Hi Stephen, it doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong, but I would encourage you to discard all but 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter each time you go to feed it. This will help prevent the starter from becoming dominated by sourdough waste products, and will maintain a consistent ratio of ingredients. Before the yeast kicks in you want to lower the pH of the starter environment, so feeding once a day is fine. You could also try increasing the ratio of starter to flour and water fed, and switching to feeding entirely with whole wheat flour (both of these measures will also contribute to a lower pH). For example, you could try feeding once a day with 2 parts starter (4 ounces, 113g) : 1 part water (2 ounces, 57g) : 1 part whole wheat flour (2 ounces, 57g).
Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice), that means the yeast has joined the party, at which point feeding more often will serve to boost yeast activity. Switch to twice a day feedings, and gradually transition into feeding with AP flour. You'll also want to increase the percentage of water/flour fed to more like 1:1:1, but weight. You may see another slump in rising when you change feeding routines, as the organisms need time to adjust, but once your starter is rising predictably again, then you should be good to go!
May 8, 2020 at 10:50am
In reply to Hello! I'm trying my first… by Stephen (not verified)
Hi Stephen, it doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong, but I would encourage you to discard all but 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter each time you go to feed it. This will help prevent the starter from becoming dominated by sourdough waste products, and will maintain a consistent ratio of ingredients. Before the yeast kicks in you want to lower the pH of the starter environment, so feeding once a day is fine. You could also try increasing the ratio of starter to flour and water fed, and switching to feeding entirely with whole wheat flour (both of these measures will also contribute to a lower pH). For example, you could try feeding once a day with 2 parts starter (4 ounces, 113g) : 1 part water (2 ounces, 57g) : 1 part whole wheat flour (2 ounces, 57g).
Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice), that means the yeast has joined the party, at which point feeding more often will serve to boost yeast activity. Switch to twice a day feedings, and gradually transition into feeding with AP flour. You'll also want to increase the percentage of water/flour fed to more like 1:1:1, but weight. You may see another slump in rising when you change feeding routines, as the organisms need time to adjust, but once your starter is rising predictably again, then you should be good to go!
I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.
Barb