February 16, 2021 - 3:31am
starter has odd layers
- hi I live in a tropical climate lows are around 20°C and it usually goes to around 30°C at the moment. I started a sourdough starter a few times and fed it once a day however, every time I tried i always saw 3 layers, bottom one has flour and water and what appears to be no bubbles, 2nd layer is hooch and 3rd layer is avery thin layer of bubbles and this was the only part of the starter that rose.Is it that I need to feed my starter more often, or keep it in the fridge or something?
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It sounds far too hydrated. Thicken it up by just adding more flour at the next feed. Should be a thick batter.
could that be?
Hi afsana.
Please be patient with your starter. It seems to be doing just fine. You can adjust its consistency, by adding less water when you feed your starter. You live in a tropical climate where air is hot and humid, so your flour is moist, it absorbs moisture from air, and needs less water than my very dry flour, for example, to get a starter that doesn't separate into layers.
Layers per se don't mean anything, the starter still develops and yeast and bacteria are still growing inside. It can have a huge layer of water on top and still be a perfect starter. However, then you won't see it 'rising' and that makes many people uncomfortable. It is easier to see that starter is working when it actually rises.
So next time you feed it, add less water, so that instead of looking like so
It looks like so
m.