Seed Culture

Directions

1. 1
   Day 1: Mix the flour and juice together in a bowl until they form a ball of dough.
2. 2
   Do not worry if the dough is stiff or soft, but be sure that all the flour is hydrated.
3. 3
   Press this piece of dough into a 4-cup measuring beaker and place a piece of tape on the beaker to mark the top of the dough.
4. 4
   Cover the beaker with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.
5. 5
   Day 2: The dough should not have risen much, if at all, during this time.
6. 6
   In a mixing bowl, combine the Day 2 ingredients with the Day 1 sponge, mixing with your hand or a spoon until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
7. 7
   The dough will be somewhat softer and wetter than the Day 1 sponge.
8. 8
   Return this to the beaker, pressing it down, and replace the old tape with a new piece of tape to mark the spot.
9. 9
   Cover with plastic wrap and ferment for 24 hours at room temperature.
10. 10
    Do not be put off by the strong aroma of the dough; it will eventually brighten.
11. 11
    Day 3: Check to see if there has been a rise in the dough.
12. 12
    There will probably be some fermentation but not a lot, perhaps a 50 percent rise.
13. 13
    Regardless, discard half of the starter (or give it to a friend to cultivate), and mix the remaining half with the Day 3 ingredients.
14. 14
    It will be a little wetter.
15. 15
    Again, return it to the beaker.
16. 16
    It should press down to the same height as on Day 2.
17. 17
    Re-tape the beaker to mark the top of the dough, cover, and ferment for 24 hours.
18. 18
    Day 4: The sponge should have at least doubled in size; more is even better.
19. 19
    If it is still sluggish and hasnt doubled in size, allow it to sit out for another 12 to 24 hours.
20. 20
    Otherwise, discard half of the starter and mix the remaining half with the new ingredients, returning it to the beaker as before.
21. 21
    Cover and ferment until it at least doubles in size.
22. 22
    This may take 4 to 24 hours.
23. 23
    It is okay if it triples in size, but because it is now fairly soft and spongelike, it will not be able to sustain that large of a rise without falling.
24. 24
    If it falls easily when you tap the beaker, that is the sign that your seed culture is ready to be turned into a barm, or mother starter.
25. 25
    Before embarking on the wild-yeast adventure, be sure to review the discussion on pages 6566.
26. 26
    If you want to make a pure rye starter for 100 percent rye bread (rather than convert a regular starter as shown in most of the following rye-bread formulas), you can substitute white rye flour wherever the steps call for high-gluten or bread flour.
27. 27
    You can also make this seed culture with wheat flour alone, replacing the dark rye of Day 1 with unbleached bread flour or whole-wheat flour.
28. 28
    I find that the rye adds a more complex flavor and sort of jump-starts the process, but in the end the seed culture will develop regardless of the flour you use.
29. 29
    If you do not have pineapple juice or want to try using water, use filtered or spring water.
30. 30
    You can also substitute orange juice or even lemon juice.
31. 31
    The starter may or may not stay on the predicted feeding schedule, depending on the presence or absence of leuconostoc bacteria in your flour.
32. 32
    About 30% to 40% of starters end up with the leuconostoc problem, depending on the growing conditions in the wheat and rye fields that year.
33. 33
    However, if you aerate the starter a few times each day, the starter will eventually overcome any leuconostoc even without pineapple juice.
34. 34
    I have updated the original seed culture to account for a strain of leuconostoc bacteria that hinders many starters but generates lots of carbon dioxide in the early stage of a seed culture starter, making it seem that the wild yeast cells are growing rapidly.
35. 35
    I learned from a group of dedicated home bakers (all contributors to the King Arthur Flour Bakers Circle website) that the bacteria can be defeated by using pineapple juice on the first two days.