Inactive (?) starter

Anonymous

Hi, I’m working on my first ever sourdough starter and am about two and a half weeks in. It was really active the first week, but then slowed down a lot (some little bubbles at the top, but no change in volume at all throughout the day). It smells sort of vinegary, which I’ve read is good, and I feed it twice a day, but I’m not sure if the starter will ever be ready to use, or if I should look at starting over. 

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Replies

Fiddlerkelly 2019 January 3

Have you used any rye or just white flour as I was having the same problem and started using rye and my white flour together and that helped it .

sk 2019 January 9

Hi I

I am new to this blog, and was hoping to gather some advice from other sourdough bakers.  I too want my sourdough bread as sour as possible.  My goal is to be able to come close to the bread made by Boudin Bakery in San Francisco California.  It is without  question the best sourdough bread that I have eaten. It has a wonderfully airy center with a chewy crust that is smooth and glossy. (Photo below)  

Do anyone have any good suggestions for achieving this type of crust? I have read that misting the dough with water just before it goes in the oven can help?

Would anyone be interested in trading sourdough starters? I would be particularly interested in sharing with someone who has a good “sour” starter.  Mine is good, but it’s always fun to try others. 

 

Jaymunnie 2019 January 4

I'm having a similar problem as well.  I live in a small town and only have access to bread flour and AP white.  I've been using White Lily bread flour which says it has a protein content of 11%, and today is the 9th day that I've been discarding/feeding.  I started a different starter 2 days ago just to see if the results are consistent, and so far they are - barely any bubbles, no rise, no froth, nothing.  It is a comfortable 73 in my house.  At this point I've done just about all I know to do, because there doesn't seem to be any static method for making a starter.

Fiddlerkelly 2019 January 16

How watery or thick is your starter , I was having that problem at times and informed to use approximately 30 % of the flour using rye and it helped improve bubbling activity . Once you’ve had your starter working keep the starter a bit thicker .

SlackerJohn 2019 January 7

Last time I made a starter it only took a few days to show activity and then I started using it.

Just out of curiosity, how will you know when yours is ready?  ie what are you aiming for?

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