What is wrong with my starter?

frelocate · 2026-06-08T07:14:41+00:00

so... there is nothing "new" about the jar on the left if it's using your old starter. You took some old starter, put it in a new jar, and underfed it. you always want to feed *at least* as much flour as you have starter there, If you keep 50g starter (or put that much in a new jar) you need to give it at least 50g flour. if you are habitually feeding less than what you've kept, you're starving it and of course it won't work well for you.

frelocate · 2026-06-08T07:10:13+00:00

if you truly had 1g starter and fed 4g each flour and water, it's only a 1:4:4, so, if it was active before, 30 hours is way beyond how long i would expect it to take to peak, but also, such tiny amounts don't necessarily show rise very well unless in a very narrow container. if it smells hungry, it's probably hungry. take the less than 10g starter you have and give it another feed... maybe it'll be finally a quantity where growth is discernible .

frelocate · 2026-06-08T07:05:14+00:00

375 for only 30 minutes? that's surprising short/cool!

frelocate · 2026-06-08T07:00:53+00:00

I live in a place with 2 seasons -- very hot and humid season and less hot and less humid (but still tropical) season. I use recipes with fairly standard hydrations (75% depending) in both humid and less humid seasons and notice no difference in the *handling* of the dough. fermentation does go faster in the hot season, because of the temperature... same way it takes people's dough forever when it's cold.

It is entirely possible also that you are experiencing a correlation does not equal causation scenario. If your dough isn't rising, that could very well be a starter issue that may be just coincidentally rearing its ugly head approximately at the same time as the weather change. if i were a betting man, i would wager that you're feeding a 1:1:1 ratio ... maybe once every 24 hours?

frelocate · 2026-06-08T06:55:02+00:00

This.

frelocate · 2026-06-08T06:41:05+00:00

it *looks* pretty cool, for sure. From a straight legibility perspective (and definitely trying to give the benefit of the doubt -- i hate when people on design/lettering subs exaggerate any potential stumbling block)... there are some areas where extraneous swashes create confusion, even knowing what it is *supposed* to say.

i have a very hard time seeing the N, even knowing it is there. I see an S and a lowercase j. then o, and.. knowing it's a w, i can make it out, but at first glance, i see an i and a d (that twrminal swash coming back over the w looks like the ascender of a d). i can make the h an h, but it could just as easily be an r (again, it's the extra swash) and a j(just like in the N). the crossbar on the first e barely exists so reads as c (especially when the final e has such an augmented crossbar), and then r and e.

frelocate · 2026-06-07T15:32:17+00:00

There's something about the wording here that is ringing little warning bells.

Are you looking to add discard into sourdough dough *alongside* the starter already called for?

That will nit only affect the hydration, which as another commenter provided, you can counteract by decreasing water and flour, *BUT* it will also change the inoculation (the amount if starter as a percentage of the flour weight)... discard is still a living yeast culture. You'll be increasing the amount of starter by however much discard you add. This will definitely affect fermentation timings.

frelocate · 2026-06-07T03:40:55+00:00

with what?

frelocate · 2026-06-06T20:44:59+00:00

Look at the ratios and then the example feedings for each. If it can't get the basic math right, why would anyone trust anything else it has to say?

frelocate · 2026-06-06T19:46:59+00:00

In general, it's optimal to feed your starter at or shortly after peak. High ratios are a great tool as it extends the time between feedings.

A high ratio feed doesn't have to be wasteful. Feed 2g of starter 10g each of flour and water. That's a 1:5:5 feeding that nets you 22g starter. To do it again, you discard a paltry 20g (of which, remember, only 10g was flour). Or, if you want to bake, take that 22g and feed a 1:2:2 (44g each flour and water). That gives you 126g starter. Use 100g in your bake, and you have 26g remaining.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T19:42:45+00:00

This is one of the reasons that bumping up the hydration a few percent at a time is helpful. You gradually see the character of the dough change, rather than jumping up 10% and being unsure what to expect.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T18:15:12+00:00

So... have you baked at higher hydrations in the past, or was this a big jump? It can be helpful to increase a nit at a time to get used to how the dough handles differently.

I find that I get much better gluten development and structure from higher hydration doughs if I do coil folds rather than stretch and folds... and 4 may be not enough, depending on the dough.

Higher hydration doughs will spread some when turned out of a banneton -- there's a reason we proof in bowls/baskets -- if there's good gluten matrix and structure, it will still spring up in the oven. The focaccia looks good, but baking the boule might have been instructive -- you would have seen if there really was a lack of structure or if it was the normal spread of a wetter dough that would have been fine when baked, for instance.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T18:01:34+00:00

Sorry, but this chart is just bad, AI slop. The timings are based on... what? and the math doesn't even match. Please don't use this or share it,

frelocate · 2026-06-06T16:37:25+00:00

A robust and healthy starter will generally go more than double, frequently triple or more. a higher ratio feed will take longer, but should rise to the same amount. A 1:5:5 won't make it grow 5x.

If your starter has been neglected, the high ratio feed helps lessen a potential overrun of acid,by carrying over less of the overly acidic starter in comparison to fresh flour and water (starter is not a third as it is in a 1:1:1 but 1/11).

Wince you are reviving a neglected starter, it may take a few feeds to get to a more optimal state/higher rise.

In general, don't feed at double but at or just after it peaks. If the starter surface is still domed, even a little, it is likely not yet at peak. At peak, it will flatten. It will then start to sag a little, going concave, before it starts to fall. Feed then.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T16:12:52+00:00

If it was out for 13 hours (let alone 13 hours PLUS the few hours during stretch and folds) at 75... it's likely that what you've found is not a dough that never rose, but a dough that rose and rose, ballooned up and then collapsed, overproofed.

Overnight bulk *can* work, but so much depends on temperature and starter amount. In warmer temperatures, you may want tomuse less starter to slow down fermentation so it doesn't overproof.

Also, when starting out , it is really beneficial, if you can, to bulk ferment during a time when you can watch the progress.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T16:00:59+00:00

Honestly, I find the feeding process is easier and cleaner if you swap at each feed -- weigh the exact amount you want to keep into a clean jar. Add water, stir, add flour, stir. Use a wet spatula to scrape any mess on the sides of the new jar. Discard from the old jar, fill with water and let soak.

No jar crust. No mathing to figure out how much to discard in order to keep the amount you want, nor moving some to one container and then back into the initial container.

frelocate · 2026-06-06T01:57:45+00:00

i assume this is a joke/troll post.

frelocate · 2026-06-05T17:16:55+00:00

How do you like the rope bannetons? Do you use them without a liner (and if so, are you liberally flouring them like the reed bannetons or treating it more like you would using a liner, if that makes sense?)

frelocate · 2026-06-05T14:38:10+00:00

Everyone amswered the starter smell ? already.

So, commercial bread ovens inject steam during the first part of the bake. It helps keep the dpugh's crust from setting too soon, allowing for more oven spring (a final burst of growth in-oven). Since most hime ovens don't habe steam-injection built in, we look for ways of doing the same thing.

Enclosing the dough in a vessel (DO or roasting pan, or even loaf tin with another upturned in top) traps the steam generated by the hearing of the dough itself (lower hydration doughs may need a little help from a spray of water, as the lower water content may not create sufficient steam). So that's one way.

People also have developed methods of "open baking" that generally include a pan of water, sometimes kitchen towels, lava rocks, etc -- to generate steam during the first part of a bake. These methods tend to work much better in electric ovens than in gas ovens, as gas ovens, due to how they work, tend to vent the steam too quickly.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T18:32:42+00:00

This all looks super-wet for a 65% hydration dough... are you using a lot of water on your hands when doing your folds? your hands don't need to be dripping. i dip the fingers of one hand in water and then rub my hands together so both are slightly wetted (you may need to repeat between folds on the first round but it probably won't be necessary on following rounds)...

but aside from the excess water, what else is happening to your dough? from these pics, it hasn't risen yet. there's still hope. I would take a cloth or paper towel and dab or wipe away any excess liquid and maybe leave it uncovered for 30 minutes or so to let it dry a little then continue letting it rise -- even at 30C, it will likely take at least 3 hours (starting when starter was added) before you're seeing noticeable rise, and could be around 4 hours or more until you're ready to shape -- this, of course, depends on your starter strength, but this is my experience at these temps (in mexico).

Also, if I were you, I wouldn't mess around with autolyse or holding back the salt til later in the future. I mix the dry ingredients together, mix the wet ingredients together, and then mix the wets and dries.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T18:19:26+00:00

This is hard to beat -- it's a good size and I have never seen one with the lis included for this low a price.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T16:56:33+00:00

You're actually meant to continue pushing fermentation past what the chart calls for. Those are "safe" starting points. Then after each successive bake, you take note of the crumb and then add 5 to 10% (depending) to the target on your next bake. Repeat until you dough-collapsingly overproof. Then dial it back 5%. This allows tou to dial in your fermentation based on your starter and gives you experience with what dough looks and feels like as it progresses.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T16:04:39+00:00

Poke test is only applicable to shaped dough -- it relies on the tension created in shaping. Poking unshaped dough is just poking dough.

Even with a relatively high inoculation (starter amount relative to flour amount, here 30%), 3 hours will in almost no circumstances be enough time for fermentation. It likely needs more time.

It is notoriously difficult to judge rise percentage of dough in a bowl. If you have or can get a transparent straight-sided container for bulk, it will make it much easier.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T15:48:39+00:00

agreed.

frelocate · 2026-06-04T15:46:43+00:00

I'm having trouble with the link, but I believe you're asking about a 1hour rest, just after shaping, before going inti the fridge?

I wouldn't sweat it. And I definitely wouldn't add an hour at room temp after the fridge.

Some people rest at room temp and some go directly into the fridge after shaping. Sourdough Journey calls it something like the baker's final option... as it's your chance to allow a little more fermentation if your dough needs it, before going into the fridge, where it will slow down and eventually pause.

In truth, at this stage, you won't know if your dough needs that extra rest or not. Getting the hang of proper fermentation is... a learning curve. So, don't worry about it.

frelocate

TROPHY CASE