Hi Madonna, the type of flour you feed your starter does have an impact on its aroma, so the sweetness you smell may just be related to the combination of flours you've been using for feedings. I wouldn't worry too much about a sweet, somewhat fruity aroma. Honestly, I generally don't worry too much about how my starter smells. In the early stages of starter development the starter is gradually weeding out unhelpful bacteria that can sometimes smell pretty awful, so you definitely want to work your way past that stage, but ultimately an aroma that you find pleasant is all that is required. Depending on when it's last been fed, what type of flour you're feeding it, and the frequency of feedings (along with various other factors) this aroma may go from floury to yeasty to fruity to vinegary or anything in between.
However, it is important to get your starter to the point that it is rising predictably, so it does sound like you do need to cultivate your starter a little longer.
I would just stick to the unbleached AP flour at this point, since all this changing back and forth between flours may be making your starter behave sluggishly. This is because each time to change the way you feed your starter the organisms need time to adjust. When you change the type of flour you're feeding your starter new organisms come into play, so it can take almost as long as developing a starter from scratch for the organisms to develop a stable, balanced environment.
You certainly haven't done your starter any permanent harm, but I would guess that a few days of consistent twice a day feedings at room temperature (70-80°F) will reveal a pattern of rising. Once you see this, endeavor to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Feeding close to the peak will keep yeast activity strong, while allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings can lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
While we recommend a 1:1:1 ratio of ingredients (starter:water:flour, by weight) in our sourdough starter recipe, you may find it necessary to tweak this ratio of ingredients so that your twice a day feedings line up closer to the peak. To this end, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal (less starter as compared to water/flour fed) helps to slow down fermentation. So, if it's getting warm where you live and you find your starter is peaking after only 3-4 hours, switching to a 1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio may be helpful to allow you to replenish closer to the peak.
Once you see that your your starter is rising predictably with your twice a day feeding routine, and has a pleasant aroma, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread.
Try to be patient; I suspect you're closer than you think. Let us know how it goes.
June 5, 2020 at 9:36am
In reply to Hello: I began my started… by madonna (not verified)
Hi Madonna, the type of flour you feed your starter does have an impact on its aroma, so the sweetness you smell may just be related to the combination of flours you've been using for feedings. I wouldn't worry too much about a sweet, somewhat fruity aroma. Honestly, I generally don't worry too much about how my starter smells. In the early stages of starter development the starter is gradually weeding out unhelpful bacteria that can sometimes smell pretty awful, so you definitely want to work your way past that stage, but ultimately an aroma that you find pleasant is all that is required. Depending on when it's last been fed, what type of flour you're feeding it, and the frequency of feedings (along with various other factors) this aroma may go from floury to yeasty to fruity to vinegary or anything in between.
However, it is important to get your starter to the point that it is rising predictably, so it does sound like you do need to cultivate your starter a little longer.
I would just stick to the unbleached AP flour at this point, since all this changing back and forth between flours may be making your starter behave sluggishly. This is because each time to change the way you feed your starter the organisms need time to adjust. When you change the type of flour you're feeding your starter new organisms come into play, so it can take almost as long as developing a starter from scratch for the organisms to develop a stable, balanced environment.
You certainly haven't done your starter any permanent harm, but I would guess that a few days of consistent twice a day feedings at room temperature (70-80°F) will reveal a pattern of rising. Once you see this, endeavor to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Feeding close to the peak will keep yeast activity strong, while allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings can lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
While we recommend a 1:1:1 ratio of ingredients (starter:water:flour, by weight) in our sourdough starter recipe, you may find it necessary to tweak this ratio of ingredients so that your twice a day feedings line up closer to the peak. To this end, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal (less starter as compared to water/flour fed) helps to slow down fermentation. So, if it's getting warm where you live and you find your starter is peaking after only 3-4 hours, switching to a 1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio may be helpful to allow you to replenish closer to the peak.
Once you see that your your starter is rising predictably with your twice a day feeding routine, and has a pleasant aroma, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread.
Try to be patient; I suspect you're closer than you think. Let us know how it goes.
Barb