Hi Shirley, the consistency of the starter is mostly a matter of preference and recipe requirements. I learned sourdough baking with a stiff starter and I still enjoy baking with one--I like a stiff starter because it rises at a slower pace and works well when I want to feed it the night before and bake the next morning. But liquid starters work equally well and can deliver very similar results. Because you'll often run into recipes that call for either a liquid or a stiff starter, it's helpful to know how to convert one type of starter to another. You can find this information in our stiff starter recipe. Whatever type of starter you maintain, it's important that your starter is healthy and active and that you add it to the recipe when it's ripe. A ripe starter is a starter that has been recently fed at room temperature and allowed to rise to its highest point. You'll want to add the starter to your recipe when it's at this high point, or just as it's beginning to fall. If your starter was flat, this means that it had already risen and fallen and wad due for another feeding. You'll definitely have better results if you add your starter to the recipe when it's risen and full of bubbles. This blog post offers some excellent visuals of what ripe sourdough starter looks like. Sourdough baking can be challenging at first, but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it! And we're always happy to answer your baking questions at the Baker's Hotline (855-371-2253). Barb

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