I thought I remembered the procedure to get one going, so I tried to do it from memory. One thing that I distinctly remember from the last time I cultivated a new starter, several years ago, was that a hint of acid in the first feeding can help promote the growth of the right lactobacilli to give the usual sourdough flavor and prevent the growth of "bad" bacteria that will spoil the dough.
As far as I can tell, I followed the correct procedure, but something definitely went wrong. By day four, the starter was bubbling away, so I discarded half (usual procedure) and fed it again. By the next day, it smelled absolutely perfect, and it was bubbling nicely, so I planned to start my dough on day six. I'm not sure what went wrong, but the starter didn't bubble much on mixing day, and the dough rose extremely reluctantly. You can see the results below.
Something went wrong following the last feed of the starter, so it never really got rising again, even though it smelled right. As a result, the dough didn't rise properly. I tried shaping it anyway, hoping it would rise in the pan, but that turned out to be a mistake. I used Pam instead of butter to grease my bread pan, and I basically ended up frying my dough instead of baking it. I tried a piece when it came out of the oven, and it was horrible. In fact, it was completely inedible, and I had to discard it.
I'm still trying to figure out exactly where I went wrong and constitute a new starter. I tried again after this disaster, using pineapple juice (the recommendation from The Bread Baker's Apprentice) instead of lime juice and whole wheat flour instead of bread flour. Whole grains flour is generally better for starters, because the bran of the wheat kernel carries a healthy dose of the wild yeast that gives sourdough its life.
I guessed that this "more correct" procedure would yield a more successful starter, but the opposite occurred. The second starter stubbornly refused to activate, and it actually spoiled on day five before I could notice any significant activity. I had to discard it again, and I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong. I'm guessing it's an issue with the temperature in my kitchen retarding the growth of the yeast, so I'll have to figure out how to get a better temperature control for my fermentation.
I'll update when I know more. Until then, happy baking.
