Day One:

Use a small bowl or 2 cup glass measuring cup (sterilized, if possible in boiling water or in the dishwasher). Combine the juice and flour and stir this together with a spoon to make a paste. Be sure all the flour is hydrated. Cover the top of the bowl or measuring cup with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature for 24 hours. There will be little or no signs of fermentation activity during the first 24 hours. (Note: Remove any remaining juice from the can and transfer it into a clean jar and refrigerate.

Or, go ahead and drink it. You can save one ounce for tomorrow, though it isn't required.) Day Two: Add the new ingredients to the day one ingredients (first add the liquid to the old dough, as described above, mix, and then add the new flour). Mix to distribute and fully hydrate the new flour. The dough will be stiffer because we are only using half as much liquid.

Again cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 24- 48 hours. Do not proceed until you see signs of fermentation (bubbling and growth).

Day Three or Four (after the dough shows signs of fermentation, though it need not double in size): Add these new ingredients to the previous days' and mix as before (first add the water to the old dough, as described above, mix, and then add the new flour). Again cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature for 24-48 hours. It should be very bubbly and expanded. If not, wait until the dough doubles in size before proceeding.

Final Day Before adding the new ingredients, discard half of the previous day's mixture (or use it to establish a second seed culture). Then, mix the remaining half with the Final Day's ingredients (first add the water to the old dough, mix, and then add the new flour). Cover the bowl and leave out at room temperature for another 24-48 hours.

You will have a very active seed culture and you can proceed to making a "mother starter" or "barm." If the mixture does not seem active enough (and it should taste tart-it's okay to taste it), then repeat this step for one or more days until the seed is very bubbly and tart. The seed culture should register between 3.5 and 4.0 if tested with ph paper.

Anfang an niedrig zu halten und damit eine Vermehrung von Leuconostoc zurückzuhalten, die Hefeaktivitaeten vortaeuschen könnten.

"The Pineapple Juice Solution To avoid the problems associated with the seed method in The Bread Baker's Apprentice, we will use a variation of what I now call "The Pineapple Juice Solution." This is in honor of the work of Debbie Wink and her cohorts on the King Arthur Baking Circle (there are too many "dough detectives" to mention here - I know some of you are even doing this testing, but for you others, I will explain all of this history in the new book, including some of the correspondence between us that goes into how leuconostoc bacteria, sometimes present, can throw off the growth of the starter by masquerading as wild yeast and interfering with the growth of the yeast. In short, the acid of pineapple juice seems to undermine the leuconostoc-but that's a story for the book, not for this test).

Pineapple juice is not the only acid that neutralizes the dastardly leuconostoc bacteria, but it has proven itself to be reliable.

However, if you are the mad scientist type, as so many bread baking enthusiasts are, feel free to experiment with ascorbic acid or other citric acids as found in orange or lemon juice or even a dot of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) "