primitives discuss mold on starters

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x74767

Oh my.

The predicaments in which the primitives find themselves.

First, unevenly-sliced bread, and now this.

Inchworm  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-04-10 06:38 PM
Original message
 
Mold on top of my starter...

I accidentally left my sourdough starter on the table.. hidden.. for about 2 weeks.

The kitchen is usually a comfy 45-50 degrees.

Mold has formed a bit on the very top, and I'm not certain which to do.

1. stir it in

2. scrape off then stir

3. toss it (really not an option because it would be like I let a 100+ year old baby die)

Any tips?

PS: I want cinibuns asap

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-04-10 08:12 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE; #09 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2009
Response to Original message

1. Toss it

What you see on the surface is only a small part of what is really there. The mycelium stretches far away from the surface and is probably all through the starter by now. Some molds aren't toxic but they usually impart an unpleasant flavor.

Use yeast for your cinnamon buns.

housewolf  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-04-10 08:43 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. You MIGHT be able to restore it

It's iffy, but this MIGHT work for you -

First of all, do NOT stir the starter! Scrape off all the mold you can see and as much of the top layer as you can.

Remove a couple tablespoons of starter from as close to the bottom as you can and put them in another container.

Add 1 cup of 75 degrees water, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour, and proof for exactly 24 hours at 72-77 degrees. Refrigerate for no less than 12 hours, then repeat. Do this several times - as many as 4 or 5 repetitions (start by dumping out all but about 1 - 2 tbls of starter and then add the water & flour so that you're not accumulating starter).

You'll also need to thoroughly clean and sterilize your original container before using it for sourdough starter again.

What this accomplises is sort of "washing" the starter. The hope is that there are enough uncontaminated microbes in the bottom of the polluted container and that they are actie and strong enough to over-power any mold microbes that might be there.

It might not work. It depends on how much the mold took over. But then again it might work, in which case you will have managed to rescue your beloved starter for nothing more than the price of a few cups of flour and some time. And there is a possibility that the mix of microbes might change and you'll have a different starter from what you had before.

If you get it going again, it might be a good idea to dry some of it to save as a backup just in case you need it some time.

Just going down to the grocery store and picking up a package of cinnamon rolls would be cheaper, easier, and cleaner.  And no mold.

[The Village Idiot]

3. toss it (really not an option because it would be like I let a 100+ year old baby die)

When did they ever have a problem with babies dying? Whats a 100-year old baby anyway?

[Celtic Rose]

3. toss it (really not an option because it would be like I let a 100+ year old baby die)

The DUmmies get worked up about the oddest things.  This one is emotionally attached to a sourdough starter. 

Note to the DUmmies, you no longer live on the frontier.  Making a new sourdough starter is a perfectly valid option. And if we are going to compare it to a baby, you are the one that left it hidden on the table for two weeks.  You do that with a baby, and it really will die.  Maybe you could try actually cleaning off your table before you do anything with your starter.   

Sourdough bread making looks like an interesting hobby, and one I would like to try someday, but the DUmmies are insane. 

[The Village Idiot]

Who leaves dough out for 2 weeks? Is  that normal? I wouldn't know. My bread products come from bakeries, they sell whatever the pot heads don't steal and make sure to look under the delivery truck every morning just in case.

 

[Celtic Rose]

Who leaves dough out for 2 weeks? Is  that normal? I wouldn't know. My bread products come from bakeries, they sell whatever the pot heads don't steal and make sure to look under the delivery truck every morning just in case.

 

Definitely not normal.  Considering his description of how it was "hidden" on the table, I would think twice before eating anything prepared in his kitchen.

[Splashdown]

Who leaves dough out for 2 weeks? Is  that normal? I wouldn't know. My bread products come from bakeries, they sell whatever the pot heads don't steal and make sure to look under the delivery truck every morning just in case.

 

3 days or so is the norm for sourdough. All the starter does is keep the yeast alive and active until it's ready to use.

There's an old tradition (I forget the ethnicity) that says that the marriage will last as long as the sourdough starter. It isn't unheard of for people to use the same starter for years--even decades. You add to it and change it every day or so.

I have some pretty serious bakers in my family.

If the DUmmie cared about the "100 year old baby," she prolly shouldn't have let it go that long. Sourdough starter is pretty resistant to spoilage, by its very nature.

[Alpha Mare]

a comfy 45-50 degrees.

We call that "winter" in these parts.

[The Village Idiot]

I saw a show on Discovery where the yeast was kept in a cooler or something and the company had been using the same yeast for many decades.

but not on a table top.

[GOBUCKS]

The kitchen is usually a c***y 45-50 degrees.

She must cook on the back porch. Even a brain dead DUmmy would be uncomfortable in a 45 degree room.

[LC EFA]

Quote
Inchworm  (1000+ posts)        Thu Feb-04-10 06:38 PM
Original message
 
...

2. scrape off then stir smoke it !

...

[/quote]

Fixed.