Hi Phyliss, sometimes when a starter separates in this way it can be a sign that you're feeding it too much liquid as compared to flour. You didn't mention if you're feeding by weight or by cups, but our starter recipe calls for equal parts by weight of starter:water:flour. If you happen to be measuring by cups, a typical feeding would be: 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter + 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water + 1 scant cup (4 ounces, 113g) flour. 

When you change the ratio of ingredients in your starter to offer a relatively larger feeding this tends to slow down fermentation. This can be a good approach if you find your starter is rising and falling too quickly, since allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior. However, I don't think this is what you're dealing with at this point.

Rather, it sounds like your starter showed the fairly common early burst of activity that is caused by a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the presence of this type of bacteria seems related to a subsequent delay in the wild yeast kicking in. This isn't a unsurmountable problem, and is certainly not a reason to start over. However, you might want to consider the alternative feeding routine suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who discovered that lowering the pH of the starter environment tends to the pave the way for the wild yeast to join the party. Here's the plan:

1. Feed only once a day. 

2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour, if available. 

3. Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part wholegrain flour, by weight. For example: 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter + 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water + 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) wholegrain flour. 

Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). You'll also want to gradually transition back to AP flour, and adjust the ratio of ingredients to allow you to feed the starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. This is where it can be helpful to tweak ratios. Your goal is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish your starter when its still close to the peak. 

All these changes to your starter routine can initially result in sluggishness, as the organisms need time to adjust to changes, but once you've found a twice a day feeding routine that results in predictable rising, and your starter has a pleasant aroma, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread. 

I know I'm throwing a lot of information at you, so let me know how things go, and if you have further questions along the way. 

Barb

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