The starter is prepared once and subsequently used and replenished. It is a living dough that can lie dormant in the refrigerator or rise actively when fed. The starter biomass consists of natural microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and others) that live on rye grains.
The idea is to revive, multiply, and grow these microorganisms so that they self-organize into a stable symbiotic colony. Life in nature itself is built on the principle of symbiotic colonies of microorganisms or macroorganisms (for example, soil, the ocean, and intestinal microflora). Organisms in symbiosis support and complement one another.
The starter is easy to prepare, from flour and water. Ratio: 2 PARTS FLOUR TO 3 PARTS WATER (there is exactly one and a half times as much water). You will need a room thermometer, digital kitchen scales, a GLASS pot or a 1.5-liter bucket made of non-reactive plastic, and a wooden spatula. It will take four days; on the fifth day, you can already bake bread.
The starter should be prepared EXCLUSIVELY AND ONLY FROM RYE FLOUR, because compared with wheat and other flours, rye starter is the most stable, healthy, and strong. The microorganisms living on rye grains are quite sufficient to establish a well-coordinated symbiotic colony.
Washing the grain has no significant effect on the microorganisms, so there is no need to worry about it. However, high-temperature drying kills most of the necessary microorganisms, so sprouted grain intended for starter should be dried at a temperature no higher than 41°C. Clearly, industrially produced flour is unsuitable for creating a high-quality starter.
As already mentioned, THE STARTER IS PREPARED ONCE, after which it can be used continuously by setting aside part of each mixture for the next batch of baking.
Preparation method:
1. Using scales and a glass, measure the required amount of warm water at a temperature no higher than 36–37°C. The water should be clean, filtered, and non-chlorinated. You may use spring water, boiled water, or distilled water infused with shungite and flint. Pour the water into the container.
2. Load the measured weight of grain into the mill and grind the flour directly into the container of water. Set the grinding level to the finest setting.
3. Stir with a wooden spatula so that the flour combines evenly with the water. The result should be a thick-sour-cream consistency.
4. Cover the container with a lid, but not airtight; protect it from light with a cotton towel and place it in a secluded spot away from drafts and electrical appliances. The optimum temperature for feeding the starter is about 24–26°C, no higher. Use a thermometer to find such a place in the kitchen. It is warmer closer to the ceiling.
This procedure must be repeated for four days, morning and evening, adding new portions of flour and water to the container.
DAY 1. Morning: 40 g flour, 60 g water. Evening: 40 g flour, 60 g water.
DAY 2. Morning: 40 g flour, 60 g water. Evening: 40 g flour, 60 g water.
DAY 3. Morning: 40 g flour, 60 g water. Evening: 40 g flour, 60 g water.
DAY 4. Morning: 40 g flour, 60 g water. Evening: 40 g flour, 60 g water.
DAY 5. In the morning, we will have 800 g of starter. 500 g will be used for the first loaf.
Put the remaining portion in the refrigerator until the next bake.
The starter should have a pleasant natural-kvass smell. If it smells bad, you have either violated the procedure in some way or used dirty utensils. If everything was done correctly but the smell is still nauseating or chemical, then the raw material—the grain—was of poor quality or contained foreign impurities. In that case, find grain from another producer and seller.
Some recipe authors write that a smell of belching or something similar is “normal” for starter. But it is not normal. Starter should not have any “disgusting smell.” If on the fifth day the starter smells of alcohol, acetone, vinegar, or mold, throw it away and start again. Try not to deviate from the procedure, and you will succeed.
The only exception is if the starter, at the specified proportions, turns out not thick and fluffy but rather runny; this means it is unhealthy. It means the grain you bought was grown using chemicals. Look for other sellers/suppliers. I repeat: rye grain should NOT BE LARGE, UNIFORM, AND ATTRACTIVE, BUT RATHER SMALL AND UNPREPOSSESSING.
Now a few practical tips.
• It is best to choose electronic scales with a tare function. The principle is as follows: place the container on the scales, press the button to reset the reading to zero, then add the product to the container; the display will show the net weight. This is convenient.
• For storing the portion of starter intended for the next bake, choose a container made of glass, ceramic, or food-grade plastic, not metal. The lid should not be airtight, but it should not be wide open either, so that the starter does not absorb odors from the refrigerator. If the plastic lid closes tightly, you can make several small holes in it with a needle. Do not wash starter utensils with household chemicals. Everything rinses off easily with warm water.
• The starter can be stored in the refrigerator on the top shelf, where the temperature is not at its lowest. Long breaks between bread baking are undesirable. The starter should be refreshed regularly. I personally tried leaving it for two weeks, and it revived successfully. It may be able to survive for three weeks, but it is better not to leave it longer than that; otherwise, you will have to start it from scratch. After all, starter is a living colony of microorganisms, and it should be treated as a living entity. If you are leaving for a long time, ask someone to look after it and feed it at least once a week.
• Flour should always be ground immediately before use. Do not store it—it is perishable. Vitamins and nutrients oxidize quickly in air. That is precisely why industrially produced flour cannot be considered a natural product: manufacturers will resort to any trick to extend its shelf life.
• Set the grinding level to the finest fraction. This is because it is impossible to achieve at home with an electric mill the same degree of fineness obtained industrially. But that is not necessary. The quality of bread—the kind of bread that should be REAL bread—is determined by entirely different parameters:
1. Sprouted grain.
2. Freshly ground flour.
3. Natural, wild starter.
4. The presence of bran and germ in the flour.
5. The absence of chemical and synthetic additives.
Flour should not be white like starch, even if it is wheat flour. It is impossible to describe exactly what it should be like. When you make your own flour for the first time, smell it, taste it, and feel it, you will understand what REAL flour should be like.
Bread should not be white and fluffy either. It should be REAL, not synthetic. Real bread is likewise impossible to describe in words. When you taste it, everything will become clear. Its taste and aroma are distinctive and NOBLE.
One question remains open: if you do not yet have a mill or dehydrator but want to bake your own bread right now, what should you do? You can try your luck by looking in local stores or on the Internet for WHOLEGRAIN rye flour, or at least first-grade flour. If you are lucky enough to find a product from a conscientious, honest, and, importantly, reasonable producer, you may be able to make real (or almost real) starter and bread.
In any case, it is better to acquire everything necessary so you can break free from industrial producers and sellers, who care exclusively about profit and not about your health, as well as from a system that is directly interested in your ILL HEALTH.
FLOUR SHOULD ALWAYS BE GROUND IMMEDIATELY BEFORE USE. DO NOT STORE IT—IT IS PERISHABLE. VITAMINS AND NUTRIENTS OXIDIZE QUICKLY IN AIR. THAT IS PRECISELY WHY INDUSTRIALLY PRODUCED FLOUR CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A NATURAL PRODUCT—MANUFACTURERS WILL RESORT TO ANY TRICK TO EXTEND ITS SHELF LIFE.
It “took root” like sprouted seeds in soil enriched by a lively interest in fermented and pickled foods! 
Answer — yes.
I measured it, and it turns out that in the yogurt mode of my multicooker, t = 39° and it can’t be changed. I can try turning it off when the required temperature is reached and leaving it, then turning it back on if necessary after measuring. I’ll experiment.
Lactobacillus (lactic acid bacteria)
Bifidobacterium (bifidobacteria)
Akkermansia muciniphila
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
Clostridium butyricum
Recommendations for a yogurt maker:
1. Loss of L. reuteri is a sign of a “modern” microbiome
On its effects on the brain and mood
On physical rejuvenation
On the approach to restoring health
Веретенников Сергей
, namaste!