The new one I started looks a bit more bubbly today but not the older one.
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That looks fine.
Original one just keep warm and stir once a day.
The off-shoot starter should be fed once every 24 hours by keeping 50g and feeding 25g water + 25g flour (try using some wholegrain flour, preferably rye but wholewheat will be fine).
See what happens over the next 3-4 days. Have you found a warm place to keep them?
I will try your suggestions with the feeding. I have been keeping it on top of the refrigerator but just put them in the oven with the light on. I have a timer to turn it off so it isn’t too hot. There’s just not a very warm spot other than the oven.
I so appreciate your help!
My pleasure.
Also, try and keep the sides clean(er) when feeding. you don’t want the dried bits to go mouldy. What I do is put the water in first and use it to clean down the sides, followed by the flour and then i’ll mix it up. After doing that i’ll use the spoon to scrape off any clinging bits of starter.
Adding in some wholegrain, keeping warm and feeding once a day should be fine. And you’ve got the control one next to it which all you’re doing is stirring once a day. Keeping them warm is important if you don’t wish for it to take a long time. Keep this up and i’m sure it’ll be ready soon.
It does look better already.
Once it is rising predictably every time it is fed then we’ll slowly increase the feed amount and switch it to twice a day. But we don’t wish to do too much too soon. That can be detrimental. At this stage you have to allow the starter to dictate when it needs feeding. Once it’s stronger then you can try again at making a loaf. For now carry on with that feeding schedule.
Here are a few more pictures of both the older culture that I have not been feeding just stirring and now seems to be doing nothing.
And the newer one I have been feeding with wheat flour and discarding all but 50 grams…and trying to keep them both warm. The wheat flour one hasn’t been rising to double yet?
The more white one is the original one not being fed.
Three Questions:
1: What do they smell like?
2: Is the one you’ve been feeding once a day rising at all?
3: What water are you using? Tap? Bottled?
They both smell good. The wheat one was finally rising and then I killed them both! I unfortunately cooked them in the oven absentmindedly forgetting they were in there and and preheated it! Ugh! I will start over with all your help. So sad!
I was using vitalized spring water only. I guess leaving them in the oven was a bad idea. I will have to find a safer warm place.
That’s a shame. Here’s a good recipe to follow…
I will try it. Thanks
My starter is now active. I’ve got approximately 3/4 quart. Just wondering when is best time to use after feeding. Last time I fed it - almost doubled and then several hours later, it had lost all of the expansion. Figuring I need to use it right as it doubles in volume. Is this correct?
Thanks!
Ideally when it peaks or just as it starts to fall. However even if you don’t catch it exactly on time it’ll still work. Before or after peak will dictate how tangy it is. Active is the key and then playing around on how long you leave it for before using will give different flavour profiles so experiment a bit.
Hi @Abe - I was reading through this thread the other day and say a recipe you shared just for a basic sourdough boule, but I can’t find it now! My first loaf came out flat, but my starter now looks a lot more lively, so I want to jump on it and make a loaf now! 
1:2:3 Sourdough?
1 part starter
2 parts water
3 parts flour
- 2% of flour for salt.
By weight!
E.g.
150g starter
300g water
450g bread flour
9g salt
Make dough and knead till full gluten formation (you can develop the gluten through stretch and folds if you wish and/or incorporate an autolyse).
Bulk ferment till ready. I advise doubled.
Shape and final proof till ready. About 2 - 2.5 hours.
Bake.
Do these pancakes use all starter or some starter and some flour? If it uses all starter, could you post the recipe? I would like a recipe that uses all starter.
Here is the recipe of @Leah1 which you can scale up for lots of pancakes / to use a lot of starter.
This recipe ferments all the flour overnight:
Thank you. Leah’s Easy Sourdough Pancakes is what I was looking for. All my searching only came up with the traditional recipes that added a lot of flour.
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I can’t help but post this. We have been experimenting with our white 100% A/P starter. GENERALLY I only keep a few ounces of starter in my jar @40F. Every couple of months I will use it up down to a couple of teaspoons and rebuild it. I found it keeps the acidity down. When I am going to bake sourdough I will refresh USUALLY the night before and use out of the jar the next morning.
I had starter that was a week old but was mature when put in the cooler. I made bread without refreshing and there was almost no extra bulk time. Then I tried 2 and 3 weeks without refreshing and only a slight additional time in bulk.
My daughter called me one day and said “I wanted to make bread tomorrow but I left my starter in the frig for 3 months without refreshing” YES 3 months. “It is gray and plenty of hooch on top.” I told her to mix it up and use it without refreshing and see what happens. It made bread with only a couple of extra hours in bulk time.