March 5, 2013 - 11:31pm
Whole Weat Starter Smells Off
So I have a WW starter going with 100% hydration that is a little over a month old. I have been feeding it twice daily for about 3 weeks give or take a few days where I was only able to feed once daily. It doubles in size within 4 hours. Just recently I have noticed that before my feedings, it smells somewhat like feet. I know it's a weird comparison but that is what I got. No mold or funky color to it just a weird smell. I have kept this starter at room temp since it was created. Any suggestions as to what it could be and is this starter safe to use, etc. I have an AP flour that I have used but not the WW one yet.
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Let the starter reach maximum peak or rise and start to level off or fall down a little before finally reducing and feeding. I would suspect that the starter is being overfed or can't eat thru the flour food before being diluted with more food. Let the acid in the starter build a little more before feeding so your good starter bacteria can fight off the stinky stuff. See if that helps it.
I would first skip the next feeding. Then reduce the amount of flour you are feeding (what is it by the way?) or increase the amount of starter you are feeding.
Agree with Mini, in my experience whole grain starters need a larger seed and need to be fed later in the cycle, well after the peak.