I’m starting my journey into sourdough. I’ve started my starter 5 days ago. I found the schedule online and decided on this one out of many options.
Day 1
50g flour
50g water
Day 2 add
50g water
50g flour
Day 3 add
50g water
50g flour
Day 4
Remove
100g starter
Add
50g water
50g flour
Day 5
Remove
100g starter
Add 50g water
50g flour
I had 36 hours between day 3 and 4 then went back to schedule for day 5 so only had 12 hours between. The other days were all 24 hours between. Using AP flour and bottled water. After day 2 had activity, after day 3 nearly doubled in size. Now on day 5 I have some bubbling but no rising at all. Seems to have really slowed down. No signs of mold, has been no hooch on top just sort of has a few popped bubbles in the surface. I’m 18 hours into day 5. Did my feeding schedule change (should have been 24 hours between all) mess up the fermentation or is this normal? Been using the same flour and bottle of water since day 1.
Thanks
It's not your fault but that feeding schedule is not a good one. In addition, you are only on day 5 and that's not really long enough.
Generally speaking, if there hasn't been much activity then stir but don't feed, even more so at the start. Here's why:
The real strategy for creating a starter should be to let lactic acid bacteria (LAB) - that are naturally present - multiply and acidify the mixture to the point that the dormant yeast can wake up and start to grow. Along the way, other undesired bacterial may start to multiply, and that's what you started to see after a few days. Day by day the LAB were multiplying and acidifying the mixture although you couldn't see it. Each time you added flour and water, you diluted the concentration of LAB and reduced the acidity, just the opposite of what you want to have happen.
As the acidity drops, different bacteria that grow best at a particular acidity level will multiply and cause gas, or sometimes off odors. The LAB keep multiplying and increasing the acidity. Then the acidity range becomes best for some other kind of bacteria and you may see some different activity, or none. It there has been a lot of activity, then some nutrients have been used up and it's time to add more flour and water, or discard some and add new flour and water. Otherwise give the mixture a good stirring (which will bring in some air and may bring nutrients close to the bacteria again) and leave it alone.
The chances are that you will get a usable starter in a few more days. If not, be patient, feed it, and wait a few more.
If that never happens, you can try again. This time, jump start the process by using an acidic liquid instead of water at the beginning. Don't use vinegar, but acidic fruit juice is good, and the kind that seems to work especially well is canned pineapple juice. I have used the pickling liquid from salt-fermented pickles - it's quite acidic - and gotten a new starter in two days. The dormant yeast won't wake up until the pH gets down to around 4.0, apparently, and the pineapple juice will start you out close to that.
You can also start with much less flour and liquid, only five grams each or, if that's too small to work with, 10 grams each. This will use much less flour and let you discard less frequently.
Otherwise, the details of just how much flour or water to add and when don't make much difference so don't worry about the getting them exactly "right".
TomP
Would adding a small amount of probiotic yogurt help? I think I’ll likely just wait on this one but if starting again. I know from making sour beer that’s how we get lactobasilois bacteria going in a wort. I don’t have any mold, weird smells or anything like that just a sticky slightly bubbly mixture right now. I’ll keep stirring and not feeding. Likely cut it back in size next feeding too and go 100g starter, 50g water, 50g flour. From what I’m reading the recipe I followed is way to big.
The best thing to start is small - you'll have more than enough by the time you're done. Most don't realize that. The adding every day thing is just a waste in my book. Only feed when necessary should be the rule - and the rule is having enough by the time it's needed. That's determined by the schedule. But - first things first - you gotta have a starter. Enjoy!
It probably would. Anything that speeds up acidification ought to be helpful. The actual bacteria in the yogurt probably aren't what most starters end up with so the "probiotic" aspect may not matter much.
Why don't you stick with what you have for now? For most people, it takes around 7 days for the starter to take off, and you aren't there yet. And it has taken 2 weeks for some folks.
I think that many of these prescriptions for starters probably worked for the author and maybe some others. Some of the instructions and explanations are little more than urban myths repeated over and over. But many times, their kitchens are already crawling with yeast and LAB and most any schedule would work, But for a newbie like you, that won't be the case.
The initial size isn't important, IMHO. But if you start small you will use less flour and need to discard less, and we'd all like that, wouldn't we?
If you really want to
Do that a few times and it's a starter ready to go. Ahh what the hell - you probably want a 50/50 mix - so after a few rises like above - break it down - which would be equal parts (starter/water/flour).
Or just wait - it'll take less between each rise - eventually. I just read the l o n g post. Enjoy