starter not rising
I know the topic has been covered but it seems each scenario is a bit different ...so I'm posting my question ...sorry for the redundancy :) but thanks!
I have a starter (from dehydrated stock) that I started on Sun. night (1-12-14). The original starter that this came from was active & vigorous. This young starter is bubbling & frothy & smells typical. But it is not rising at all. I'm feeding it every 12 hours 1/4 c flour, 1/8 c water. I have it in a glass jar and there are no tracks left on the jar so I know it's not rising & falling while away at work. Since my stock starter was active & vigorous, I guess I expected this to take right off. It's siting at about a 73F temp. The dehydrated stock is about 3 years old and stored airtight, dry, coolish room-temp.
Could it be too liquidy? So while the starter is active alright (which seems to be the case as you say it's bubbling and frothy), the bubbles simply rise to the surface and escape into the air, rather than puffing up the whole lot?
It's a good thought ..which I had considered, but it's the same ratio I have always used & it's never imposed on a starter before ...maybe I should try scaling back the liquid just to see. I suppose starters can/do morph so perhaps it's not really the same as the parent any longer ...
I'm hoping it just needs a few more days - I'm anxious to bake but don't have time until Saturday anyway.
How much starter are you feeding the 1/4c flour and 1/8c water?
I suspect you may not be feeding it enough. Are you removing some/most of the starter each time before you feed it?
No scale yet?
I have not discarded any ...so I probably have about 2 cups of starter now ... I wondered if I should do that in this case ...I'll try that tonight when I get home. Not sure what 'scale' is (??) TY!
A food scale to weigh your flour and water.
Ok, so basically, we are attempting to restore a dried starter. What are you using as a guide to accomplish this? It may not be quite so simple as just feeding every 12 hours right from the start. And even when your starter is ready for regular feedings, you have to know that a given quantity of starter needs sort of a certain minimum amount of food. Feeding 2 cups a starter, if it indeed is at the stage for regular feeding, may need about 2 cups of food for it to behave like most here would expect. That is just an example, but that is why you may need to discard(throw away, etc) starter before feeding to keep things at manageable levels(unless one is feeding to build for a bake).
But whatever, here is one guide from a long time respected member here. Maybe guide is not quite the right word. More of just a blog or memoirs, but it may be a good starting point for your needs. If not there should be plenty of help forthcoming:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/25714/rehydrating-dried-starter-after-traveling
Another post on reviving dried starter:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/277029#comment-277029
"...Restoring Starter from Dried Starter
Take about a tablespoon of crushed dried starter and add a quarter cup (1 oz.) of unbleached, all-purpose flour and two tablespoons (1 oz.) of chlorine-free water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let ferment for a day. On day two, add 3 ounces of flour and 3 ounces of water, and allow the starter to ferment at room temperature for another day. By this time, the starter should be active and may be refreshed as usual..."
Good luck.
until it is doubling in that 12 hour period. This, in combination with removing 1/2 the starter will give the yeast and bacteria ample time and space to do their things without having to fight for food.
Thanks so much - I really appreciate the fast responses you have given me! This info should be very helpful! I'll let you know how I do!
to 75°F or above and leave it alone until it smells very yeasty. Put a bowl under it to protect from overflow. Cover loosely and stop giving it more food.
I agree with stirring and dumping half returning to only one cup of starter. Save what you dump into a second jar and add one teaspoon of 5% cider vinegar, stir, cover and slow race the two.
Wow, my head is reeling now! LOL ...since I have plenty of the original starter in dehydrated form - perhaps I'll begin another one and try some these ideas. I really appreciate all the input! Thanks so much! I have learned a lot & there is plenty yet to absorb!
This time get just add enough water to turn the dried starter into a paste. Let it stand 24 hrs before you increase the amount with a scant spoonful of water and flour. Wait for the yeast aroma before continuing to add more flour and water.
see how it goes against the others gosh, I hope you keep notes :)
Yes Mini - that's just what I did! So we'll see ... I now have 4 starts on the go ...which I know is nothing compared to what some of us have! Several years back when I was sourdough-ing - it seemed so simple ... anyway, I also have a 'from scratch' starter that I started Saturday ...it's doing very well & has risen about 55% of it's volume since its feeding 2.5 hours ago - yay! This is my first 'from scratch' starter ever ...hopefully I can get some real baking done Sunday or Monday when I'm off!