Hi Jessica, that first mixture of whole wheat and water will be thick when you first mix it, and it will lighten up some as it sits. That said, it's really easy to end up with more flour than is intended when measuring by volume, so it's also possible that this is the case. For best results with sourdough, we really recommend using a scale to measure your flour by weight. If you do measure by volume, you'll want to follow the KAF method for measuring flour to ensure that you get the relatively light cup our recipes intend. Perhaps it's worth it to mix up another batch using this technique and see if you notice a difference? And if you can get your hands on a scale, it's definitely worth it as you embark on this sourdough adventure. Mollie@KAF

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