Hi Hayley, if you read through some of the previous questions and comments on this post you'll see that the type of behavior you're describing is not at all uncommon. In fact, an early burst of rising activity (which is actually caused by a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide) seems to be linked to a subsequent delay in the wild yeast kicking in. While not ideal, this is certainly not an insurmountable problem or a reason to start over. Patience almost always prevails when it comes to creating a sourdough starter, so it's fine to continue just as you're doing, and eventually the starter will begin to rise predictably.
However, if you're not a patient sort of person, you might want to try an alternative feeding routine that was suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who discovered that lowering the pH of the starter environment seems to help pave the way for the wild yeast to join the party. Here's the plan:
1. Feed once a day.
2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour, if available.
3. Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part wholegrain flour (by weight). For example: save 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter and feed this 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water and 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) wholegrain flour.
Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). You may also want to gradually transition back to feeding with AP flour, and increase the water/flour portion to line up closer to the 1:1:1 ratio, by weight.
To keep yeast activity vigorous it's ideal to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior. Because warmer temperatures cause fermentation to occur more rapidly, sometimes it's necessary to tweak the ratio of ingredients in your starter to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish closer to the peak. To that end, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal (less starter, as compared to water/flour fed) will slow down fermentation. In the summer months you may find that a 1:2:2, or even 1:3:3 ratio (starter:water:flour by weight) will work better for you.
It's not uncommon for your starter to act a little sluggish each time you change it's feeding routine because the organisms need time to adjust to changes. However, once your starter is rising predictably again with your twice a day feedings, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread.
June 3, 2020 at 11:10am
In reply to Hi there, I started your… by Hayley (not verified)
Hi Hayley, if you read through some of the previous questions and comments on this post you'll see that the type of behavior you're describing is not at all uncommon. In fact, an early burst of rising activity (which is actually caused by a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide) seems to be linked to a subsequent delay in the wild yeast kicking in. While not ideal, this is certainly not an insurmountable problem or a reason to start over. Patience almost always prevails when it comes to creating a sourdough starter, so it's fine to continue just as you're doing, and eventually the starter will begin to rise predictably.
However, if you're not a patient sort of person, you might want to try an alternative feeding routine that was suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who discovered that lowering the pH of the starter environment seems to help pave the way for the wild yeast to join the party. Here's the plan:
1. Feed once a day.
2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour, if available.
3. Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part wholegrain flour (by weight). For example: save 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter and feed this 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water and 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) wholegrain flour.
Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). You may also want to gradually transition back to feeding with AP flour, and increase the water/flour portion to line up closer to the 1:1:1 ratio, by weight.
To keep yeast activity vigorous it's ideal to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior. Because warmer temperatures cause fermentation to occur more rapidly, sometimes it's necessary to tweak the ratio of ingredients in your starter to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish closer to the peak. To that end, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal (less starter, as compared to water/flour fed) will slow down fermentation. In the summer months you may find that a 1:2:2, or even 1:3:3 ratio (starter:water:flour by weight) will work better for you.
It's not uncommon for your starter to act a little sluggish each time you change it's feeding routine because the organisms need time to adjust to changes. However, once your starter is rising predictably again with your twice a day feedings, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread.
I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.
Barb