Hi Phyllis, this first feeding does tend to be thicker, partly because whole grain flours absorb more liquid than our unbleached all-purpose flour does. In addition, it's easy to add extra flour when measuring by cups, which will make for a thicker consistency. It's fine to add a little more water to be sure that all the flour is moistened and there are no dry pockets of flour, but don't worry if this first feeding seems very thick. For future feedings, we would recommend either measure by weight, or using this method to measure your flour by volume.
January 15, 2022 at 12:37pm
In reply to I'm making the sourdough… by Phyllis A Andres (not verified)
Hi Phyllis, this first feeding does tend to be thicker, partly because whole grain flours absorb more liquid than our unbleached all-purpose flour does. In addition, it's easy to add extra flour when measuring by cups, which will make for a thicker consistency. It's fine to add a little more water to be sure that all the flour is moistened and there are no dry pockets of flour, but don't worry if this first feeding seems very thick. For future feedings, we would recommend either measure by weight, or using this method to measure your flour by volume.