Thread: Who bakes bread?

Killer yeasts are ubiquitous in the environment: They have been found in diverse habitats ranging from ocean sediment to decaying cacti to insect bodies and on all continents including Antarctica. However, environmental killer yeasts are poorly studied compared with laboratory and domesticated killer yeasts. Killer yeasts secrete so‐called killer toxins that inhibit nearby sensitive yeasts, and the toxins are frequently assumed to be tools for interference competition in diverse yeast communities. The diversity and ubiquity of killer yeasts imply that interference competition is crucial for shaping yeast communities. Additionally, these toxins may have ecological functions beyond use in interference competition. This review introduces readers to killer yeasts in environmental systems, with a focus on what is and is not known about their ecology and evolution. It also explores how results from experimental killer systems in laboratories can be extended to understand how competitive strategies shape yeast communities in nature. Overall, killer yeasts are likely to occur everywhere yeasts are found, and the killer phenotype has the potential to radically shape yeast diversity in nature.

The ecology of killer yeasts: Interference competition in natural habitats
Primrose J. Boynton

Originally Posted by boz

Starters from another era or culture
If have a starter and feed it King Arthur flour and then buy an Italian starter and feed it King Arthur flour won't the two starters become the same over time?

it's the yeast that does all the work. The flour should not matter unless you start adding other types of flour based on other wheat varieties or other grains. Even then the effect will be subtle.

Good tip on warming the starter jar.
While my oven light is still dead from the last self clean, I do have a cupboard that is warm due to the heat register under it.
Put my slow starter in ther last night after feeding and voila today.

Much more activity.
Glad I didn’t start over.. nearly there.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

it's the yeast that does all the work. The flour should not matter unless you start adding other types of flour based on other wheat varieties or other grains. Even then the effect will be subtle.

Adding to this, you add all purpose flour which has significantly less yeasts than whole wheat. Thatxs why you begin a starter with whole wheat.

I kinda picture it like medieval castle warfare, without being able to starve out those who have a foothold in there, it is difficult to get rid of them.

During this "shelter in place" era, I've become obsessed with surfing the web for bread
baking tips, especially sourdough. There sure is a lot of interesting stuff out there!

Today's "catch": https://breadtopia.com/
I also found a reference to this site on an old SRP posting from brother pinklather.

I especially liked this article on "Knead-No Knead" sourdough bread-making:
https://breadtopia.com/sourdough-tec...-vs-the-works/

Has anyone here ever used a clay pot cooker to bake a loaf in an electric oven?
I have a Schlemmertopf clay cooker that I've used a lot, but never for bread.
I'm going to try it, and I'd appreciate your comments.

Even more action since lunch time, next feedings not till 7 pm.
So, now that it’s active, do I stir it all back before pouring off and adding at each feeding?
Figure I’ll give it a few more days of active growth before I go to the fridge.

Thanks gents.

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Even more action since lunch time, next feedings not till 7 pm.
So, now that it’s active, do I stir it all back before pouring off and adding at each feeding?

Thanks gents.

Yes. Stir it down, add the feeding. Stir again.

When you get ready to put it in the fridge, catch it on the rise...don't wait until it settles
down. Don't feed it.

When you put it in the fridge, leave the top loose, or just covered with plastic wrap...you
don't want it to blow up your jar. After a day in the fridge, you can then tighten up the top.

I have an Emile Henry pot I bought to use exclusively with no knead artisan bread. I have an Electric Range and it comes out with perfection. You just knead (pun intended) to watch the preheating of the ceramic cause it can break if it's totally empty. Using clay can be dicey with heating.

Thanks Paul.
I ended up stirring to deflate and pouring off a cup for pancakes, then added back first water then flour and stirring.
Pancakes turned out very nice, almost cake like in consistency but not heavy. Mild sour, but still young culture I hear that’s normal.
Pretty happy with the taste, but the batter sure sucked up the milk, and seemed eager to rise. Batter was like mirangue when I tried to ladle it out..
Fun to experiment with this stuff though.

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Thanks Paul.
I ended up stirring to deflate and pouring off a cup for pancakes, then added back first water then flour and stirring.
Pancakes turned out very nice, almost cake like in consistency but not heavy. Mild sour, but still young culture I hear that’s normal.
Pretty happy with the taste, but the batter sure sucked up the milk, and seemed eager to rise. Batter was like mirangue when I tried to ladle it out..
Fun to experiment with this stuff though.

Mike,

Sourdough pancakes are a favorite in our house. If you want a more sour taste...and that's the way
we like them...try this:

The night before, in a large glass or ceramic bowl, mix your starter with ALL of the flour and water
called for in your pancake recipe. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap, and leave it to ferment
in a warm spot all night. By morning, it should have gone all the way through its rise, and then
settled back down to a pretty thin mixture. That's good!

In the morning, scoop out just 1/2 cup of the sour mixture. Put it in your starter jar, feed it 1/2cup
of water and 1/2cup of flour, and let it sit in a warm spot while you make breakfast, eat, and clean up.
That will give it time to "get going" again. And there's your starter.

Add the rest of the pancake recipe ingredients to the remainder of the sour mixture, and there's
your pancake batter.

When the new starter batch starts to bubble again...even a little bit...it's OK to go in the fridge.
Just cap it LOOSELY for a day...it will rise some...and then put the lid on tight.

At least once a week, take your starter out of the fridge, stir it, and feed it with 1 quarter cup
each of flour and water.

Or, if you're going to use the starter again soon, just leave the jar out at room temperature.
In fact, you can use it right away to start bread or biscuit dough. It should be good by bedtime.

We really like the extra sour pancakes. The batter comes out a bit thinner than you might
expect, and if you don't like that you can add a little flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you
get the consistency that you like.

We cook them fairly small...I use a 1/2C measure to dole it on to a big griddle. Make as many
as you can at one time, so a big batch is served hot.

My wife likes her pancakes thin. She adds fruit jam, rolls them up, and sprinkles them with
powdered sugar. Personally, I like my sourdough pancakes in a cowboy style that I learned
in Colorado: spread on a little peanut butter and a dose of maple syrup.

They'll stick to your ribs, pard!

Paul