March 13, 2014 - 5:10pm
Still having starting help!
I still need starter help! I did the test like Mini Oven told me to do. It bubbled and expanded 50% in 8 hours. Then, it deflated but it did rise again like she said. I have fed like she told me but now it bubbles on top and is very yeasty but its not doubling so I just keep feeding but still nothing more than some big bubbles on top. I don't understand what the problem is!
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I would advise just giving it some time. My first starter took about ten days to start acting "right". A starter goes though several stages. If you have reached the point that it successfully doubled and fell, you aren't far off. My advice would be to take about a tablespoon of your starter, and mix it with about 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour. Cover it, put it someplace warm (top of the fridge), and let it sit for about two days undisturbed. Then continue with regular feeding. See what happens.
Don't give up on it. It will eventually take off. After that it is much easier to care for.
Patience is key! So yes, give it more time!
If it is bubbly but doesn't rise usually means it is jut too thin. I would suggest that the next time you feed it, feed 1/4 C of the starter 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 c of water and don't feed it again until the starter rises and falls.
DivingDance,
I did what you said and haven't touched for almost a whole 48 hours but all that has happened is that there is brown liquid sitting on top. I have read it two different ways, one to pour it off and another to stir it in. Which do you suggest?
and means that the starter is out fo food and starving. Stir it down and take 50 g of it and feed it 100 g each if flour and water and it will be fine in no time. If you don't have a scale then take a 1/4 C of stirred down starter and feed ot 1/2 C of flout and 1/4 C of water..
any post on the older thread would have popped up in my alerts. Anyway. sounds like you didn't go back to the original starter culture but continued on feeding the "test" of the starter. Returning to the original culture for another day of fermentation would have jumped over this mess and activated it sooner with stronger yeast development. Sorry about that.
Agree with above, feed it. It's hungry!
Sorry mini oven new to this website. OK I will do what y'all said and get back with you.
OK. Its been 8 hours and I had taken the 1/4 c. starter, 1/4 c. water and the 1/2 c. flour. It looks like it has a few bubbles, one or two in the middle section. Am I on track? It hasn't risen or anything. I know I have to be patient but I have been trying this for a month and apparently need a play by play.
is the starter?
I just want your first born loaf. ... :) just kidding. I'll take the second. :) still kidding... won't be long now...
12 hours. It is really weak and that food will last it a good long while 80-82 F is the best temp for yeast.
Well I just got to check the temp and its like 76 degrees. So its been ....19 hours and its not double but is has risen 50%. It is very bubbly but not being for sure exactly was yeasty smells like , it doesn't smell fermenty if that can be used as a word. No liquid on top either. So u said wait at least 12 hours and that about the a time I left for work , there wasnt any change that I couldn't see before I left. What do I do now?
hmmm, wish I could poke it. Why don't you split the starter into two portions,
1) let half sit longer, covered up (Describe this one more fully, stir it with a fork or spoon and describe the starter. Does it have any discoloration, is it stringy or a smooth mass, is it separating?)
2) give the other half a fresh feeding. Just like the last one described above.
Then let them remain at 76° for another 12 hrs. or until one of them peaks in activity. then taste it (and spit it out) and describe. if no sour is detected, wait a few hours and taste again. When sour, reduce #2) to 1/4 cup and add 1/4c warm water and then enough flour to make a soft paste. Let rise in 76°F.
Oh crap. I kinda misread your directions. I have 2 jars, one I stirred: its color appears the same as when I fed it. There was immediate bubbles on top some large and small ones. It also has the consistency of slightly too thin pancake batter but not much. This is where I mess up. The other jar 1/4 c. Starter, 1/4 c water, but I used warm water, and 1/2 c flour. So I was surprised because it made a soft paste. When I reread your directions, I could have kicked myself. *Note *that I didn't get your post til this morning because I had to go back to work and just got up and that would be like 18 hours later. When I looked at my starters this morning they were frothy, like big bubbles and then there were groupings of very tiny bubbles raised on the surface and it had fallen back to its original level in the jar* I hope my being busy this week isn't destroying my starters.
I am hoping the fed one is rising to peak before you feed it.
About the jars... #1 is just incase all this non-yeasty business really is not yeasty. This jar should just be left alone to observe, stir several times to examine and compare to itself to notice changes. Keep good and separate notes on it. It also works as a back-up for a few days while you're playing with the #2 starter. If #2 should start smelling unpleasant, we will be returning back to #1 to get a good starter as it has more than likely fermented past the nasty bacteria stage.
From what I gather, #2 got a drastic reduction but I'm not too worried about it. Curious to find out how high it rises today. Rise is a sign of gas activity, but tasting sour is a sign that there has been a shift to the right bacteria. Beer is a sign that yeast is fermenting and a combination of sour and beer means it's time to give it a good feeding of at least twice the weight of flour to starter weight adding enough water to make a soft paste. (it is basically the same thing, inoculating a soft paste.) Let it rise and when peaked, taste it again. It will not be as beery, more fruity and a little sour. If you have to wait a little on the sour, give it another hour or two and then repeat reducing to 1/4 c and feeding.
Keep your jars clean so you can observe it easier, juggling #2 between two clean jars with each feed.
Final edit: If you find after working long, your starters have flattened and taste very sour, reduce the starter to just a tablespoon and feed 50g water and 80g to 100g of flour for a 24 hr period. Let it get fully risen and sour tasting and pleasant smelling before feeding it again. Adjust the feeding it so that it peaks and gets a bit sour when you are home to feed it. It takes a little trial and error but it will work out in the long run as long as you let the yeast and bacteria develop in the food before feeding. If you can't make a feeding, and the starter is still not peaking, stick it into the refrigerator and skip a feeding. Then when you have time, pull it out to warm up and continue watching it, waiting for the starter to tell you when to feed it. OK?
you ahve done as Mini suggested, divding in half letting one sit longer and then feeding the other half 1/2 c of flour and 1/4 c of water to make what looks like a soft bread dough. This one should double in 12 hour this time.
Happy baking
For some reason my comment last night didn't post. My #1 jar didn't do much of anything. My #2 jar the one I made a soft paste by accident, it almost completely doubled yesterday. Very bubbly. I'm going to go check its taste. Brb. Its a tiny bit sour and fruity kinda but more like a sou, nutty,and fruity taste. According to your advice it's sounds like I'm on track, right? So based on your previous post I'm going to do 1/4 c and feed it. I hope I'm going to this right but i'm going to do exactly what I did before with the soft paste. Can I? I see your online, tell me if thats right.
i'm going to do exactly what I did before with the soft paste. Can I? YES of course! You can chill #1 now, and replace it in a few days with a more recent discard from #2.
Doubling is not the end of all ends, let the starter rise to it's maximum height. Make sure it is fragrant, sour and fully peaked (can even sink back down a little or stand a little longer) before feeding it.
Sounds like you're on track! Great!
OK longtime no talk but finally got my starter to double so I said what the heck. I'm going To go for broke and I fed it rye flour to attempt to make some rye bread. So I fed it and it double in less than 8 hours! I thought awesome. So I had this recipe though it was generally for wheat but I thought what's the difference. So I followed it but it never got ellastic like.I have added an additional 2 cups of flour and still sticky as all get out. Is it my starter? Did I attempt something to complex for my first time? What's the deal?
I suggest firat following a recipe that works before experimenting by changing ingredients. Especially when changing the main ingredient.
You can't make rye bread by simply by substituting rye for wheat as rye flour behaves completely differently from wheat flour due to a lack of gluten forming proteins.
Follow a rye formula for rye bread.
Rye is notoriously sticky, not to worry.
Here's a recipe for SD that could work well for you:
http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-rye-bread/
Though you might want to omit the orange zest, at least on a first attempt; think it masks rather than accentuates the rye flavor. Found grapefruit rind a bit more subtle, but still not necessary to the success of this recipe.
I like to add a scant teaspoon of Vital Wheat Gluten for every two cups of rye when baking kneaded loaves. Not sure whether it would be of any help in the Breadtopia recipe, but generally improves elasticity.
Happy baking!
What's going on with the starter? How are you taking care of it?