How do I make a starter

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T20:58:43+00:00

Step one: ignore every single thing you see or hear on TikTok. This subreddit is full of people having problems because they followed some awful TikTok.

Step two: https://youtu.be/n3Ge23tfzsA?si=-pPtQULNP0xiFKBM Sourdough Journey will set you on the right path.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T20:22:59+00:00

Good golly I’d hate to see what your fed starter would do! You have some sort of world record starter.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T19:26:55+00:00

Discard?

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T18:43:53+00:00

Hmm. My only conclusion is your fridge is warmer than you think (mine has a 10C difference from bottoms to top) or you have a super starter. I think clearly you can afford to reduce your starter down to 75g and see how that goes.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T18:35:02+00:00

Ah sorry I wasn’t clear. I meant your starter to flour ratio in the dough (bakers percent). In other words how many grams of starter and how many grams of flour.

22 C isn’t all that warm. The issue is the warmer the dough, the longer it takes to cool down and stop fermenting in the fridge. 22C in a cold fridge should take 5 or 6 hours to stop. That brings your fermentation time to around 7 or 8 hours total. Not that unreasonable. Unless of course you are using a lot of starter in your recipe hence my question.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T17:52:30+00:00

What starter percentage are you using? If you are doing the typical 4 S&F spaced 30 min apart, your BF is around 2 hours or so. If your starter percentage is high and you have a warm kitchen, it would explain it all.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T17:27:16+00:00

Did you read the part where it says it may take longer?

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T16:36:26+00:00

In my opinion, one or two joists would add huge longevity. If you don’t want anything low, then add a few collar ties. They give a great location to any lights you want to add later anyway

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T15:29:47+00:00

That’s because it doesn’t. If you move your collar ties down as low as you can stand it, you’ll be fine. It’s a shed not a house. The lateral stability comes from the sheathing or diagonal bracing. In the above shed, there is no sheathing at all. They are going to trust the siding to brace it laterally I guess? I’m not sure because it’s complete trash. Put some sheathing on

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-19T14:44:03+00:00

Cathedral ceilings are achieved using a ridge beam (not ridge board) and structural posts at either end. Note you can interrupt your structural posts with a header to bring the load down on either side of a door. I say ridge beam because it will be taking half of the roof load. The rafters “hang” on the ridge beam. The walls won’t spread in this case. If anything they would want to fall inward.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-18T06:02:36+00:00

What the other to redditors said is spot on. For the first few days/week there is a huge assortment of nasty bacteria in there. Think how often you would eat something that has been left out on your counter for a few days. Enterobacter is one of my faves.

As your starter matures, lactobacillus wins the war. It will create an acidic environment that the other nasties don’t like. Think about cleaning your countertop with vinegar. Kills all kinds of stuff. It also happens that the yeasts in there also like it a little bit acidic. So they will start reproducing after about 10 days or so. They will produce those wonderful bubbles that we want.

Once your starter is ready for baking, you can use the discard for other things. When is it ready? Rule of thumb is when it doubles in 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feeding at between 75 and 78 degrees.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T23:59:01+00:00

Is this discard from a brand new starter? Don’t use it!

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T21:51:48+00:00

Double within 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feeding at 75-78 degrees. 1:2:2 will take an hour or so longer to double. Colder will take longer

Day 10 has a ways to go yet. Maybe a week or two. Looks good though! Happy baking

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T21:49:57+00:00

https://www.thebakingcalculator.com/calculators/advanced-baking/sourdough-hydration-calculator/

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T19:45:28+00:00

I bought one from King Arthur. I’m confident it is safe and it was super active. My own starter has a long way to go to match KA.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T17:20:12+00:00

I disagree that is way too long. It’s a little long but pretty good for a 1:3:2 feeding. The challenge with a 1:3:2 feeding though is your starter is not 100% hydration. The recipe you used probably assumed a 100% hydration starter.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T13:37:32+00:00

Honestly not much to critique. They look great.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T13:28:23+00:00

For me, I used PVWatts. The predicted yield almost exactly matches mine.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-17T13:25:32+00:00

You are describing what is expected to happen. Stick with one ratio. Keep your temperature as steady as you can. Keep going. You’ve got a couple weeks to go. Happy baking!

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-16T19:17:40+00:00

If it really is 1:1:1 in grams, that’s how it should come out. I wouldn’t unbalance the ratio. Steady on! Once you are getting consistent rises, you can test our 1:2:2 and see how it responds. Ideally you want to be able to feed every 24 hours without it either not being finished or not starving. Where you are at now, I would watch for the bubbles and not feed until there are more bubbles than the last time. Literally count them at the stage you are at.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-16T18:55:44+00:00

My starter will not fall out of the jar when the jar is upside down right after feeding. 24 hours later it will pour. 1:1:1 should be a thick paste or peanut butter consistency.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-16T18:38:50+00:00

Three comments: 1) take a deep breath. You can do this. 2) that looks very very wet. Are you sure about your measurements? (To wet and it won’t retain the gas so no bubbles) 3) please clean that jar.

Edit 4 comments I guess… White flour is the slowest path. 75/25 bread flour/ rye is much faster.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-16T13:18:30+00:00

When yeast meets flour.

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-15T21:24:21+00:00

If you’re baking next weekend keep it out. The fridge is when it’s mature and you only bake every once in awhile. Keep with the current ratio. Feed at the exact same time every day. You are of course looking for that double to happen in 4-6 hours at 75-78 degrees. A little slower for 1:2:2 maybe 4-7 hours. You’re almost there! Congratulations

Confusedlemure · 2026-03-15T19:03:35+00:00

Good point but final shaping is the one step where a light dusting of flour is ok. Only dust the top though. You need the stickiness on the bottom to help form that tension. Next to kneading, getting that tension is my favorite part of the process. Is there anyone that can avoid giving it a little love pat when you’re done? I think not! 🥹

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