I've been having real probs trying to create Elaine Boddy Baby Loaves. The dough ends up being VERY sticky and pretty unmanagable. I thought I was using too much water (using KA bread flour) but adding flour did not repair the sloppy dough. Now I'm thinking my starter is just not ready. Other than poor rise what is evidence of using a not-ready starter?
There's always the possibility of incorrect measurements or recipe scaling. Please show us the recipe. Also, tell us about the starter - flour, hydration, how long since it was fed, etc.
TomP
I agree with TomP. We need more information. You might have more than one issue. Poor rise can stem from several factors. Inactive starter is only one of them.
The starter itself shows you if it's active (enough) or not. You don't need a bread recipe for this.
A poor rise is a good sign of starter health. I won't comment on the formula. Enjoy!
when you first posted about this, you said 'starter strong.' How did you judge that?
how does the starter do when you feed it? Is it rising and falling in a regular pattern with each refreshment?
As TomP & sparkfan said, we need more info. In addition to a description, perhaps you can post a photo of what your starter looks like at its peak, a few hours after you have fed it.
Cheers! With the right info you'll figure this out.
Rob
In a short amount of time then it could very well be a sign that something is off with the starter.
Are you able to get some pH strips so you can measure the acidity?
Also, have you tried low hydration breads? Are they manageable at first and then become sticky quickly? Or are you following high hydration recipes? Might be a good idea to give us an example of a recipe and how the dough handles at each stage. The problem might be too high hydration for flour used or you might be over fermenting. There's not much to go on.