Hi Ellis, you didn't mention what recipe you're making, so it's difficult for me to offer precise suggestions on how to troubleshoot your process, however I can offer you some general advice. First, keep your starter healthy and active, and add it to your bread recipe when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. When you're maintaining your starter at room temperature, feeding at the peak will serve to keep yeast activity strong. Second, try a variety of recipes with different techniques and processes. This is a good way to learn and develop your skills, and also discover what methods work best for you and your starter. There are all kinds of ways to make sourdough bread, each of which will deliver different results. I like to recommend our Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread recipe as a good place to starter, because our Sourdough Baking Guide highlights this recipe, and provides extra guidance. I also recommend our No-Knead Sourdough Bread recipe and Pain Au Levain recipe for beginners because they use such different processes. And if all this seems like too much work to you and you're looking for a low maintenance recipe, check out Martin Philip's recent blog post. And remember, if you have difficulties with any of these recipes you can always call the Baker's Hotline at 855-371-2253 for troubleshooting advice. We're here M-F from 9am-9pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST. Good luck, and let us know how it's going! 

Barb

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