Is my starter ready?
I am trying to make a whole wheat sour dough starter for the first time and cannot tell from all my research whether it is ready to be used.
I used 1/2 cup of freshly milled hard red winter wheat and 1/2 cup filtered water. Put mason jar covered with coffee filter in a warm (70 degree) dark place in kitchen.
Next day showing signs of bubbling. Discarded half and added 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water.
Next day it looked like pictures of starters that are ready to use. Doubled in volume. Looked like a sponge. Smelled slightly sour. Some hooch liquid - not at the top, but at the bottom of the jar.(But it can't be ready so soon, right?). So I discarded half and fed it again.
Next day it appeared and smelled exactly the same. So I tried the floating test. The sponge floats! But still not sure it could be ready for use. So another day of feeding.
Today it remains exactly the same. Doubled in volume, Nice sponge., Hooch at bottom. Slightly sour but sweet aroma.
Could my starter possibly have been ready on Day 3? Is is ready now? What do I need to know that I don't know?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It's strange that it's so fast, and strange that the liquid is at the bottom, but if it's ready, it's ready. Mix it in some dough and proof it. If it rises, you are now the proud parent of some zillions of yeast cells.
Thank you. It came as a complete surprise to me after reading so much about how long it would take, especially with just water. Maybe it is because the wheat was fresh and freshly ground. Can't wait to try my first sourdough bread.I've had great success with Peter Reinhart's methods, but am really looking forward to this. Thanks again.
It seems too early. I would wait for a while, say another week.
Ford
It comes to life quite quickly but its a false start. Then comes the quiet period which normally lasts for 2-3 days. After which with careful maintenance and well timed feeds it comes back to life.
So depending on a few factors it can take 1-2 weeks for a starter to become fully viable.
However if conditions are just right, the flour used and the correct temperature maintained then it can take quicker. I have seen starters just go from strength to strength and ready to bake with within a week. Perhaps your starter falls into this category. I see no reason why not but like Ford I'd recommend a few more feeds to make sure before trying a recipe. And even if your starter is now viable it will continue to gain strength over the next few weeks.
If over the next two feeds things continue to go well then try a recipe. If the levain build goes well then go onto the final dough. If at any stage you see things are going south then you can always add yeast to the final dough at any stage and continue as a yeasted bread.
I decided to go ahead and try the recipe from Breadtopia. I added 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 7 oz. of water. Mixed and left sit for 12 hours. Added remaining flours and water. Kneaded for 10 minutes and left in fridge overnight.Had a full rise. Formed a ball. Rose again. It is now in the oven with my fingers crossed. And my remaining starter is alive and well.