January 3, 2011 - 9:14pm
Sourdough starter question?
Today is day 8 of my sourdough starter and it smells like a nice merlot but not like yeasty bread. I made the starter with 1/2 sprouted rye and 1/2 sprouted whole wheat...totaling 1/4C mixed flour, 1/4C filtered water. I've been feeding it every other day and it is not growing in height. Yesterday it was soft on top with lots of bubbles and today it has a hard top on it. I'm not sure what is going on? Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Curlygirl
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After day 2 - 3, or so, the new starter usually begins feeding at least daily, more typically, twice daily. Yours, at the stated consistency(seemingly quite liquid), almost surely is being starved.
What are you using as a guide/tutorial? If not using a guide, it's probably best to choose one, and really follow it closely(temperatures, schedules, weights preferably, etc).
When just starting a starter try feeding it every night until it starts to grow. It's just like raising a child. When they're first born you have to feed them every 2 hours and then slowly "wean" them. Of course you don't want to feed your starter every 2 hours but maybe you need to feed it more than what you've been doing. Rather than feeding it every other day try feeding every day. Also make sure to measure equal parts. If you save 1 cup of starter... add 1 cup of flour and the equal weight of water which is about 3/4 of cup. It may help to use a thermometer when adding the water it should be about 80 degrees. Good temp in the water makes the yeast work a little better so it's not too hot or too cold. Also make sure it's in a "warm" spot. If you like your house a little cooler like around 65 degrees. Try to find somewhere where you can keep it warmer where the temp of the room is going to stay about 75-80 degrees. Also starts usually raise better in the summer time than they do in the winter because it's warmer and yeast always works better in warmer climates
Good luck =D