20 Smells like … Alcohol?

On 09/04 both starters have some bubbles on top of a thin layer of hooch. They both smelled primarily of alcohol.

From 09/05 to 09/09 both of the starters had no visible change in appearance or smell. I followed a consistent 12 hour feeding schedule for these four days.

On 09/10 I was not able to feed either starters for the whole 24 hour period.

The next day, 09/11, there was a very large hooch that had formed on both the starters. Also, there were very few visible bubbles which did have me concerned a little bit.

During this whole week both starters have maintained the same consistency. They are still a little soupy, neither are very thick and sticky yet.

In my fruit starter I used a banana slice/peel. Banana’s originate from South East Asia, specifically in regions of India. Arabic people brought them from SE Asia to Africa and from there they spread to the Caribbean and South/Central America. In the Americas bananas are very culturally important and are eaten in many forms. Banana’s are also eaten a lot in African countries. For example, in Somali bananas are served with almost every meal to be cut up and put into the food.

https://community.plu.edu/~bananas/brief-history/#:~:text=Bananas%20were%20originally%20found%20in,and%20missionaries%20to%20the%20Caribbean.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/somalian-food-banana_n_589b4c18e4b09bd304bf2c1b?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFp28mpc5UCcOIjVHcgy6WaAVTO9krToZMr98Zbr5Gcr0zz9DDUH4DQMI_asQfcHIcaQxuZwPF0oIzSnNCLKEpZBDUUC7qaH2_6sANh5_XUWq-RwB95Nuz0Fu7yOgPBCHTko4e1NsU4KQVZd2sEoA4S35AM7F7sinkwxdMoQA-G_

New Smells and Bubbles! 08/29-09/03/2020

Beginning on 08/30 both the control and banana starters began to smell less like trash and more like yeast. You know, that “yeasty bready” smell I’m talking about. It smells kinda good, but still not great? Yeah, that’s the smell I’m talking about. Both of the mixtures also started to lose their air bubbles, which did have me slightly concerned.

On 08/31 I discovered that both starters had developed very large amounts of liquid on top of the flour/water mixtures. This layer of liquid is called a “hooch” and it is the byproduct of yeast fermentation occurring in the starter. As the yeast consume the flour they produce an alcoholic byproduct. This development of a large hooch meant that my starters were getting hungry! I adjusted to a 12 hour feeding schedule afterwards. By that night both of the starters began to develop that classic sourdough “sour” smell that is so easily distinguishable.

By 09/02 the control starter had started to rise! It was filled with air bubbles and had a foam like appearance. However, the banana starter had not started to rise yet.

The next day (09/03) the control had risen again, and this time it no longer smelled of sourdough. It smelled like ethanol. This was a very interesting development. I wonder what will happen next….

The Adventure Begins: 08/25-08/28/2020

Let’s start with what sourdough even is. Sourdough is bread that is “all natural” so to speak. Meaning, it does not use cultivated bakers yeast to grow, it grows from a “starter”, which, is a mixture of flour, water, wild yeast and good bacteria. This wild yeast is what gives the bread its tangy flavor and spongy mouth feel.

As I began my experiment I prepped 2 different starters, one control with just flour and water, and another with flour, water and a banana slice, including the peel. The banana came from the produce section of Harris Teeter and had been on my kitchen counter for almost a week after being purchased. It was starting to ripen and was very soft and splotched with black on the peel.

Time and date starters prepped: 08/26/2020 9:30 am

When first mixing the two, starter 2 was noticeably more chunky than starter 1 due to presence of banana and peel. After mixing, both starters were placed next to a window in my living room that receives no direct sunlight.

08/27/2020 9:50 am

Starter 1: A layer of liquid formed on top of flour mixture and flour mixture is a solid mass. Smells primarily of flour and almost like cleaning chemicals.

Starter 2: A layer of liquid formed on top of flour mixture and flour/banana mix has formed a solid mass as well. Smells like a ripe banana but with a hint of breadyness.

Entry 3

08/28/2020 9:20 am

Starter 1: Multiple small air bubbles have formed on the surface of the mixture. Mixture is more uniform today with no layer of water separated on the surface. Mixture smells rather unpleasant, kind of like compost.

Starter 2: Also has multiple small air bubbles forming on surface. Black veins are visible throughout the mixture (from the banana peel)

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-sourdough