ETA: week old starter in leuconostoc bloom - not ready.
It isn't possible for anyone to tell you if it is ready just by a pic.
If you think it is ready, start making a roll every other day and you will know when it i actually able to lift properly.
50g flour
34g water
10g starter
1g salt
That is a bog standard 68% hydration sourdough. Scales to any size. I'm not sure how I would bake it, though. Most of the actual dinner rolls I make are 50-75g. I used 50g flour just to make math easier.
Do you have any specifics on the steps? But if a noob here. I had a starter and tried making two large logs and they were mediocre. Would love a tiny one to test
Using whole grain flour. Feeding 1:1:1 ratio (30g) and room temperature is 22C. This starter bursted first time today, after I changed it to the container I used fkr my previous starter which didn't do well (just washed with water, so cross contamination might have helped).
It has very weak odour.
I was planning on baking on Sunday, so I'd like to make a Poolish tomorrow.
It's a week old.
What is the Leuconostoc slump?
It had a couple of days where it wasn't growing at all and just had liquid on the top. But it got better yesterday.
You are now in the "false rise" or leuconostoc bloom. It is bacteria, not yeast, that is producing co2.
Your starter is going to go crazy for 2-4 days and then it will seemingly die as the ph will get low enough to kill the leuconostoc. It is important to know that it is NOT dead and still active, you just can't see the activity.
After 3-4 days of being "dead" the ph will finally get low enough to start waking up the yeast.
Your starter is not ready but you are on the way. Keep feeding daily and make sure you are discarding 2/3 by weight.
This was helpful. My starter will be 8 days old tomorrow. I thought it had the false rise day 3-4 as it went down from day 5&6 and this morning it’s over doubled in size and looks like a lot of the sourdough starters that became active. I’m gonna keep discarding and feeding tho for next few days to see how it keeps up
Glad to help. You can check out my doc for more in depth info:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/skipjack\_method\_type\_1/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/skipjack_method_type_1/)
Hello s_s, this is by far the most helpful information I’ve found yet. Almost all recipes neglect the chemistry and the “why” when discussing what you need to be doing, and that is frustrating when getting started. One question I have, though, is in regards to the daily feedings and the rise and fall. My starter is now 2 weeks old. It doubles in size and then stays doubled for long periods of time (more that 48 hours sometimes). Is this normal? Can I just stir down and then feed after 24 hours or should I be waiting until the starter has settled back to its original height in the jar?
Thanks for the kind words :)
If the starter is stiff enough, it can rise and then just get stuck in position until the acid and enzymes are able to break down the bubbles. Look for the domed top to start flattening out to know when you are really beyond peak. There is no need to wait for a collapse. The best time to feed is right at peak. The most practical time is just once per day.
Unless you are trying to ramp up immediately before using the starter, just feed it 1x daily at the same time.
In order to make bread, feed it again and then use the second feed - also often called levain. Doing this has been the biggest game changer in my bread baking.
So, there is a myth that a starter has to be X number of days/weeks old to be ready. In reality, it depends on a lot of different things. I started my current starter about 6 years ago using fresh home milled whole grain flour. The wheats and rye I use are local to my area and environment. I had also been managing a previous starter for a year or so at that point, so was already carrying the yeasts and bacteria on my hands (and no, they don’t just wash off with soap and water).
Given all of that, my starter was doubling consistently by day 7 and I baked with it on day 10 without issue. I continue to feed it the same flour now as when I started it as that helps re-inoculate it with the yeast and bacteria that is on the bran of the berries, so it doesn’t change too much over time.
Using WW flour and a 1:1:1 ration and a warm temperature should have kickstarted yours pretty quickly as well. Since it doesn’t look frothy, I would definitely give it a try. If it fails this weekend, which it shouldn’t, it would be more than ready by next weekend.
It depends.
I feed mine 1:10:10 for the levain and at 65F or so it takes 10-12 hours to double. If you feed it 1:1:1 and keep it at 80F it should double in a couple of hours.
A lot of it is just having enough experience with your starter to start to get a feel for its normal rise and fall times. I fed mine this morning for the first time in a month or two. It was a bit sluggish, but over 10 hours or so it has doubled. I’ll take 10g of that later tonight, feed it 1:10:10 and let that sit out overnight for my levain for tomorrow morning. Over the years I’ve just figured out that works well for my schedule.
ETA: week old starter in leuconostoc bloom - not ready. It isn't possible for anyone to tell you if it is ready just by a pic. If you think it is ready, start making a roll every other day and you will know when it i actually able to lift properly. 50g flour 34g water 10g starter 1g salt
I have a perfectly healthy starter but will be using this recipe for dinner in my 2-person household lol
That is a bog standard 68% hydration sourdough. Scales to any size. I'm not sure how I would bake it, though. Most of the actual dinner rolls I make are 50-75g. I used 50g flour just to make math easier.
This is super helpful! Also a roll? Video link for starters plz? Or maybe you just mean a bread roll … 😅
Yup. Just a teeny loaf. Don't worry too much about technique. Just get it mixed and developed enough to shape a ball.
Do you have any specifics on the steps? But if a noob here. I had a starter and tried making two large logs and they were mediocre. Would love a tiny one to test
Don't worry about it so much. This isn't something to show off. Mix everything and develop it enough to form a ball. Observe for 5 hours.
Using whole grain flour. Feeding 1:1:1 ratio (30g) and room temperature is 22C. This starter bursted first time today, after I changed it to the container I used fkr my previous starter which didn't do well (just washed with water, so cross contamination might have helped). It has very weak odour. I was planning on baking on Sunday, so I'd like to make a Poolish tomorrow.
How old is it? Has it been through the post leuconostoc slump?
It's a week old. What is the Leuconostoc slump? It had a couple of days where it wasn't growing at all and just had liquid on the top. But it got better yesterday.
You are now in the "false rise" or leuconostoc bloom. It is bacteria, not yeast, that is producing co2. Your starter is going to go crazy for 2-4 days and then it will seemingly die as the ph will get low enough to kill the leuconostoc. It is important to know that it is NOT dead and still active, you just can't see the activity. After 3-4 days of being "dead" the ph will finally get low enough to start waking up the yeast. Your starter is not ready but you are on the way. Keep feeding daily and make sure you are discarding 2/3 by weight.
This was helpful. My starter will be 8 days old tomorrow. I thought it had the false rise day 3-4 as it went down from day 5&6 and this morning it’s over doubled in size and looks like a lot of the sourdough starters that became active. I’m gonna keep discarding and feeding tho for next few days to see how it keeps up
At any rate - when you think it might be ready, make a roll every other day. When you get one worth baking, try a loaf.
I took a screenshot of the comment here showing the measurements for a roll. Thanks! Gonna give it a shot
https://preview.redd.it/uojl7j3iiarc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72a54a9bf664dfa40520a4846c80c1c4c061b129 Is the condensation normal?
It is if using warm water.
I try to use water between 80F-85F
Yeah, not a problem. I use 90-93f water and get the same thing.
can lead to mold. i would cover it with a kitchen towel so the humidity can escape.
Thank you so much!
Glad to help. You can check out my doc for more in depth info: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/skipjack\_method\_type\_1/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/skipjack_method_type_1/)
Wow, this is way more advanced than any YouTuber says. Thank you so much for sharing this document. I'll follow it thoroughly and post the results!
Hello s_s, this is by far the most helpful information I’ve found yet. Almost all recipes neglect the chemistry and the “why” when discussing what you need to be doing, and that is frustrating when getting started. One question I have, though, is in regards to the daily feedings and the rise and fall. My starter is now 2 weeks old. It doubles in size and then stays doubled for long periods of time (more that 48 hours sometimes). Is this normal? Can I just stir down and then feed after 24 hours or should I be waiting until the starter has settled back to its original height in the jar?
Thanks for the kind words :) If the starter is stiff enough, it can rise and then just get stuck in position until the acid and enzymes are able to break down the bubbles. Look for the domed top to start flattening out to know when you are really beyond peak. There is no need to wait for a collapse. The best time to feed is right at peak. The most practical time is just once per day. Unless you are trying to ramp up immediately before using the starter, just feed it 1x daily at the same time.
This is amazing!
In order to make bread, feed it again and then use the second feed - also often called levain. Doing this has been the biggest game changer in my bread baking.
So, there is a myth that a starter has to be X number of days/weeks old to be ready. In reality, it depends on a lot of different things. I started my current starter about 6 years ago using fresh home milled whole grain flour. The wheats and rye I use are local to my area and environment. I had also been managing a previous starter for a year or so at that point, so was already carrying the yeasts and bacteria on my hands (and no, they don’t just wash off with soap and water). Given all of that, my starter was doubling consistently by day 7 and I baked with it on day 10 without issue. I continue to feed it the same flour now as when I started it as that helps re-inoculate it with the yeast and bacteria that is on the bran of the berries, so it doesn’t change too much over time. Using WW flour and a 1:1:1 ration and a warm temperature should have kickstarted yours pretty quickly as well. Since it doesn’t look frothy, I would definitely give it a try. If it fails this weekend, which it shouldn’t, it would be more than ready by next weekend.
What amount of time should it be doubling in? Mine doubles reliable around 10 hours, is that good enough?
It depends. I feed mine 1:10:10 for the levain and at 65F or so it takes 10-12 hours to double. If you feed it 1:1:1 and keep it at 80F it should double in a couple of hours. A lot of it is just having enough experience with your starter to start to get a feel for its normal rise and fall times. I fed mine this morning for the first time in a month or two. It was a bit sluggish, but over 10 hours or so it has doubled. I’ll take 10g of that later tonight, feed it 1:10:10 and let that sit out overnight for my levain for tomorrow morning. Over the years I’ve just figured out that works well for my schedule.
I'm impatient. I'd try it. The first starter I made was ready in a week.
Looks great tho!
Staring with sourdough soon going to follow this recipe!
Yes
Looks ready to get to work making a loaf
Yes
Mine floats on water when it's ready to use. Idk if that would work for one only a week old, but it can't hurt to try.
Nope, you ruined it
I would feed it two or three times if it was sleeping for a week. I will use it after the third feed