Source
r/Sourdough•
Derannimer

Poison Control

Hi, total noob here! [/waves nervously.] So TLDR version: If my starter isn't strong enough, am I apt to poison myself? I mean, I know there are bacteria in there, as well as yeast.

Slightly longer version: This is my first time making bread with a starter, and although my starter is bubbling a lot, and starting to visibly rise and fall, it's definitely not doubling in size, like people talk about. And I'm not sure it smells like yeast, really. (Though I don't think it smells bad. I don't have a great sense of smell, so.) Also, for most of its life it's been in the same jar, and the jar got pretty gunky with dried-up starter on the upper edges. (I found a second jar like two days ago and have started transferring it back and forth.)

Anyway, last night I tried using it in some rye bread. The bread was supposed to rise in two hours, and it didn't, so I figured I would toss it; but my Mom suggested letting it sit overnight, and I just woke up and now it's risen quite a bit, probably at least an inch. Exciting! So I thought I'd try baking it after all; but then I started worrying. Like, I guess the starter wasn't as strong as it was supposed to be, or it would have risen faster? On the other hand, it did rise eventually, so… maybe it was strong enough? Do you think the bread is safe?

Someone please help, because I clearly have no clue what I'm doing here. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Posted Nov 9, 2019, 3:37 PM UTC

28
seashoreandhorizon•

If my starter isn't strong enough, am I apt to poison myself?

Nope.

The bread was supposed to rise in two hours

That would be very fast for a typical sourdough. Regardless, rising times will vary because of ambient temperature, the characteristics of the flour you use, and many other factors. You won't generally be able to rely on times listed in a recipe.

Do you think the bread is safe?

Yes, definitely.

5
Nakenapan•

Sourdough starters can smell very bad and still be good! They can smell like vinegar and beer and all kinds of things and still be good to go.

When it comes to actually using it, it takes some practice! First you have to catch it at the right time (while it is still rising) and then the temperature should not be too cold, etc etc. Someone's it takes more than two hours to rise.

Try out different things and see how it goes! It might take ten bakes before you get the hang of it.

3
Ziggity46•

Once you bake it, any microbes will die. The only way to poison yourself is if it gets cross contaminated with spoiled meat, or if you baked a starter that was covered in mold.

3
Wartburg13•

I was under the impression that cooking typically only kills the bacteria itself but any toxins produced by that bacteria is still present and typically not effected by pyrolysis.

2
Ziggity46•

True, but you’re not going to get those toxin producing bacteria from leaving your starter unattended. The really bad toxin producing bacteria come largely from animal products like milk and meat. I’ve gotten pretty lazy with my starter before and have only needed to toss it when it gets covered in mold.

1
Wartburg13•

Gotcha! The fermentation probably helps with keeping some of those out as well.

1
DerannimerOP•

Thanks for the answers! At the very beginning of the starter's life, I put kombucha in it, because I saw some sources saying maybe the yeast would help. (I don't think it did; though possibly that's because it was a lavender-lemon-flavored kombucha. >.>) Is that likely to affect the answer re toxins? Since the first 24 hours it's just been flour and water, and I've replaced and fed it pretty diligently, even when it didn't seem to be doing much.

1
Ziggity46•

Using flavored kombucha definitely doesn’t help for fermenting. But also, you’d generally be better off letting the starter take its time to develop without any outside introduction of culture (unless you add from another sourdough starter). The culture in Kombucha is fairly specialized for consuming tea with sugar, so although it can work it won’t necessarily speed things along. Your best bet is to just be consistent with a solid schedule, here’s one that I’ve found to be full of good info:

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1