I never realized that you can keep your starter out on the counter for weeks before it’s ready to be used. I have thrown out 2 other starters because I didn’t think that they were doing anything. Boy, do I have alot to learn !
Perfect… So here’s what I think you should do.
Clean the two jars thoroughly and dry them.
In one jar transfer 120g starter. Put on the lid and make sure it’s secure but not tightly closed so gas can escape. Mark on the outside where the starter comes up too and leave somewhere warm. Check up in it every 24 hours and give it a stir. Don’t do anything else for now. In 2 or 3 days it should begin to show signs of life.
Do exactly the same with the other jar. Transfer 120g starter etc (if there’s 120g left, if not just weigh the remainder and let me know). Now I’m not sure how much 1.5 cups of starter weighs so let me know when you’ve measured both out. Then I’ll give you instructions for the second one.
It may take me a bit to get this done so I may not get back to you immediately 
. My Son is a OTR truck driver and he’s home right now. So my schedule is always different when he’s home 
.
No problem. Whenever you get the chance. But for now stop feeding it, keep warm and give it a stir once a day. It might pick up anyway soon.
BTW: I’ve never used a scale before. How do I measure out the sourdough ? Do I weigh the jar first & then put the starter in until it weighs out to 120 grams ?
Weigh the jar empty and make a note of it. It’s good to know the weight of the jar empty as this way you’ll always know how much is in it. Then you can either add 120g on top of that or zero it out (aka TARE) and then add 120g.
Will do 
. Thanks !
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@adrianna and @anon44372566 Well, Adrianna and Abe…today’s bake wasn’t exactly stellar! My hope for a good oven spring went a bit unfulfilled. This morning the dough looked good and seemed to handle well. But in hindsight, the dough may have been a bit underhydrated and drier than it should have been. After all, it’s quite warm (okay, HOT) where I live (desert southwest in the Phoenix, AZ metro area). My ambient kitchen temperature this time of year hovers around 80 degrees. The dough sat out on the counter overnight for about 8 hours. It did look good and handle well. Then I shaped and rested it, under plastic, for 15 minutes. Again, it looked good and shaped up well before putting it into the basket for a final rise. I let it rise for about an hour. It looked good, ready to go into the oven. In hindsight, maybe I should have done a shorter rise in the basket, about 45-50 minutes instead. After that is when things went a bit off. Just as I was ready to put the dough in the oven I had gotten some bad news over the phone from a friend. I was crying and upset. The dough slipped a bit out of my hands and instead of gently going into my preheated clay baker, it kind of fell in. I think it may have deflated a bit at that point. Then I tried scoring the loaf. Yeah, it deflated a bit more. I put the cover on, shut the oven door and set the timer…but the timer failed to turn on when I pressed the button and walked away. I didn’t know the timer wasn’t working! When I walked back into the kitchen and looked at the timer, it was still set at 30 minutes! OY VEY! My husband said it had only been about 5 minutes that I had the dough in the oven so I reset my timer for 25 minutes and hit the button again. Now the timer was working. At the end of the 25 minutes I took the lid off the clay baker to find that there was virtually no oven spring. I cried again…over a loaf of bread! This loaf is not a failure. It’s just not one of my better bakes. Even though it’s not as tall as I’d like and a bit on the darker side due to my timer mishap, it’ll still taste wonderful and will definitely be eaten.
Adrianna, don’t give up! Not every loaf will be spectacularly photo-worthy and ready to grace the pages of bread magazines and online blogs. But every loaf will be unique and worthy to be eaten (if not burnt beyond belief or raw inside, LOL).
And yes, I’ve hugged the puppy and had a cuppa coffee…I think I’ll make another cuppa coffee and hug the puppy again while this loaf cools on the rack.
Baking blessings,
Leah
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Hope you feel better @Leah1. Sorry to hear about your lousy day and bad news. Makes one think they shouldn’t have gotten out of bed sometimes but tomorrow will be better! Yes, everyone will have one of those days and no one’s bakes comes out perfectly every time. I think you can forgive yourself for a less than perfect bake Leah although it looks grand to me.
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I think your loaf looks great 
! Sorry about your bad news. I know how that feels. Hopefully you will have a better day today . Blessings, Adrianna
Hi Abe, I realize that this is a reply to an older post but I forgot to mention that the starter I have is the 3rd live starter I’ve bought from Breadtopia. So you can understand why I’m so anxious about making this one work. And I do appreciate all the information from you guys 
.
@adrianna @anon44372566 All craziness aside, today’s loaf redeemed itself! It’s got a nice crumb, texture and taste! The only downside is that the crust is a bit chewier; probably due to my issue with the timer today. Overall it’s a fine loaf. I’ve just eaten two slices! 
Leah
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It’s absolutely beautiful 
! I can’t wait until I bake my first loaf l
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@Leah1 your “mistake” has actually produced my preferred crumb. You need to teach me this technique. Looks perfect. I like it chewy too!
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I think the starter is good but a lot of people make the same mistake. They dive into a big feeding schedule before the starter wakes up. It can be sluggish especially if it’s been posted where the health of the starter after it’s been a long time since it’s last feed and goodness knows what happens to it before it gets to you can be a bit off. If you feed a starter and it’s “stalled” then why continue to feed with discarding some at the same time. With each discard good stuff is being thrown away and fresh flour being added. Carry this on all the while it’s not bubbling up and what you’ll be left with is fresh flour and water. If it were me instead of feeding by the clock I’d say feed and then give it all the time it needs to wake up. Once it does then feed again. When a starter is healthy and strong then a big feed is no issue as it’s healthy enough to eat through it and it can actually make it stronger. If it’s gone quiet then that’s the worst thing you can do.
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Makes sense to me !
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@anon44372566 Honestly, this is pretty typical of the crumb I get on most of my bakes. I have no secrets to share other than I’m pretty hands-off when it comes to baking my breads. I use the most simple recipe with very little handling of the dough. So I typically don’t do stretch & folds or coil folding, etc. I just let the dough do what its going to do during the overnight ferment and shorter rise in the basket. Yes, I do shape the dough, minimally, before putting it into the basket for that shorter rise before baking but I seriously just don’t handle the dough all that much. I’m a lazy baker, LOL! I do think the chewier crust today was because it baked a bit longer than it needed. I enjoy a good crust too, just not particularly thick one. I’m older with sensitive teeth. What can I say?
@adrianna Thanks, sweetie! You’ve made me smile! 
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You’re so welcome ! I’m really enjoying talking with y’all !
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A sourdough like this, toasted and dipped into pumpkin seed oil is my favourite. Or pumpkin seeds in the sourdough.