I’m completely new to baking bread besides the No Knead version and have taken the leap into sourdough and like most newbies have learned the process isn’t so cut and dry lol. I’m mostly needing some insight into when to call it quits and start over. My starter started off great, but on Day 2 smelled more like cheese than bread lol. Then on the Day, 2x a day feedings and it went flat, got really thin and refused to rise or bubble minus a few small bubbles. It smells ok, but after adding flour and stirring a few times (KA AP and then some whole wheat), nothing.
I would add I definitely have a cold house as my wife likes it freezing. (I don’t mind. I’m half Swedish!), I did find a spot above my stove that stays between 74 and 76 degrees constantly though on Day 3. 1 day I also used wamer tap water, which is definitely chlorinated. I made more than a few mistakes for sure. I just get a feeling it’s not “dead, dead”?
I’m thinking my pet is a goner though. I will attach pics.
My baby is starting to slowly bubble and rise after 2 days lol. This is bonkers. I have no idea what I’m doing. Anyone have experience with this before I poison myself lol?
Starters tend to do that after two or three days. Without going into too much detail that initial bubbling up looks impressive but it’s not all coming from the critters found in an established starter. Your starter hasn’t stopped. It’s going through a normal necessary process of sorting itself out. Keep your starter as close to 75-80F as possible. Every 12 hours take a little off and top back up. Follow this process but begin on day two and onwards.
You also haven’t gone too much into your feeding schedule. How much starter? How much fresh water and flour? etc. Too much too soon can cause it to stall further. Hence the modest feedings 12 hours apart. This keeps the starter fed but doesn’t upset the balance. If your water is heavily chlorinated then switch to bottled. Or use boiled tap water which has been cooled. And definitely keep it warm.
Or if you really want you can try following that recipe i’ve given you from scratch. Up to you. You can try reviving yours and starting another one as well. If you have the time and patience.
Thanks Abe. Basically, on Day 3, I did 2 feedings. 12 hours apart using the King Arthur recipe. It got crazy thin. Like super watery, so over the course of Day 4, I kept adding AP flour from KA and then the last bit was whole wheat and the consistency seemed right and I just left it alone and stopped messing around.
Now…it’s risen half an inch and started bubbling more. I can’t kill it lol. I’m super attached to it now. My wife pretty much thinks Ive lost my mind. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing lol.
Ok… clearer picture now. It got thin because there is fermentation going on. That and when flour is mixed with water it begins to degrade. It sounds like it’s had a good feed. Over the next 24 hours (and possibly 48 hours - we’ll see) leave it alone. Give it a good stir every 12 hours and keep warm. Don’t do anything else. Should you begin to see a little more activity then following the recipe i’ve given you carry on from day 3 and onwards.
The Hamelman recipe is 125% hydration but it will encourage a lactic acid ferment. It will be thin but very bubbly as you can see.
Ok, rose overnight a good bit. Stirred it down and it’s rising again and doesn’t smell like cheese lol. This is wild. I am completely fascinated by this. I will look at the recipe in a few. Working from home, but really busy.
Your starter is coming out of the lag time. Nothing unusual about that. Cheesy smell is the bad bacteria that is often found in a young starter. What happens overtime is the good bacteria out compete the bad bacteria and that’s what happening in your starter. You might not need to back track at all. What has been your feeding schedule so far? How much starter to water and fresh flour? How much starter do you have about?
I followed the King Arthur instructions. So Day 1 and 2 were the 113g water/flour/starter. I have 2 jars, so I transfer from 1 to the other and weigh everything on a digital scale.
Day 3 I did 2 feedings, 12 hours apart, following the same measurements and then my starter went blah and I started feeding it to thicken it up with AP and then Whole Wheat on the final feel. No measurements. I just did little by little until it felt right. Here is a pic from right now. It was at 1" at 7am. I only gave it a stir.
To make things simple for you id say continue with the recipe you’re following but with one change. 12 hourly feeds as long as you see some activity. If not then ok to skip a feed and then pick it up again.
Got a little while to go before you can refrigerate. See how it goes over the next few days. Ideally you’d like to try a bake, to see where it’s at, before refrigeration. Quite the opposite. It’s turning good!
I have King Arthur flour only. Been using unbleached AP and the Whole Wheat. I have bread flour too. (Pizza, pizza…) Do we like one over the other for feedings?
Wholegrain is good to kickstart a starter off. After that it is up to you. Can’t go wrong with any flour but a 50:50 AP/ bread flour and whole wheat flour is a nice mix.
Progress report lol. Fed a 50/50 of Bread and Whole wheat flour. Rose good last night. Fed again this morning. Risen maybe a half inch. Pretty bubbly. Using these wider King Arthur jars, so how much would I want to see it rise between feedings do you think? Every time I start over, it’s right at the inch mark.
So your starter is almost doubling. If your starter, after feeding, comes up to the 1" mark and now it’s 1.75" then it’s 3/4 doubled. Carry on! And see if it picks up. Looks good! and certainly a lot more active now. I reckon a couple more days and you should be able to try your first bake with it.
