I’ve used sourdough starter for decades, but life-events led me to neglect one for long enough that I decided to toss it and just start a new one. Because I know the rhythms of of my old starter, I was rather surprised when I basically mixed half-and-half volumes of flour (Gold Medal AP unbleached) and water, and in 24 hours, there were already bubbles forming.
It’s been so long since I started a starter-- had one for decades–that I wonder if this is normal. Temperature would be around 70 Fahrenheit (21 Celsius). My recollection is that takes several days at least to get a starter underway. I wonder if this development is spooky fast…
How yeasty is the atmosphere in your kitchen (ie do you do a lot of yeasted baking)?
research using DNA tracing suggests the “wild yeast” is carried by the wheat itself, not ‘blown in’ from around the kitchen.
the amount of yeast remaining on the milled flour will vary enormously - wheat is not grown in a factory . . .
I’ve used buckwheat (a berry, not a wheat . . . ) and seen very different timing results - some quick, some take 4-5 days to get active bubbling.
Thanks to MunchkinRedux and HappyOnion, I guess I’ll just keep an eye on it and give a try soon. Separated it presently into two bowls and fed it again, just to have some to use and some to save, assuming it passes the sniff text. (Should smell more or less like malted beer.)
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