Waking up a rye starter
If you are starting a sourdough culture from nothing, use rye. Wholegrain rye carries more wild yeast and enzymes than white flour and gets going noticeably faster.
Day 1
50 g of wholegrain rye flour and 50 g of water at about 26 °C in a clean jar. Stir, cover loosely, mark the level with a rubber band.
Days 2 to 4
Keep 50 g, discard the rest, feed 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. Around day two there is often a sudden burst of bubbles and a strange smell. That is bacteria having a party, not yeast. Do not celebrate yet; it usually goes quiet again on day three.
Days 5 to 7
Keep feeding once or twice a day. The smell moves from cereal to vinegar to something closer to green apples. When it reliably doubles within six to eight hours of a feed, it is ready to bake with.
Mine now lives in the fridge and gets fed once a week. It has survived two holidays and one move.