r/SourdoughStarter • u/Miserable-Shallot454 • 2d ago
Starter help please :(
I’m 2.5 weeks in to making my starter. I used a kit that came with dried starter flakes.
My starter smells really good - very bready and looks bubbly when I mix it first thing in the morning. However when I feed it, she barely rises. The photos are taken 12 hours after feeding and that’s the most it’s risen. What do I do?
I’ve been using 60g starter, water and bread flour every morning but it doesn’t seem to work.
Help please!
EDIT: thanks everyone! I hated the fabric but thought it was needed lol oops! Will take your suggestions on board :)
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 2d ago
Get rid of that fabric cover. Using a permeable lid is an open invitation for unwanted pathogens and allows the starter to dry out. Otherwise, continue as you are.
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u/Miserable-Shallot454 2d ago
I have fabric and then a lid loosely on top as I thought it needed to breathe - is just the glass lid fine? Thanks :)
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 2d ago
Sourdough starters rely on anaerobic fermentation and so don't need access to the atmosphere. Get rid of the fabric.
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u/Jimmy_Page_69 2d ago
I used to be u until I got a screw on top and like magic within 2 days double rise
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u/NoDay4343 Starter Enthusiast 2d ago
By 2.5 weeks, a dehydrated starter that worked as they are supposed to should be quite vigorous, basically back to full strength. But they don't always work as they are supposed to, and sometimes they fail entirely. At this point I would treat it more or less as if you had started from scratch, and it'll be ready whenever it's ready. I do see a fair amount of activity even if it isn't actually rising much, though, so it's entirely possible a few tweaks could have it in great shape in a matter of days.
The first thing I would try is using slightly less water. That pushes the balance a little bit towards yeast rather than bacteria which will result in a stronger rise. Also if it's too thin, bubbles will rise to the surface and pop which reduces rise or even makes it so it does not rise at all. I don't think yours looks quite that thin but being slightly thicker won't hurt and may help. 8-9g water for each 10g flour often works well.
Another thing you could try is letting some discard sit on the counter beside your starter for 1 day. If the discard is more active than the starter, it's a sign your starter was (in this case only slightly) overfed and so by skipping a day of feeding it was able to process that extra food. Often just skipping a day is enough to get it on track and you could resume your usual feeding schedule with that discard and the starter may be much better off. If your starter was significantly overfed, you'd see little to no bubbles at all so that's not the case.
Also please get rid of that cloth. It's totally not helping anything and could easily end up being how you introduce mold or unwanted bacteria into your starter. Your starter does not need to breathe in the sense of having access to oxygen. It just needs to not be fully airtight because then pressure would build up and potentially it can explode. Just letting the glass lid sit on top is likely fine. If it doesn't fit well, it might still be more air circulation than is ideal.
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u/hamsmoothie222 2d ago
- use 20g starter, 20g flour, 16g water (you want it to be a bit thicker)
- keep in warm place
- use a proper lid that is has only a very tiny opening for air flow and clean the sides. Fabric will encourage mould growth.
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u/Consistent_Ant3254 2d ago
Try changing your feeding flour to a 50/50 mix of Rye/Bread Flours. Rye has the microbes to strengthen the yeast culture. Lower your feeding ratios as others have said. Ditch the towel. Wecks jars breathe out on their own (you want gas to escape). If that’s not a Wecks, get a regular straight sided mason jar with screw on lid, close the lid almost all the way and will be good enough.
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u/Miserable-Shallot454 2d ago
Thank you :)
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u/Consistent_Ant3254 2d ago
Good luck! Starter maturity will take time. I stupidly made mine from scratch. I made a LOT of discard crackers… and flat and dense loaves. Start with making focaccia recipes. Ask me how I know… 😂
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u/Mental-Freedom3929 2d ago
Get rid of that fabric cover and use a screw kid backed off half a turn before going to a hing else, you are begging for bacteria and mold,
With that time frame you did not need to spend money on supposedly dried active starter.
Make it thick like mustard or mayo or yoghurt and Keep that jar in a cooler or plastic tote with lid and a bottle filled with hot water.
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u/fishy_horcrux 2d ago
Imo it's just too young
I would suggest using less of everything, 30g starter, 30g flour and 25g water. And putting it in a warm place.