Questions tagged [starter]

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I bought a sourdough starter from a bakery, fed it too much, and it overflowed the jar overnight. What should I do now?

I bought a starter from a bakery, and I think I overfed it overnight. It overflowed from its jar. What should I do now?
Michelle B's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

My sourdough starter is thick with small bubbles but isn't rising [duplicate]

I started my sourdough starter on the 17th. I was doing 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup flour with one feeding a day, discarding half before each feeding. It rose with bubbles the first two days and then began ...
Alyssa Gamez's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
202 views

White-wine vinegar mother & red-wine vinegar mother: what's the difference?

Aside from the coloration (presumably from the wine medium), is there any difference between mothers for red or white vinegar? That is, is it reasonable to use some mother from a red-wine vinegar to ...
jhfrontz's user avatar
  • 193
2 votes
2 answers
70 views

Do Recipes Typically Account for Starters/Preferments when Reporting Dough Hydration?

I know there have been a couple of questions here before about what "counts" toward computing dough hydration % (honey, milk, etc.) but I always thought it was a no-brainer that starters and ...
Peter Moore's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
126 views

Biga Bread sponge

I am making a loaf of bread using a Biga sponge of 2C + 2T of flour, 1.5t of yeast and 1.25C warm water. Sit for 18 hours. THEN, I add it to 2.5 cups of four and stir ?? Nothing is stirring as this ...
June's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
853 views

3 day old sourdough starter splits after feeding

My starter consists out of 150gr All purpose, 60 grams of whole wheat and 210 grams of water. On day 2 it bubbled nicely, but I fed it only with half a feeding fearing it would otherwise not stay ...
David's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

Cannot Get My Starter to Start

I have prepared my starter from Chad Robertson's Tartine Book three times. Twice it grew mold. Once it never grew anything for almost a week. I am using the exact recipe and clean utensils. What ...
Mitzi Smith's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

One time sourdough starter

Is there a way to make sourdough bread without the long term commitment of feeding a starter? My kids and I love sourdough bread, but I also work 2 jobs, so making bread is, sadly, a once in a blue ...
Donna's user avatar
  • 81
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

Is this okay or moldy? Sourdough starter question

This was modestly active starter that I put in the fridge last week since I slowed my baking routine. Took it out today, a week later, to feed and saw this. Is it mold or normal variant? It’s ap flour ...
Herbert Dyson's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
202 views

How long will it take for yeast culture to adapt to new flour

My starter is made from organic whole wheat. I feed it twice a day every 12 hours with 1:1 ratio of flour to water. It almost triples in volume each feed. I started it on April 12/2020 I decided to ...
Alvaro M's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
525 views

How to use sourdough starter?

A week ago I mixed 1 part AP flour 1 parts tap water, keeping it at room temperature (18-24c). I've been discarding a bit and feeding it 1:1 daily. The last few days, the next 4-6 hours after I feed ...
devxapo's user avatar
  • 55
3 votes
2 answers
6k views

Sourdough starter - when do you give up?

I'm on Day 14 for my sourdough starter and can't get it to work. I had a half inch rise on Day 3 and nothing since then. I am using 1:1:1 with the flour component being made up of half whole wheat ...
WendyN's user avatar
  • 31
8 votes
3 answers
22k views

Can I add instant yeast to sourdough dough that is not very active?

I have a sourdough starter (rye flour based) that is quite active and I use it a lot. I decided to make bread today and used AP flour instead of bread flour on purpose. I wanted to see what would ...
Catsunami's user avatar
  • 315
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

Forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter yesterday, can I just carry on today?

I just realized that yesterday I forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter, can I just go about feeding it as usual? I know there are some similar questions on here but they are a little vague. I ...
Gette Wilson's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
121 views

Millet (wild yeast/sourdough) fermentation decreasing thickness of the slurry

In order to reproduce a traditional Turkish drink recipe for Boza. Which has a thick consistency, low alcohol content (around 1%), and a slightly acidic sweet flavor. I'm repeating this two step ...
zetaprime's user avatar
  • 4,276
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can't seem to get my rye sourdough starter really going

I've been trying to get a rye sourdough starter going so that I can make all-rye sourdough bread. I've been at it for two weeks, with a 1:1:1 of water, starter and rye at 50g (the first two days I ...
Taysa's user avatar
  • 31
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Bubbles Are ONly on Top of My Sourdough Starter

My starter, (new) is bubbly on top and rising but does not have may bubbles in its body.Can it still be use to make a Levin or dough?
Denise Nankivell's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
8k views

Not feeding sourdough starter enough?

I'm new to the whole baking thing, so I'm learning as I go along. In that regard, there may be a host of things wrong with my bread baking process, but I'm mostly curious at this point about my ...
Nathan Brown's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
653 views

Sourdough starter - Have I been doing it wrong?

I made my own starter a couple weeks ago: flour and water, and left it on the top of the fridge. I have been feeding the starter each day for the past two weeks. I have not discarded any. Now the ...
Elle's user avatar
  • 21
4 votes
1 answer
12k views

Sourdough Starter Black Spots

Hi All! I tried to make a sourdough starter, and after 24 hours I uncovered it and discovered black spots and 2 white fluffy areas. The black spots are only at the top layer so can I still use it ...
user3721's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
11k views

My sourdough starter stopped growing after day two

I've tried making my own sourdough starter. On the first day I added a cup of whole rye flour with 3/4 of cool filtered water. After 24 hours it already started smelling a little sour and had a few ...
Neta Friedman's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
27k views

Sourdough starter bubbling but not rising after months of feeding

I have successfully made sourdough whilst living in Texas - USA then back in Australia and now i am currently living in Nashville - USA. Since moving to Nashville i began a new starter and have ...
Bonnie's user avatar
  • 61
1 vote
2 answers
643 views

Making Sourdough starter in the UAE

I live in the UAE where the climate is hot and humid. I started making a sourdough starter on the 28th of October and today, 30th October it seems to be doubling quickly. It has a strong acidic ...
Zerin's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What size of jar, proportionally, should I keep my poolish in to prevent overflow?

This morning my ongoing poolish lived up to its troublemaking name. Over half of it (by weight) ran out over the counter overnight, through the screwed-down lid. This is after I saw it hitting the top ...
Gement's user avatar
  • 336
7 votes
4 answers
9k views

How do I properly substitute flour and water for sourdough starter?

I have a sourdough bread recipe that I want to try. The recipe calls for 2 cups starter but I do not have that much. It says I can use less and to just make up the difference with equal parts flour ...
GJ.Baker's user avatar
  • 751
2 votes
2 answers
6k views

My sourdough starter has turned yellow is it still good?

I have two sourdough starters going one I keep in the frig. the other on the counter. The one on the counter has all of a sudden turned yellow. It was fine yesterday and when I went to feed it today ...
New Baker's user avatar
  • 113
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I halve the Amish Friendship Bread recipe?

If you're not familiar with Amish Friendship Bread, or if it's been a while: Basically you mush the bag of starter every day for ten days. On days 5 and 10 you add one cup of milk, one cup of flour, ...
Stainsor's user avatar
  • 407
1 vote
1 answer
361 views

Can I replace sugar with cane syrup in sourdough recipe

I'm baking my own sourdough bread (whole wheat-rye). Recipe calls for adding 2 table spoons of sugar with a bit of milk to get the starter, well... started. I thought about replacing it with cane ...
Maja Piechotka's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do commercial yogurt starters (i.e.: store-bought yogurt) actually degrade over time?

I've seen quite a few sites make the claim that commercial yogurt starters will stop working after a few generations (example), so home yogurt makers should use "heirloom" starters. However, many of ...
psdsph's user avatar
  • 91
1 vote
1 answer
5k views

Why did my Sourdough starter stopped rising? [duplicate]

Ok so I started my starter (no pun intended) a few days ago. I got a recipe that said I should keep it at room temp and feed it once a day with 1/2 cup of any flour (I used whole wheat) and 1/4 cup of ...
Caro Valdez's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
193 views

Starter with water, flour, grated apple

I successfully obtained a working sourdough starter using rye and wheat flour, water, and grated apple. The dough made with it rose in a banetton and was inverted onto a hot baking stone. The bread ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
9k views

Sourdough Starter Crust forming

I am creating a sourdough starter and read to use a "non-airtight" container and store in a warm location for the first 24 hours before beginning the feeding schedule. My issue is that 12 hours in my ...
Wendi Leah Waldner's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
3k views

Issue starting a sourdough starter

I'm making my second attempt at a sourdough starter. I tried once in the past and I now know that I just didn't stick with it long enough and had a bad bread recipe, but with a little more knowledge, ...
Dalton's user avatar
  • 729
10 votes
2 answers
4k views

Will a Sourdough starter from one locale change to yeasts of current locale over time?

I currently have about 8 different sourdough starters purchased from other locales. They are all 5 plus years, I am wondering if they have all become the same. I have heard this debated, but no ...
Fireflower's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
4k views

Sourdough starter began acting strange after storing in fridge

I recently began developing a sourdough starter and it seemed much easier than it sounded - within a few days it was growing well and smelled good (like yeasty bread dough). On about day 5 or 6, I had ...
Jason's user avatar
  • 1,273
2 votes
2 answers
469 views

Maintaining Sourdough Starter

Given the time of year and my home's shoddy heating, I opted to put my starter on top of the clothes dryer to keep it warm. With five people in my family it gets regular use, especially towards the ...
RICK's user avatar
  • 1,116
3 votes
3 answers
856 views

Maintaining Sourdough Starter - Are potato flakes/water necessary?

I just got some sourdough starter going with the Oregon Trail, and it seems to be doing quite well. However, the guide calls for using potato flakes or potato water to feed it- having neither, I hoped ...
RICK's user avatar
  • 1,116
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why throw away so much sourdough starter? Tartine Book no. 3

this is the first time I've use this site to ask a question: I've been meaning to bake some sourdough bread for a long while. I've been just hung up on the recipe for the starter. A book I'm ...
user33830's user avatar
  • 136
2 votes
3 answers
3k views

Does injera require a starter?

I want to make Ethiopian injera bread at home, but the recipes I've seen are inconsistent about whether a bread starter is needed. Do I need to use a sourdough starter? Can I use baker's yeast, or ...
Malper's user avatar
  • 896
10 votes
2 answers
31k views

Starters vs Entree

I've been watching Hell's Kitchen USA and they have Starters/Appetisers, Entrees and Desserts. In Australia, we have Entree, Mains and Desserts, so its very confusing what Starters and Entrees are and ...
Divi's user avatar
  • 4,786
5 votes
3 answers
46k views

Blue/green mold on sourdough starter

I have been following instructions from KAF to start my own sourdough. On day 3, some small patches of blue/green mold appeared on the surface. The starter was fairly since the last feeding, ...
mumrah's user avatar
  • 151
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Amish Friendship Bread starter with buttermilk

I saw a recipe for an Amish Friendship Bread that called for buttermilk in the starter and feedings. If I made this and gave some away, are the recipients now required to continue to feed the starter ...
Brooke's user avatar
  • 1,404
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Making Herman the German starter using brown sugar

I have a recipe for Herman the German cake and starter that calls for white sugar. One of the comments said the person used brown sugar to feed Herman. It wasn't clear if she used brown sugar to ...
Brooke's user avatar
  • 1,404
2 votes
1 answer
266 views

How do I tell if my cheese culture is still good?

I made cream cheese in November and prepared some of my own starter culture from that batch to save money down the line when I wanted to make cheese again. Well, I haven't made cheese since then (now ...
user3341874's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
503 views

What water should be used in baking bread?

Should I change the water or flour I feed my starter? I am using the same recipe provided by Chad Robertson's book 'Tartine Bread', only changing the water from Poland Spring to Nestle Pure Life ...
user22597's user avatar
  • 177
4 votes
2 answers
5k views

Is sourdough actually sour?

Why is sourdough called 'sourdough'? Is it because it is sour to the taste, or for a different reason?
Jason's user avatar
  • 1,273
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

How does sourdough (wild yeast) starter differ from location to location?

I understand that sourdough starter (made from wild yeast) will differ from location to location, based on the different yeast bacteria. How will this change the flavor and type of the starter? What ...
Jason's user avatar
  • 1,273
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are the bubbles in the sourdough starter caused by yeast cultures?

I'm new to sourdough starter, so I'm a little confused regarding a statement I read recently which said that the yeast is formed AFTER you see bubbles forming in the starter. Yet, it makes sense to ...
Freddie Mesquit's user avatar
20 votes
11 answers
102k views

How to make yogurt without any existing yogurt

How does one make yogurt when there isn't any existing yogurt to use as a starter?
Error 454's user avatar
  • 309
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

sourdough bread making-without bakers yeast

I have the book by Jessie Hawkins, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread, in which she describes the benefits of the ancient method of sourdough bread making. The bread described in the book needs to ...
Martha's user avatar
  • 29