New Starters, New Disappointments :(



 Update on Sourdough Starters

On February 8th, 2021, I began a new set of sourdough starters. I made one control starter with just flour and water, and then I made an experimental starter containing flour, water, and an apple slice. Although I used a fresh apple slice instead of applesauce, I wanted to use the same fruit so that my research on cultures would apply to both sets of starters. I have continued to feed my original starters as well. The images below are from the first day I created my new starters. 













The image on the left shows the smooth surface of the new control starter just after I mixed the flour and water around 9:00 am. on February 8th. The image on the right is from the same date and time but shows the experimental starter. You can see the chunks of apple in this image. Over the course of a few days, I was able to continue mashing those up better until the experimental starter also exhibited a fairly smooth surface. 


OBSERVATIONS

On February 10th, the morning of my new starters' second feeding, both the new control starter and new experimental starter had risen! This was very exciting for me since my first set of sourdough starters have never risen. The image below is from February 10th, around 8:30 am. If you compare the new starters in this image to the sideview image above that was taken two days prior, you should be able to see major differences in the volumes and appearances.

Some of my observations from this day included changes in aromas, appearances, and consistencies. The new control starter had a very unpleasant smell. It was difficult to determine whether it smelled more like vinegar or vomit since the aroma was making me heave. The new experimental starter had a stronger smell than before, but it was not as unpleasant. It still smelled like apples. As you can likely see in the images, both starters had many bubbles present and had clearly risen. Their consistencies were almost fluffy, and stirring them was more difficult since they had become thicker and stickier. 



The image on the left shows the new control starter surface after rising, and the image on the right shows the surface of the new experimental starter after rising.


February 11th: My new starters did not rise again, and there were no changes in the original starters. I was so disappointed because I thought my new ones were going to be healthy. 

February 12th: During the 16th feeding of my original starters, I noticed there were small bubbles visible through the side of the control starter's cup. There were no changes in the original experimental starter or either of the new starters. 

This image was taken of the original control starter around
8:30 am. on February 12th. You may or may not be able to see the
tiny bubbles through the cup. This starter has continued to exhibit
bubbles similar to these almost everyday since. Below is a later
image of the same starter. 


This image was taken of the original control
starter around 8:30 am. on February 18th.

My new starters still have not risen again since that first time on February 10th. Both of my new starters, as well as my original starters, have had thin, sometimes watery consistencies. During the last three feedings, I have been adding an extra 1/2 TSP of flour to each of the starters. Their consistencies have thickened slightly. I am still hopeful that at least one of them will rise again. 


CHALLENGES

I still have not observed the "hooch" in any of my starters to indicate that I should switch to a 12-hour feeding schedule. I thought that I was going to have happy starters after beginning my new ones, but that didn't last. My new starters decided they were going to rise once and then give up. I also missed a feeding on February 14th. It did not seem to have any impact on my starters. 

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Apples: Cultures and Breads

China has been ranked number one globally for the highest production and consumption of apples. However, apples are grown and eaten all around the world. Since domesticated apples originated from a wild species in Central Asia, I decided to focus my research on bread made by cultures in this area. 


In one of my earlier posts, I discussed the more specific origins of domesticated apples and mentioned Kazakhstan, a country in Central Asia. I found that the three most popular types of bread baked and consumed in this country include Baursak, Tohax, and Shelpek. The information I found about these bread types suggests they are very different from sourdough. It was difficult to find reliable sources on these topics that were written in english, but I did manage to find some relevant information on this website. The following descriptions and images are from that source.  


BAURSAK
- made using yeast, flour, milk, salt, sugar, eggs & butter.
- fried dough often compared to doughnuts & eaten as a dessert. 
- very different from sourdough, puffy appearance & fried for special occasions
    • believed that the smell floats up to the sky where the deceased can also enjoy the bread.


TOHAX 
- yeast is used to make this bread. 
- this type is baked rather than fried, typically baked until golden brown. 
- can be recognized by its round shape with large indentation in the center, texture differs from that of sourdough. 


SHELPEK 
- made using yeast & other ingredients, which include flour, sugar, milk, salt, & oil for frying.
- fried bread, usually fried until golden & folded over before served. 
- light, soft texture
- looks nothing like sourdough & does not have the sour or tangy flavor.
- this type of bread is especially significant on Fridays, the holiest day of the week for Muslims. The population of Kazakhstan, the country I focused on, is approximately 70% Muslim. 

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Citations

https://www.tasteatlas.com/kazakhstan/breads 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-kazakhstan.html

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