Let’s Name My New Starter!

Yesterday, I’m made another sourdough starter. This one is made from rye flour. I was debating between wheat and rye, and made my choice based on being to buy a smaller bag of organic, stone ground rye flour, than I could of organic wheat flour. (To me, the term “organic” is just a short hand way of quickly identifying flours free of bleach or any other additives that can kill off the very yeast I’m trying to cultivate.)

I have sooooo many types of flour these days. All Purpose (aka AP flour), unbleached AP, bread flour, a couple gluten free flours, rye flour and something else I can’t remember. I’m going to buy an organic wheat next. And I’m coveting a very specific brand of gluten-free flour that is not made in the U.S. and therefore expensive, but that is supposed to made even better gluten free bread and pizza dough.

I never imagined I’d have so many different kinds of flours, LOL! Or that anyone ever needed all these flours.

But back to my starter. I want to see if I can succeed cultivating the starter and then make a decent sourdough bread. What’s funny is right now, I’m still on low gluten diet.  I’m technically on the low Fodmat, but I focus mostly on limiting gluten, dairy and animal products. I always think in terms of of limiting, not eliminating entirely, so I don’t feel deprived or overwhelmed. But gluten is definitely on the “Be Very Cautious” list right now (per my doctors, this isn’t me just trying to make life difficult — my stomach does that without my input, LOL). So, sure, now is the totally the right time for home made sourdough!

On the upside, since it’s a fermented bread, it could be more digestible than regular gluten bread. But for me, it’s really just the challenge. Sourdough is supposed to be hard to make, so why not make it?

So now that I’ve begun another starter, I need to name him so he’ll grow and thrive. Right now he’s a young rye flour and water slurry that I must be coaxed into a powerful wild yeast. Any name suggestions?

The post first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.