Hi Cherry, unfortunately this type of behavior is fairly common with starters during the creation process. A type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide is likely the cause of the early rising you saw. The unfortunate part is that the presence of this bacteria also seems associated with a subsequent delay in the wild yeast kicking in, which can result in a lull in rising that goes on for several days, or even weeks in some cases. However, this is definitely not an insurmountable issue, and you have some options to choose from. 

1. You might want to consider starting over with a starter process that is meant to avoid this type of bacteria from the get go. This method was developed by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who discovered that lowering the pH of the starter environment helps discourage this type of bacteria, which should help the yeast join the party in a more timely fashion. You can read about this method here. 

2. You could also continue with your current starter, but modify your feeding routine to increase the acidity of the starter (this approach was also suggested to us by Debra Wink). Here's this plan:

*Feed only once a day.

*Feed with a wholegrain flour.

*Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water :1 part wholegrain flour (by weight). For example, if you were following our sourdough starter recipe, your modified feeding would look like: 1/2 cup (113g) starter + 1/4 cup (57g) water +  1/2 cup (57g) wholegrain flour. 

Once the starter begins to rise predictably with this method you'll want to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). You may also want to adjust the ratio of ingredients to line up closer to the 1:1:1 ratio by weight that we recommend, although there are lots of ways to maintain a sourdough starter. The goal here is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish your starter when it's at its highest point of rising, or just beginning to fall. Sometimes (particularly in warmer months) slowing down fermentation can be helpful, so you might want to try offering your starter a relatively larger meal (1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio of starter:water:flour, by weight). Keep in mind that a "larger meal" doesn't have to mean feeding more flour, because you can reduce the percentage of starter relative to the water and flour. For example, a 1:2:2 ratio might look like: 57g starter + 113g water + 113g flour.

Once your starter is rising well with the twice a day feedings then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread. 

3. Your final option is to continue exactly as you're doing now. Almost always patience wins when it comes to creating a sourdough starter, so this is also a viable option, although you may want to reduce the size of your starter, at least until it begins to rise predictably. This won't harm your starter and can save a lot of flour. 

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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