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Salsagirl
7 Posts
Elisabeth
Thornton
CO
USA
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 Posted - Apr 14 2020 : 08:51:22 AM
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| At this point I’m over 5 weeks in on my mother and the last two bake days (week 4 and 5) my mother has failed the test to go to the fridge. It’s not changing height at all anymore. Full of bubbles but not rising any further. This morning it smells more sharp. Like light rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or some other chemical versus the light beer smell. And there is a slightly dark tinge to a fold in the center of the top. Like maybe a tiny bit of liquid there? It is weird. Like a shadow/optical illusion. Doesn’t look spotty like mold. I had it before one week and decided to proceed and made stuff with it (that didn’t kill us! #128521;). What’s going on here? Should I throw it all away and start over? And why does this starter seem to take so much longer to make real bread from than other instructions I’m seeing online? |
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Salsagirl
7 Posts
Elisabeth
Thornton
CO
USA
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Posted - Apr 14 2020 : 8:14:37 PM
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| I’m being advised elsewhere to change methods and discard at least half and increase feedings. Why do other methods discard so much and this one doesn’t? |
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - Apr 14 2020 : 10:17:13 PM
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The sharp, alcoholic smell of your mother would point to a lack of aeration. Are you covering your mother with a moist towel, and stirring it well at each feeding?
I'm not sure on the small, dark tinge you're talking about. Is this on the top of your mother, or the towel covering it?
As far as the refrigerator test goes, this is meant to be an easy way to see if your mother is ready to turn into a Refrigerator Mother, but the better benchmark is whether your Counter Mother is giving your breads a reliable and consistent rise week to week.
This method does not discard mother because the volume of mother is drawn down each Bake Day, and you start anew with 1/2 cup reserved mother on that day. The rest of the mother is used to bake breads and quick breads with rather than being destined for your waste bin or garbage disposal. The idea behind discarding mother is that drawing down the volume of your mother helps build the strength of the wild yeasts and bacteria. That's also why more feedings are best for a developing mother--to keep the bacteria and yeast in a steady supply of fresh food. Two times a day should be plenty, however, if you live in a particularly warm climate, increasing the number of feedings can be beneficial. |
Ashley Ogle |
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Salsagirl
7 Posts
Elisabeth
Thornton
CO
USA
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Posted - Apr 22 2020 : 08:49:45 AM
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| Thank you. Should I discard this batch then? I did start covering it with something else for a while out of laziness. (also thinking it would be ok because I don't think other methods use a wet cloth?). The past several days the smell has been diminishing, but the surface texture has changed. It's kind of bumpy/cottage cheesy in between the holes instead of smooth in between the holes like it was before. |
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - Apr 22 2020 : 09:12:34 AM
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| Is there any chance you could upload a picture of the top of your mother? |
Ashley Ogle |
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What’s going on??
