Hi Gabby, I'm sorry to hear you're struggling to get your sourdough starter to rise! What type of container do you have your starter stored in? While any food safe container is generally fine for starter storage, in order to see the type of doubling behavior we describe it's helpful to store your starter in a quart sized wide mouth canning jar, that is taller than it is wide. It's just a bit more difficult to see the starter double when it's in a wide bowl or Tupperware container. In addition, try to keep your starter in the 70-80F temperature range. 

However, it's not uncommon for a fledgling starter to bubble without rising for several days, or even weeks in some cases. It sounds like this is what is happening with your starter, so you might want to try an alternative feeding routine that is meant to increase the acidity of your starter, which seems to help encourage the wild yeast to kick in. This method was suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink. Here's the plan:

Feed only once a day. 

Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour rather than unbleached all-purpose flour.

Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part wholegrain flour (by weight). For example, your once a day feeding would look like: 113g starter + 57g water + 57g wholegrain flour. 

Once the starter begins to rise predictably (twice), then it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). At this point you can also return to the 1:1:1 ratio called for in our regular starter recipe. However, I would recommend gradually, over the course of several feedings, transitioning from the wholegrain flour to the AP flour, since some bakers have reported that their starter stopped rising when they changed to AP flour more abruptly. 

Once the starter is rising predictably with the AP flour and twice a day feedings, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread! 

I know it sounds like a long journey, but the good news is that patience almost always wins out when it comes to creating a sourdough starter. If you're worried about using up too much flour during this process, you could also consider reducing the size of your starter, at least until it starts rising predictably. For the alternative feeding plan your once a day feedings would then become: 30g starter + 15g water + 15g wholegrain flour, and for the traditional feeding routine the twice a day feedings would be: 20g starter + 20g water + 20g flour. This smaller starer fits perfectly in a wide mouth 8 ounce canning jar. 

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

Barb

• Reply