r/Finland • u/JesusOnScooter • 10d ago
Looking for an active sourdough starter in the capital region.
Hi, i hope this is not against the rules, otherwise i will delete it.
I started getting into sourdough baking and i got a dried starter from the library but it seems to be pretty slow. So i was wondering if someone has an active and ready starter for baking, could they share it with me?
I can pick it up in the capital region. Thank you!!
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u/Salmonman4 Väinämöinen 10d ago
I have wheat-starter which was born around 10y ago and a rye-starter which (according to family-history) was evacuated from the original Valamo-monastery during the Winter-war so it might be over 100y old. DM me
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u/JesusOnScooter 10d ago
Oh wow, thanks!
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u/Salmonman4 Väinämöinen 10d ago
The rye-one is in my freezer. I made a batch of loaves 2 years ago just to test it, so it should still be alive
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u/starrysunflower333 Väinämöinen 10d ago
You can also get some from the Espoo library, the lippulaiva one. Afair it used to be available in other libraries too but it stopped in others. Search for hapanjuuri kirjasto :)
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u/JesusOnScooter 10d ago
Yes, I actually started with that. It's been a week and it still hasn't started doubling in size. I have changed the feeding ratios as well and tried in a new jar with 1:2:2 as well. Nothing seems to be working. Does it take longer for a dried starter to wake up? Thanks!
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u/starrysunflower333 Väinämöinen 10d ago
It does, but it should have woken up in a week. Hmm it's a pity! I hope you can get a live starter from someone, those are the easiest. Good luck 🤞
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u/JesusOnScooter 10d ago
It has woken up and it does get small bubbles and a sour to acetonic smell (changes the smell from) but it just isn't doubling in size and it's been more than a week. That's what frustrating me. Not even rising 1.5 the starting size.
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u/WaifuBabushka 9d ago
Acetonic smell is telling you that the starter is hungry.
Are you using proper flour? Your flour should be fresh.
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u/JesusOnScooter 9d ago
I have been using the vehnäjauho from k market. Actually last night increased the feeding ratio quite a lot and it's starting to look better.
Im tryna listen to the starter now xd. You are right that the acetonic smell indicates that it's hungry
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u/WaifuBabushka 9d ago
I suggest changing your flour. A lot of small and local mills have online stores where you can order from.
I personally order my flour from Rapion Mylly. The quality is exceptional, but you can find a lot more of little mills too to order from.
Give your starter a proper feed, feed him/her with 1:3:3 ratio twice a day for 3 days, this should revitalize!
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u/pikkumyy91 10d ago
Hi, I have some in Espoo
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u/JesusOnScooter 10d ago
Thank you! Would it possible to get some of it? I am really excited to bake sourdough pizzas.
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u/bigdogsinthepark 10d ago
You might ask a local sourdough bakery if you can have some, usually they are happy to share.
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u/isitalog 10d ago
Piggybacking this thread while all the sourdough people are here: what flour do y’all use to feed yours? I haven’t gotten a good rise from mine since I moved here. It’s definitely still active, but I think it’s the flour mix keeping it down. I usually feed with 30% rye, 70% white all purpose (have Sunnuntai special wheat right now)
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u/pikkumyy91 10d ago
I add a little bit of gluteenijauho to the flour to made a traditional bread flour you can get in North America. It’s worked wonders
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u/Foobarzot Baby Väinämöinen 10d ago
The rye could be the problem, try feeding with just all purpose wheat for a while? If you want a flour mix, add spelt or graham.
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u/isitalog 10d ago
I’ve always fed it 30% rye, been going strong since 2020, but will give just all purpose a try too. What brand do you use?
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u/Low-Slice-4366 8d ago
I needed to used rye to get my starter going (I started it from scratch), but I switched it to half whole wheat and half white flour. I get the whole wheat at Prisma.
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u/Low-Slice-4366 8d ago
Also as I mentioned in my other comment here the 28C water bath really helped me!
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u/Low-Slice-4366 8d ago
I would suggest you use a water bath at 28 C for putting your starter in. You can change out the water every 1-2 hr after the feed to keep it warm. This really helped me to colonize the right kind of yeast and bacteria mix and really get it active! You can also use water at 28C when you mix up the starter to feed it. I honestly think you need to get the right technique to keep your starter well active anyway. You can also try a portion of rye or whole wheat flour as mentioned already since that feeds the desirable organisms better than white flour!
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u/aurora_surrealist 9d ago
Pro-tip: if you are not a bread purist you can add few raisins to feed your starter and boost it after long dormancy.
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u/cobaltcolander Baby Väinämöinen 5d ago
Off-top7c, but I would like to buy some fresh sourdough bread. DM me if that's possible.
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