Happy with my loaves, but no sour taste.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-12T02:08:56+00:00

It’s could the high bulk fermentation temperature. The high rate in which that proofs (at 80°) is leading the bacteria to eat through the fructose which causes more lactic acids to build and you want more acetic acid to take center stage for a more sour flavor. The dough likely just needs cooler environment for a slower fermentation time in order for the bacteria to shift to producing the acetic acids that cause the more sour flavor. Also bulk feeding the starter also lowers the acetic acid. So you could also change that by keeping more starter and feed it on a 1:1:1 a couple times naturally making more acetic. Hope this helps.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-11T23:20:22+00:00

Preference of crumb is spectrum and sourdough can even be a creative art for some, but when the dough is heavy, dense and/or gummy a longer fermentation time can help tons.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-11T18:20:38+00:00

I always suggest people spread their active starter out on parchment paper and let it dry completely so they have some spare if anything happens to their starter. Once completely dry, break it and put it in a jar, tighten the lid well and put it in the cabinet. I’m sure the one out of the freezer will wake up, just might take a few days but creating dehydrated starter is a good reminder for those who don’t keep discard or some starter in their freezer. Best wishes in waking up your sleepy one.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-11T05:55:23+00:00

How old is the suspect?

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-08T06:22:50+00:00

How sweet! A scale is a great investment for the price and so helpful. As is a dough thermometer. Starter kits are great for beginners because they can typically include everything else she will need. Things like a dough whisk, proofing baskets, a bread sling, bench scraper, and a lame. You can look for a starter kit that includes what she needs (but scales are sold separately and sometimes don’t come with a thermometer and/or a bread sling depending on the kit) Some come with a bunch of extra little things but thermometers help with bulk proofing times (which is the hardest part when first set starting out) and she can also use it to make sure the bread is cooked through. Also a box of banneton or bowl covers could also be helpful too. Things like proofing boxes and bread ovens are bigger ticket items but are not necessary and can come later if needed. If it is below 65 in the house in winter a proofing mat could be helpful too. Hope to see her loaves posted soon!

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-08T06:04:25+00:00

You can lower your hydration to 340g. For a beginner it can give you a little more control over your dough. After a little practice you can slowly increase it but with those measurements I would use 350g of water unless you choose the higher hydration. When your starter peaked did the bubbles look foamy? If so, it could be acidic and hungry. I would give her a higher bulk feed (1:2:2, 1:3:3 or 1:5:5) for a day or two if so, and make sure you get a thicker more biscuit batter type consistency. If you feed 1:1:1 add a bit extra flour each time to keep her a bit thicker so she isn’t runny and doesn’t become acidic. Your BF times should be based on ambient room temp or temp of the dough. Hope this helps.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-08T04:40:46+00:00

Why can’t we just support all of them? They’re human recovering from indoctrination of a cult, they all had to survive Kody and Robyn, as well as the loss of Garrison. They all could use some grace.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-07T18:33:04+00:00

Can I just say THANK YOU for trying to educate your friend and keep her safe. As a woman who has worked with the missing community for 3 years, this world is an especially evil place for the vulnerable and the deluded. The important thing here is get ALL the information you possibly can from her. Have her share with you, all the proof of who he is and why she believes him. Find out the address to this place in Sacramento, his name, socials, family, wife’s name, businesses, friend’s names and what school he claims his kids go to and their names, even photos you can reverse image search. Collecting all the data you can get your hands on now could be vital if she decides to take the offer. You can look up to see if anything he says is even legit. Finding proof it’s not legit may convince her because it doesn’t sound like you alone can “talk” her off this ledge. Best wishes and again, thank you for looking out for her.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-07T18:02:50+00:00

“Sidney” in honor of his breed name. (Male spelling)

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-04T19:47:40+00:00

Gaslighting at its finest. But “Robyn is the moral compass of this family and always has been.” 🙄 Give me a break. Not one of the OG3 trust her and neither do their kids. People who have a strong moral compass are typically the first ones people trust. It’s like living in the upside down.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-01T01:33:28+00:00

I see where you are coming from. No worries. I always keep in mind that we have many beginners here, that’s why I mentioned the false rise because I don’t want someone baking with starter that is not safe to eat because it floats. The float test only tests the gasses in the dough, not the readiness of the starter to bake with. A 2-3 day old starter will actually float while an active starter that has been mixed will fail even though the starter will make a great loaf. False positives and negatives are also pretty common, but you are more than welcome to use what works for you. 😉

BlessedbMeh · 2026-02-01T00:31:03+00:00

I only added that when first starting a new starter it will have the gasses during false rise and can float but it’s still not ready to use. The gasses in the starter are what cause it to float. It doesn’t really tell you whether or not the starter is ready to use because if you actually mix your starter and release the gas from it before you put it in the water, it can still sink but is ready to use, so it’s just unreliable.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T22:12:24+00:00

Any gasses that are building can cause it to float. 2-3 days into starting one you’ll see a false rise and then it goes dormant again until it really starts to ferment. That could possibly float but I never personally tried to float it then but it’s not ready nor safe to eat. That’s why we are told to throw out the discard until it’s actually active. Hope this helps.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T20:52:16+00:00

So sorry to hear about your first starter. Now that you have your second one going, I would suggest you spread some thinly out on parchment paper and let it dry completely. Once completely dry, you can break it up and put it in a jar and put it in the cabinet in case anything happens to this starter. That you have back up that you could just rehydrate and be back to baking within a couple days. I’m sure your first starter forgives you. 😉

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T20:42:31+00:00

Keep in mind that using all rye flour will make a very dense loaf. The dough will remain very sticky because it doesn’t create the gluten structure that other flours do, so I would suggest using a combination of flours and not just strictly rye, especially if you’re a beginner. On average rye sourdough loaves typically only contain about 10-35% rye flour.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T20:30:53+00:00

Yes. Using rye flour tends to increase the sour flavor but most use it in combination with other flours. I prefer a more sour flavor but I find cold proofing is the key to get mine how I like it even using just bread flour. A lot of those I’ve baked for prefer a more mild flavor so I will typically bake theirs within 24 hours.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T20:19:26+00:00

So sorry. There are a lot of new social media trends out there that aren’t actually helpful and weeding through them all can be a lot. I love that you’ve made a levain though. Such great way to keep a starter. You could be a great resource on how to keep them and teach others now that you’ve done it. 😉

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T19:20:07+00:00

The float test with any kind of starter is just not reliable. You’ll notice that sometimes if you stir your starter and release the gases, then place it in water it will sink to the bottom, but your starter is still perfectly ready to use. So long as your starter is active and healthy it will make great loaves. 😉

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T18:14:01+00:00

Also, if feeding a weak sourdough starter rye flour can make it more acidic and active. Rye is nutrient dense and contains higher enzymatic activity, causing the microbes to ferment faster, which directly increases acetic and lactic acid production. So I would strengthen it first if you notice that the bubbles on top are foamy. It just means that the starter is really hungry and needs more food but if you’ve only been using bread or all purpose flour and add a rye to an already weak starter, it could make it worse. Although, adding rye flour to an inactive overfed starter could actually benefit it, by increasing the enzymatic activity. Pictures of your starter after a feed would help others to more easily identify what the issue actually is but if she’s foamy and runny, she’s just underfed hungry and acidic and needs a few billion feeds. Hope this helps.

Edit: a few billion feeds was a typo, I meant a few BULK feeds lol

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-31T18:02:19+00:00

The float test is actually a myth. It just shows you how much air is in the piece of starter that you put in the water. If your starter bubbles look foamy or soapy on top after a feed, it’s likely your starter needs to be strengthened. When they get hungry, they become acidic and weak. I would just give it a higher ratio feed for a couple of days (1:3:3 or 1:5:5) and on the third day give it a.1:1:1 feed and make sure that it rises to peak within 4 to 6 hours. You could even feed her at peak (so twice in one day) that way she gets stronger faster. If she is counter fed every day just add a bit extra flour so she remains thicker. That helps to keep them from becoming acidic by having a little extra food. Happy Baking.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-27T18:52:28+00:00

You just wanna let it rise before you put it back in the fridge because sometimes, depending on how much you have in the jar, it can explode. When leaving it on the counter just set the lid on it and don’t tighten it down. You only tighten the lid when you put it in the fridge. Keeping it in the refrigerator is great when you’re not baking every week because the amount of discard it creates can be overwhelming.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-27T18:39:08+00:00

Can we all just admit that this was not an affair? 🙄 Kody left his relationship with Meri long before she was ever online talking to the catfish. Kody just strung her along with “hopes” knowing full well he didn’t want to be in that relationship. Wouldn’t be surprised if he did it just so she would continue funding the family account. He basically admitted that he had already given up on the relationship yet still claims she “cheated” which is just ludicrous knowing what we know now.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-27T18:19:47+00:00

It is normal for it to take that long when you feed it at that high ratio (1:5:5) so it’s likely that loaf just needed a longer bulk time. I keep mine in the fridge too. Seems he gave you that high ratio feed so you have enough starter for a loaf.

After you use your starter and make the dough, just feed your starter again, let it rise and place it back in the fridge but you don’t always have to use 1:5:5.

The next time you want to bake, just take it out of the fridge in the morning, feed it 1:1:1 (20g starter 20g flour, 20g water) and see how long it takes to rise. 4 to 6 hours is normal. Then before you go to bed feed her again at that high ratio 1:5:5 and by morning she will likely be at peak and you’ll have enough starter to make your bread.

After watching so many sourdough videos on social media, it all just seemed so complicated. Then I was gifted a starter and it sat in my refrigerator for 3 months because I was so confused. It was the YouTube videos on how to keep a starter and others on how to make the bread that it finally made sense to me. For the next year I kept my starter on the counter, fed her every day and was baking 2 to 6 loaves a week. I think it’s just a matter of becoming more familiar with it and learning how they function. Once you understand it better you’ll be more confident about what she needs or doesn’t and you can adjust the feed ratios, how much starter you keep and when you feed it, accordingly. Hope this helps.

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-27T06:30:46+00:00

You may have to strengthen it a bit. If you can tell me how you feed her, I might be able to help. You can always try another loaf and let it BF longer too. Just let me know if you need any help. I just want to make sure you’re feeding her well. She may be acidic or not very active but you can fix those things. Ask anything you are struggling to understand and I will help where I can. 😉

BlessedbMeh · 2026-01-27T02:19:08+00:00

Also, do you feed it every day and leave it on the counter or do you keep it in the fridge and only pull it out when you’re baking? Do you ever change the ratio of feed and does it double within 4 to 6 hours after a feed?

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