The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Is my starter OK?

BDGoats's picture
BDGoats

Is my starter OK?

I activated my starter from Northwest Sourdough last week.  It was bubbly at first (I feed it for 3 days starter - 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup distilled water).  Now it is doing nothing - looks like pancake batter - no bubbles.  I keep getting houch (the thin layer of liquid on top) - so I stir that back in.  But, I haven't seen any bubbles for the last day or two.  Did I do something wrong?  Is it OK?  What do I need to do?

staff of life's picture
staff of life

Your starter is hungry!  Save about 1/4 c, add about 1/4 water and 1/4 flour (approx, you want it to look like thick pancake batter), and let it go.  It should get nice and bubbly again soon.  For a really active starter, you should feed it at least once a day, if not more.  A lot of people on this site, myself included, feed their starters twice a day.  When your starter gets more active, you'll find that you need less starter to innoculate the flour and water mixture.

SOL