October 15, 2010 - 8:15pm
New Starter
I have new starter that took about two weeks to gett going using AP. it is now doubling in a 2-3 hours. However, I dont see any foam or fluid on the top that people talk about. It smells great, reminds me of when I used to brew my own beer. comments welcome
Share
Hi Chefkill. You don't want the waste fluid (hootch) on top - that's a sign of underfeeding
Sounds like you've got a healthy sourdough starter going.
Thanks LindyD
The foam on top is usually only if your starter is a higher hydration (more fluid). A thicker starter will just look bubbly.
I agree with the others - you don't want any liquid on top. However, if you refrigerate your starter for a while (it can last weeks - or even longer - in the fridge between feedings), it will develop lots of liquid (hooch). This is completely normal. Before you feed and refresh the starter again, just stir it all up so it's a uniforn consistency again. (Some folks say to drain the liquid off before refreshing the starter, but that's a bad idea since that would change your starter's hydration.)