Our original Starter was brought to Maine from Alaska and given to my grandmother in the early 1960's. She was told it came from a starter that was created around 1896. She kept it active until her death in 1988 when my mother took it over. I've maintained my portion from this starter since 1991. I've lived in multiple places with it -Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York and now Vermont.

Characteristics

This starter has a very mild odor with a subtle amount of tang. The amounts of flour and water used when feeding were once random. Over the years, I found it prefers being a consistency similar to cake batter. More recently I have adopted a 50/50 water to flour ratio that yields this consistency. Weighing also helps in maintaining more consistent bakes.

Viscocity

Taste & flavour

Recipe

Starting ingredients

4oz Starter
4oz Flour
4oz Water

Feeding ingredients

6oz Flour
6oz Water

Because I keep my starter stored in the fridge when not in use, I opt to feed it every 12 hours. With each feeding I increase the volume of flour and water until I have the total volume needed for the recipe(s) I'm making. This generally takes 2 to 3 days and yields a nice vigorous starter. As the starter becomes more vigorous, this frequency might increase to 8 hrs, especially in warmer months

6oz Flour 6oz Water

Working method

The reserved starter is removed from the fridge, brought to room temp, and fed with equal parts (by weight) of flour and water. I use Gold Medal brand unbleached flour and tap water that has been left out overnight.

4oz Starter 4oz Flour 4oz Water