New Starter Liquifies on Day 3
Hello all!
I just recently purchased myself a copy of Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast, and figured i'd jump in the deep end by getting a starter (sorry, "Levain") going according to the method he outlines in the book.
Day 2 it looked great—had expanded to 2-3 times the original size, web-like internal structure, et cetera. But then the morning of Day 3 it had liquified. There were a couple bubbles on the surface, but no visible activity below the surface, and little to no growth in size. Day 4 is much the same. It still smells pretty pungent, and when I fried up some of the "waste" starter this morning it tasted sourdough-y, so I assume it's not dead...but I'm not sure what's going on, and it sure doesn't look like the description in the book.
I've been following the instructions in FWSY pretty closely—100% hydration, whole wheat flour (red rose brand), 90 degree F water, leaving it, covered, at about 77 degrees F.
Help!
it takes a bit of patience waiting for the bacteria and yeast to sort themselves out and this next wait will test you but keep with it. You can swirl the dish a little if you think stirring helps. Try not to hover over the dish too much. You still have a few days ahead of you.