I have been working on creating my first sourdough starter and I thought it was going well but now it is day 7 and I have seen zero rise and now less bubbles than I had before.
I have been using filtered water that I slightly warm up using my microwave since I am taking it from my fridge and it comes out cold. And King Arthur Bread flour (unbleached).
I have been following a recipe that I was feeding 2 times a day 1:1:1 50g starter 50g flour 50g water. I live in Michigan so it it currently cold, I keep it in the warmest room in my house with a light on it as well. I live with others so putting it in the oven would be risking it. I have a heating pad that I put around my jar and check to make sure that it doesn’t get too warm.
I have read some threads on here and decreased to one feeding days 5 and 6. And stirred it at the 12 hr mark. I am at a loss for what to do and was hoping it would have been ready by now.
Feeding twice a day 1:1:1 come what may, even when there’s no activity, is ridiculous.
Stop feeding it, keep warm and just stir every 12 hours.
When you begin to notice some activity then start feeding again but small feeds like 2:1:1 every 24 hours. As it begins to grow in strength and get quicker then increase the feeds to match.
Doesn’t necessarily have to rise for you to begin the feeds again. As long as you’re seeing fermentation and then start off with a small feed only once a day.
Once you see it speed up and rise you can keep that small feed and go onto twice a day as long as it is showing fermentation within 12 hours.
Once it begins to rise and speeds up then increase to 1:1:1 and so on.
Let the starter dictate when and how much.
Switch to mineral water that is pH neutral ow lower. And include some wholegrain in the feeds.
I haven’t fed my starter in two days and there has been no change there is a sour smell today but no bubbles and no rise.
What should I do? Throw it away and restart or feed the current starter? Or do I still wait?
When it has stopped smelling of nail polish and when it can be fed every 12 hours with a 1:2:2 feed and it always peaks within that time.
Begin with 1:1:1. See how well and how quickly it rises. If it takes 24 hours then keep it as 1:1:1 on a 24 hour schedule. If it takes 12 hours then get in two feeds per day. If it rises and begins to fall within that time then switch to 1:2:2.
Once you have a strong, steady, reliable ferment going on then try a bake.
The smell is just sour. It rises and falls consistently within 12 hours. I have been doing 1:1:1 feedings every 24 hrs.
Feeding half bread half wheat flour.
Should I switch feedings? I’m getting a little antsy to start baking
Then you should have switched to 12 hourly feeds. Leaving it for a further 12 hours after it begins to fall is not the best idea.
Tell you what… try a 1:2:2 feed and see what happens.
P.s. save the discard from here on in to bake with in other recipes. You can bake things like sourdough banana bread while you are giving your starter some TLC.
