Vitale is Back. And We’re Running an Experiment.

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Yesterday I pulled Vitale out of the refrigerator covered in hooch after almost three weeks of neglect. Poured off the liquid, kept 30 grams of the dregs, and fed her as a stiff starter: 30 grams starter, 100 grams water, 200 grams flour.

Twenty four hours later, she doubled. She even passed the float test.

Am I baking with her today? No. I want to see three consistent rises before I trust her in a loaf. That’s the standard. One good rise is encouraging. Three is reliable.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

Now that she’s responding, I’m running an experiment for anyone whose starter just won’t get going. I split her into two identical jars, same measurements, same flour, same conditions. The only difference: one gets fed with water, the other gets fed with pineapple juice.

The pineapple juice trick came up during our live chat last weekend.

@Candi Brown-McGriff

mentioned it to a member who was struggling to get her starter off the ground.

The science is simple. Pineapple juice sits around pH 3.5. That acidity gives your lactobacillus a head start and makes life difficult for the bad bacteria and mold that often stall out a new starter.

So we’re going to watch them side by side and see what happens.

Starters are resilient. They come back. They want to be alive. Your job is to give them what they need.

Stay with me. The results from the two jar comparison are coming next.

Perfection is not required. Progress is.

~ Henry ⭐🔥

4:19

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