Hi Corinne, a well-maintained mature sourdough starter (which is what I assume you mean when you say live starter) can certainly do the work of rising bread without the addition of commercial yeast. The tricky part is getting your starter to the point where it's mature and stable and is rising predictably, and then maintaining it in a way that it's able to deliver the kind of rise and flavor you're looking for. It may be that your starters aren't fully developed, or you're not feeding enough, or your timing is a little off and you're not adding your starter to the recipe when it's ripe and ready to deliver the best results to your bread baking. Our Sourdough Baking Guide is a great place to fill in the gaps in your understanding, and get you going in the right direction. In addition, I would encourage you to try bread recipes that are already written to be naturally leavened, as these will be the most straightforward and provide the most clear guidance as far as timing and process goes. Our baking guide walks you through our Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread recipe, so this would be a great recipe to help hone your sourdough skills. And remember, the Baker's Hotline is here to help you along the way. Give us a call at 855-371-2253. We're here M-F from 9am-9pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST. 

Barb

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