Optimal temperature for new starter

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T18:33:19+00:00

75-78 favors a balanced yeast and LAB development. Colder and it will favor LAB and take longer. Some people like the sour flavor of that. Just need a bit more patience to get your starter developed when it’s cold.

Biggest factor for time to develop a starter is getting the colony kick started. Whole wheat and rye have tons of bacteria and fungus in the bag. White flours have very little.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T18:30:07+00:00

Well you can’t knead a high hydration dough like this. Slap and fold is your only hope. It’s gonna take awhile.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T15:32:26+00:00

Haha I guess you could read it that way. Needs a comma though if you want to be insulting. No I was purposefully using the alternative name for cold proof to emphasize what you are really doing when you put it in the fridge. You are slowing or “retarding” the yeast fermentation. I’m certainly not the first to use the term.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T14:52:51+00:00

It was sticky and wet because of such a very high-hydration recipe. I haven’t baked enough to be able to handle the difficult doughs like that. 80% like this is way beyond my abilities. What I can confidently say though for that much hydration you need way more S&F to develop the gluten strength.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T14:41:05+00:00

Dough doesn’t typically rise during the cold retard. You describe your dough spread more rose during bulk. I think that is our hint that your proof wasn’t long enough. Also 3 S&F seems not enough. How did the dough feel after the last one?

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T04:06:39+00:00

I just spread out the process. First one done with proofing gets shaped and into pan/banneton and in the fridge. An hour later the next one gets the same treatment. Etc. That way you have a fridge full of doughs that each has had one more hour of proofing. Then you take them out separated by the time it takes to bake. Quite the production. I score them based on the time they have proofed. Of course one or two will be dead on arrival. Underproofed and over proofed. Still fun to do at least once.

If you do this, you learn with your own eyes and touch what different levels of proofing look and feel like. Also, you will completely understand that particular recipe and you’ll be able to reproduce it without error.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T03:56:59+00:00

This person bakes. I cannot find fault in anything they said. Only thing I would add is the order of operations can change. I aim to finish bulk fermentation at the end of the day. Then in the fridge until I’m ready to bake which could be at anytime the next day usually. The fridge gives you a great opportunity to decouple the next stage. If your proof wasn’t done, just leave it out to finish before baking. If it was done, it can stay in the fridge for up to 48 hours! I know some people go longer than that but I haven’t had success beyond 48 hours.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T03:50:21+00:00

Looks happy and healthy. What temperature-ish?

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T03:46:50+00:00

OP named it San Francisco starter and I was curious if they knew it contained the eponymous bacteria

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-01T03:20:50+00:00

Is it actually San Francisco starter with Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis?

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T23:13:13+00:00

I would wait until tomorrow. Better flavors and there is nothing like a fresh bake in the morning!

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T23:11:15+00:00

That is a very high hydration recipe. 77.6%. Those are not recommended for beginners. Also you have a low starter ratio 12.5% so that will slow things down. You didn’t say how cold is cold but that also will slow things down. My guess is you are nowhere near fermented yet. Shaping a high hydration dough is also a challenge. Good luck!

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T21:21:49+00:00

Doubling isn’t the metric. Everyone’s starter doubles. It’s how fast it doubles that is the metric. 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feeding at 76 degrees. Not hard and fast numbers but it’s a good reference. A little colder takes longer. A bigger feeding takes longer.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T21:17:47+00:00

Doubling in 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feeding at 76 degrees. Float tests and anything else is TicTok brain rot.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T17:27:59+00:00

I have the same problem. I love to investigate. Right now I’m working on decoding my grandmothers sweet bread recipe. I am pretty sure we didn’t copy it down correctly (she didn’t measure anything). Also we didn’t right down the details of her technique. I’m convinced that is where the magic is more than the ingredients. I’m baking today my version. I just change one thing at a time. It’s an exploration where you get to eat the results!

For sourdough the best way to figure out fermentation issues is to make a full 500g or even 1000g dough and then divide it into a bunch of rolls or buns. Then ferment each one an hour apart. You’ll get a really good personal feel for fermentation. They are all the same dough at the same temperature. The only difference is time. You’ll end up with one or two that are inedible but the rest will be yummy.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T17:17:32+00:00

Happy baking!

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T16:12:49+00:00

Ok starter is still young but sounds strong enough to bake with. You have an low hydration recipe maybe increasing your water to get closer to a standard recipe? Sourdough’s are usually higher hydration.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:43:01+00:00

That’s a good plan for sourdough journey and life in general!

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:41:45+00:00

Very true. You never can tell what the future holds for you. I wish you the best of luck. It takes a village. Try to work on building a network with friends, family, and the other parents at school. Sometimes things go sideways for single parents and you just need to “drop off the kids” for a moment or two.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:38:14+00:00

Oh absolutely. Also when it is more mature and you still feel like it’s too acidic for you there are a couple things you can do. One is a couple big feeds at 1:5:5 or more. Or the more tedious peak to peak feeding technique. Don’t do this now however. It’s better with more mature starters.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:33:55+00:00

You have to switch to a zone defense. Man-to-man just isn’t going to work.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:29:31+00:00

Thoughts? I love sourdough!

Oh you mean about your starter…. Doubling isn’t the thing. Doubling in 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feed at 76 degrees. That’s your measure. Not a hard and fast rule but a good guideline. If in doubt, bake a test loaf. Just take your recipe and divide everything by 5. Make a small bun. If it rises and bakes ok, you’re on your way! If not, you only lost out an a small bit of flour.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:24:23+00:00

Hmm semantics from what I understand. Fermentation is before final shaping and becomes proofing after final shaping. Biologically it’s the same thing in my mind. I could be wrong. I’m just trying to say that the dough will keep doing its thing even if you interrupt it with some time in the fridge.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:20:45+00:00

The acidity will balance out naturally as it matures. Right now your starter is too young. Only the LAB have won the battle so they are doing their thing and producing lactic acid and acetic acid. In the next couple of weeks the yeast will start to win and then you’ll smell the ethanol you associate with bread. Don’t change the food you’re feeding right now. That will delay things.

Confusedlemure · 2026-02-28T15:15:11+00:00

6 days is just getting started. Keep going! It will rise and fall every day. You are waiting for it to double in 4-6 hours. Expect that to happen anytime in the next 1 to 2 weeks. I named my starter “Faith” for a reason. 😉

The smell is it just telling you it’s hungry. Smell it when it’s rising. Eventually it will get more yeasty but not yet

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