April 22, 2020 - 1:49am
Starter not rising
Hi, I am new to the sourdough world and have just recently started my starter. I have been using the 1:1:1 method feeding twice a day for just over a week now. I’ve seen lots of foamy bubbles on top and bubbles within the mix it’s self but it is not rising at all. I live in the UK so wondered whether temperature could be the issue. Please help ?
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Instead of 1:1:1, try a 1:2:3 or a 1:3:4 ratio. That will make the mixture more like a dough and less like a batter. It will be able to trap the bubbles that are escaping from the starter now, making it rise.
And congratulations on having begun a healthy starter!
Paul
Thank you! I shall definitely give this a go!!
Nice job!
All you need to see are bubbles - don't worry about doubling at this stage; that'll come later.
I'm in the UK too (in Herts) and I can assure you that the temperature is NOT a problem :-)
The bubbles mean that the microbes are feeding and growing, which is all you hope for at this stage. The rising/doubling thing is really just about there also being a good amount of gluten in the mix, which acts like an elastic membrane that stretches and traps the gas bubbles rather then letting them float to the surface and pop. Your starter is probably a little too young (and liquid - for good reasons) to be able to trap the bubbles.
Be aware though that your starter is still very young, and what you might be seeing at the moment is just bacteria activity with very little yeast present. Does it taste sour at all before you feed it?
It's very well worth while reading these two posts, which will explain what's going on and what might happened next:
The Pineapple Juice Solution, Part 1
The Pineapple Juice Solution, Part 2
Enjoy!
Thank you, I shall continue to persevere! ?
Your starter looks very active and bubbly! I think the reason that it's not rising is that the mixture is too thin it can't hold bubbles within it.
Can I ask what flour do you use? Check the protein content to make sure it a strong flour (>12g protein/100g flour) because stronger flour are more absorbent and can hold bubbles better. Whole wheat or rye flour are more absorbent too but they may change the flavour (if that's not what you want).
Or you could simply thicken it by adding a little more flour until it reaches a consistency like tomato paste (I keep mine that way and it rises very predictable).
And remember only feed it when it needs to. At lower temperature (~25C) it maybe isn't reaching its peak in 12hrs. When starting a starter feeding it late is better than feeding it early. Try let it sit for a whole 24hrs and see how it reacts :)
Hi, thanks for the help! I’m using half strong white bread flour and half whole meal. I have just fed my starter and used the 1:2:3 method as advised above and it is thicker! I will leave it for 24hrs and see what happens :)
I'm a newby, working on my first starter on day 5, and I have found no answer, despite hours of researching, concerning how much light or darkness affects a sourdough starter. I guess since there is no information on this, that it does not matter either way.