Hi Sonja, it sounds like you've done everything right, but you may find it helpful at this point to step up your feeding routine and begin twice a day feedings. This is because once your starter begins to rise, the yeast will remain more active if you replenish the starter more often. Ideally you want to feed your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall, which keeps the yeast vigorous. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
In addition, the size of the jar you have your starter stored in can make a difference in how easy it is to gauge rising behavior, so you might want to consider following our smaller starter recipe and using an 8-ounce canning jar, simply because I know these quantities work well for that sized jar and you should be able to see doubling behavior when it occurs. If you want to feed a smaller percentage of starter as compared to water/flour fed, which can be helpful in warmer months, then your smaller starter feeding might look like: 12g starter + 24g water + 24g flour (1:2:2, by weight). The goal is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to feed your starter when it's closer to the peak.
Once your starter is doubling predictably (for a few days), then your starter is ready to bake bread!
June 22, 2020 at 8:46am
In reply to Hi there! I am currently on… by Sonja (not verified)
Hi Sonja, it sounds like you've done everything right, but you may find it helpful at this point to step up your feeding routine and begin twice a day feedings. This is because once your starter begins to rise, the yeast will remain more active if you replenish the starter more often. Ideally you want to feed your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall, which keeps the yeast vigorous. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
In addition, the size of the jar you have your starter stored in can make a difference in how easy it is to gauge rising behavior, so you might want to consider following our smaller starter recipe and using an 8-ounce canning jar, simply because I know these quantities work well for that sized jar and you should be able to see doubling behavior when it occurs. If you want to feed a smaller percentage of starter as compared to water/flour fed, which can be helpful in warmer months, then your smaller starter feeding might look like: 12g starter + 24g water + 24g flour (1:2:2, by weight). The goal is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to feed your starter when it's closer to the peak.
Once your starter is doubling predictably (for a few days), then your starter is ready to bake bread!
I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.
Barb