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HighRise
2 Posts
Chris
Denver
CO
USA
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 Posted - May 06 2020 : 09:34:01 AM
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Good morning - I am excited to join the WildBread community! About five years ago I was given some dried sourdough starter from a family member that started my experimenting and learning about sourdough baking.
I have since moved across the country from a warm and humid environment to my beloved dry and high home in Colorado, where I was born and always wanted to return!
Since I have family and friends who must eat gluten-free, I have begun my own quinoa sourdough starter with the help of the wonderful Wild Bread book. But I have lots of questions. I am in my 4th week of creating my quinoa Counter Mother and have been keeping a log along with photos to track her progress.
But here's where I'm reaching out for advice from those of you with much more experience: my quinoa Mother is TOO sour! After reading that quinoa can be rancid, I have been checking my flour before using and, while it tastes grassy, it is not rancid. But each loaf so far of beginner batter bread has gone onto the compost pile because it is inedible. The quinoa loaves are a gorgeous golden color, with beautiful crusts, but oh my, the pucker-inducing taste is not tasty! Help please! |
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - May 07 2020 : 10:44:16 AM
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Hi Chris,
Can you tell me how your breads are rising? I have two thoughts here:
The first is that if you're not seeing a whole lot of rise, the bacteria in your mother are producing too much lactic acid and out-competing the wild yeast. This can be caused by keeping your mother in a place that is on the chilly side. The easiest fix for this is to find a warmer spot to keep your mother, and stir it a little more at each feeding to help aerate it.
The second is that if you are seeing good rise at each Bake Day, that maybe you're just not a fan of the flavor of the breads in the Beginner Breads Section. Since they use a lot of mother, they do have a strong sourdough flavor, and this coupled with quinoa's own flavor can be strong. If your mother seems to be developed, what if you tried converting to a Refrigerator Mother and tried one of the recipes in the Advanced Breads Section to see if you find the flavor more palatable? |
Ashley Ogle |
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HighRise
2 Posts
Chris
Denver
CO
USA
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Posted - May 10 2020 : 12:42:53 PM
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Hi Ashley:
Thanks so much for your help! As to the rise issue, no, the third week was the first time there was just a bit of rise, maybe one-half inch. The breads have never gotten close to the top of the baking dishes, and our house is rather cool, so this makes all sorts of sense that my wild yeast is being bullied  by the lactic acid and a lack of aeration. I am about to make my Week #4 batter bread so I will see how it does, so your comments are very helpful.
My next step will be to convert to a Refrigerator Mother and try other recipes. Thank you so much!
quote:
Originally posted by Ashley
Hi Chris,
Can you tell me how your breads are rising? I have two thoughts here:
The first is that if you're not seeing a whole lot of rise, the bacteria in your mother are producing too much lactic acid and out-competing the wild yeast. This can be caused by keeping your mother in a place that is on the chilly side. The easiest fix for this is to find a warmer spot to keep your mother, and stir it a little more at each feeding to help aerate it.
The second is that if you are seeing good rise at each Bake Day, that maybe you're just not a fan of the flavor of the breads in the Beginner Breads Section. Since they use a lot of mother, they do have a strong sourdough flavor, and this coupled with quinoa's own flavor can be strong. If your mother seems to be developed, what if you tried converting to a Refrigerator Mother and tried one of the recipes in the Advanced Breads Section to see if you find the flavor more palatable?
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - May 11 2020 : 09:08:39 AM
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| You're welcome. I'm always happy to help! I hope your Bake Day goes better this week! I like how you phrased that your mother is being "bullied". Really, that's exactly what it is--the lactic-acid producing bacteria are so much more tolerant of cooler temps, so they eat all the food. :) |
Ashley Ogle |
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Newbie asking for help with Quinoa Counter Mother
