July 15, 2020 - 7:20am
9 day old starter not deflating
Hello,
I am new to sourdough and was following a guide I saw online. I finally started marking my jar with tape every hour or two as my starter was rising to track it's progress. At around 5PM last night it had risen to it's highest point however when I just checked it this morning (7AM) the starter is still at the 5PM line.
I was under the impression that the starter should pulse during it's normal life cycle. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Brad
Share
Sometimes they need a little help to collapse. if you tab the jar hard, it probably will. depending on hydration and type of flour, the structure of some holds up better than others. but once it's stopped growing, the foods nearly exhausted. some folks like to give it a stir and it will grow again for a little bit because the food is redistributed or some covered food is exposed. it's all normal. have a smell and a taste to see if you've got that alcohol and acidity of a good starter.
if you leave it longer you'll probably start getting a good hooch in there. the sour liquid byproduct of the process. some people like that in their dough for extra flavor.
Thank you for the reply. I went to stir it and the second my spoon broke the foam it collapsed. Thought I had an immortal starter for a minute there lol.
When should I be using the starter to make a loaf, is it right after I feed it, or do I let the starter rise to it's max then mix all the ingredients?
the article below has much more info than i can provide. but generally, use the starter at or around it's peak.
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/frequently-asked-sourdough-starter-questions/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Mature%20(or,picture%20of%20my%20starter%20above).
Thank you very much for the help. The link you provided was exactly what I was looking for!