Yeast can be almost anywhere. There’s a chance your success came from yeast in flour or wherever. It also might not have had anything to do with the pineapple juice. No way to know. But glad it worked.
Just for the “fun” of it, maybe try another technique. Nancy Silverton’s grape method makes sense to me since grungy old grapes seem like they could have a lot of yeast on the skins. I’m sure a quick google search will bring it up.
Nearing the end of phase number 2 and its looking good. Tomorrow Step 3 and its feeding time. I cant wait until I make my first batch of sourdough bread
Sometimes I think we over think about how to make a starter. A starter makes itself. You’re just there to feed it when it needs food otherwise you aren’t doing much. Food, warmth and time that’s all it needs. The flour has all the goodies in it and the water is the catalyst. Just allow the starter to dictate when it needs feeding. Once it is strong, predictable and rises in due it’s ready.
Great. Just starting a starter with your recipe.
JA
Can tap water be used when making the starter?
I have read that tap water if chlorinated isn’t the best. I just boiled a pot of water 4 20 minutes to sterilize it and put it in a plastic bottle 
I used tap water which has been boiled and cooled but sometimes i’ll feed my starter, or build a levain, using water straight from the tap and it reacts just fine.
Depends on your local water but certainly for making a starter using tap water which has been boiled and cooled can only be a good idea.
Thanks for reply. I am going to use bottled water. Our rural water system has strong chem’s it seems. Maybe later on, if this first one gets “running” I’ll try with tap water and see how it goes?
Forth day since started my starter… no activity so far?
When I build the initial mix I don’t feed it again till there is activity. If you leave it alone it springs to life.
Following the recipe from here i.e. flour and pineapple juice. So far no results?
“When I don’t be initial mix I don’t feed it again till there is activity. If you leave it alone it springs to life.” did not quite understand the first bit. Come again?
Ok, though I’ll give it a little more time before I fed it for the first time with flour and water. Thanks.
Auto Correct. Or should I say Auto Incorrect. When I build the initial mix…
I think leave it alone for now, keep it warm at 78°F and see what it does. Perhaps give it a stir every 12 hours.
Wonderful, thanks!
Certainly not a bad idea, but many municipalities now use chloramines, chemical compounds that contain chlorine and ammonia. Chloramination is a more stable process as, generally speaking, chloramines do not evaporate the way chlorine does at room temperature.
While boiling will help with chlorination and to kill bacteria (not an issue in my experience with tap water), it will not significantly aid in the elimination of chloramines. I use the cheapest non-chlorinated bottled water that I can find for my starter.
I envy your experimenting with new starters. I go with a very simple starter of organic rye and water. Very easy and very predictable. Much easier to start than from wheat flour.
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I think most issues when it comes to making a starter (especially for the first time) is over feeding. Many think this helps kick start a starter when it can have the opposite effect. It’s trying to become acidic, one needs to add fresh flour and water for food however too much slows down the process. Basically feed when the starter needs feeding and not because the clock says so. In my experience rarely is tap water a major problem. There is no recipe for making a starter either. A starter makes itself, it is a living thing, and you’re just there to nurture it. One needs to read a starter to time the feeds well but how does one do that if they’ve never made a starter? Perhaps it’s better to say feed one, two etc instead of daily feedings. Don’t go on to the next feed till it’s ready and give signs of what you should be looking out for.
My starter has been through many changes but for a while now it’s been 125% hydration whole rye. So strong and hardy with lovely flavour.
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Our house is seldom at 78 degrees. It has been 6 days now and does not show definite signs of life? I would love to use that movie quote " It’s alive!"… but alas not so much. May I ask ( funny, because I’m gonna?) the one bread recipe I downloaded says use two cups of starter. Since using this recipe from Breadtopia for my first attempt at creating a starter there is no where near 2Cups of starter in the jar. I am wondering at what stage I would be able to add enough flour & water to bring the level up to be able to attempt a loaf.
This of course assuming it “will ever” bloom and be usable. So far I have got to say I am not happy with this recipe. I’ll give it the rest of the week. Then what? Been making my own bread ever since I left my parents care ( wow has that been a long time 60+) as I like home made bread and if I was going to get any I’d have to do it myself. It has been only white bread and wheat once in a while. While they are all eatable some are better than others. Oops. That’s enough I am getting wordy!
Cheers! (thanks for all the input!)
I haven’t started a starter in many years, so haven’t really been following this thread, but Anna_jam, your post caught my eye when I read that your house seldom gets to 78F. I can relate because it’s rare that my house, the kitchen in particular, gets anywhere near 70F and is often in the low to mid 60s, year round.
I’ve only recently come to understand how important it is for everything to be warm. I never took it seriously before. I now pay attention to the temperature everything gets, all steps from feeding the starter to the final proof.
The main thing I do is always heat the water I’m adding to 85-90F. This usually ensures that whatever I’m making (starter, pre-ferment, final dough) will be around 75F right from the start. From there on, my goal is to maintain a temp of 75F, often using a thermometer to make sure.
While I now own a proofer (highly recommended - it really simplified my life), I recently had a yogurt going in and needed to get a pre-ferment going. I used the microwave to get the warm environment I needed (not an original idea; I’m sure I got it somewhere on this forum). I take a glass bowl or 4-cup measuring cup, fill it with water, heat it to near boiling; then put the dough or whatever in along side the bowl and shut the door. It gets pretty steamy in there! I also set a thermometer in there to see the temp of the “insulated box” that the microwave is. Periodically (like after several hours) I’d remove the dough (VERY important!) and re-heat the water.
I hope all this will be of some help to you.
Neat! Yes, I have use the oven with just the light on and that get to 90 degrees (or so). But I hear ya… bread always does better if the ingredients are on the warm side. During the summer I can put things on the Sun Porch (in Texas… what was I thinking?) and they double in no time.
My starter is still just a soup of flour and liquid, guess I’ll have to try again. It has been a full week and my last loaf of white w/ oatmeal and Fiber One cereal is gone so I need to do something today.
Thanks for the reply’s!
Left it alone for many day. No action. Will dump and start again… with help. The Flour and pineapple juice did not work for me?