22 PM
I like the conversation and ideas on this thread.
Top heat was the answer. Fed Mother evening feeding and there was bubbles with no skin. |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 2:18:46 PM
Ha! There's all of this hullabaloo about man caves and she sheds. What if instead of a place built solely to "kick your feet up", a person created a strand of functional, useful caves? Off the top of my head, I could use one for bread, cheese, and sewing. 
I've been thinking about ways to create a low, constant temperature, without a proofer, and a cooler did cross my mind. It would keep the mother at a consistent temperature, but finding one that's the right size could be tricky. |
| Nelle |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 11:18:19 AM
I love the ingenuity! Ashley, your bread cave gives me ideas! We have a Coleman ice chest that is approx. 3’ x 1.5’ that I think has potential...I’m thinking that a yogurt maker set inside might get me a nice steady low (controlled) temp... We are a household of 8, so when I make bread...it’s usually 5-6 loaves at a time. I need a big bread cave! I will definitely want to get a thermometer...I hadn’t thought of that! |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 10:12:07 AM
Ashley the towel is always damp. |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 10:09:41 AM
It's a good sign that your mother is bubbly, and the little gnats are a bother, but another sign that your mother is active. The skin on top stirs back in easily enough, but there has to be a way to keep her warm without drying out. Has your towel been staying damp between feedings?
Your method for placing the heating pad on top might be a little less heat for your mother, so it could eliminate the skin problem. Keep us posted! |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 04 2018 : 07:14:31 AM
Ashley, morning one with garden heat mat. Mother did okay during the night but like with the stove warmer a thin skin form on part of her. I stirred it into the Mother and she bubbled.
Test #2. I took Mother off heat mat and put a cooling rack on top of her and put heat mat on that. The cooling rack is upside down so there is room for air to get to Mother. Hopefully the heat mat will warm her just enough without forming a skin.
There is life because nasty little gnats are flitting between her and the fermenting veg. Guess it's time to put out a glass of wine. |
| Ashley |
Posted - Apr 03 2018 : 11:58:34 AM
I'm anxious to hear how your heating pad works out Sara. I love all of the ideas for keeping the mother warm. Bread proofers are really nice and provide a wonderful controlled environment for keeping your mother warm and proofing breads, but sometimes a little ingenuity is necessary. Often in my house, if I'm worried about temperature fluctuations, I'll use my laundry room. The room is small, but has a wall heater, so can stay really warm if I keep the door closed. I even made a faux counter that spans my washer and dryer to give me extra space. This is nice because I can keep my mother and proofing breads at a consistent temperature (especially handy for breads in pans that do not fit in the proofer). I even keep a thermometer in the room just so I know the temperature is staying consistent. I think of it as my custom bread-proofing cave. :) |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Apr 03 2018 : 07:15:15 AM
Janelle, we have floor heat also. Sure do love it. |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Apr 03 2018 : 07:14:37 AM
Progress! Hopefully, mother will thrive and you can keep a watchful eye on Annie. It's always a juggling act in any household. |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Apr 03 2018 : 06:27:34 AM
Janelle, the bread proofer would be a nice addition to any bread making kitchen. For now I can just dream about it.
Fed Mother at 7a.m. and she is bubbling away. Heat mat should be here for her evening feeding so I can get her off the top of my stove and back on the counter. It's warmer today so I may not need the heat mat until tonight. My kitchen would probably be warmer but I leave kitchen door to the back deck open, there is a storm door, when Annie my dog is in back yard. I like to keep an eye on her because she is quite protective of her backyard and will bark at anyone close to her fence. |
| Nelle |
Posted - Apr 02 2018 : 11:30:12 AM
That bread proofer looks lovely! Our home stays a pretty steady 70 degrees. Our heat is via water circulating in tubing in the floors and there is tile in the basement bathroom that stays toastier than elsewhere. So when mother needs a little TLC, (don’t laugh!) she goes to the bathroom! Haha! We have lots of heat and humidity in the summer, but are spoiled with central air. Bread dough or loaves kind of play musical chairs/rooms here. I think that proofer would be dandy! |
