Sourdough Starter - Troubleshooting/FAQs — The From Scratch Body (2024)

FAQs

Why is my sourdough starter not working? ›

Most commonly, the issue here has to do with temperature (which is very important). If your sourdough starter is kept at a low temp, even 70°F (21°C), it will slow fermentation activity and appear to be sluggish, taking longer to rise and progress through the typical signs of fermentation. The solution: keep it warm.

If you're like me and have neglected your starter for a little too long — perhaps you've been out of town or simply forgot it in the back of the fridge — you can use a little whole grain flour (such as pumpernickel or whole wheat flour) to feed your starter and give it a boost.

If your starter gets completely covered on top with bubbles but does not rise, it is healthy but may just be a wet mix. Try reducing the water in your next feeding and see if you have different results. Also, the type of flour you are using can impede the rise of your starter.

Part of what makes a starter rise and become bubbly is the yeast. Yeast will become dormant when kept in colder temperatures. If your house is particularly warm (or if you keep your starter in the fridge), it could be sluggish. Try keeping it somewhere warm.

But if you see something like mold growing in. your starter, anything that looks fuzzy, that is a sign your starter has gone bad. And then typically. if you see something that looks like orange or pink.

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

Sometimes the microbes in your starter simply need time to metabolize all the feedings. This is usually the case in cold environments (AC under 70F, winter kitchens). If your starter is barely bubbling or not bubbling at all 12-24 hours after the last feeding, simply stir it again and let the jar sit for a day or two.

To perform the float test, simply spoon some of your starter into a cup of water. If the blob sinks straight to the bottom, the starter has not developed enough to adequately trap carbon dioxide. If it floats on the surface of the water, your dough has enough carbon dioxide to lift your bread.

One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees. If it's a lot colder, the process will be much slower.

Can you overfeed sourdough starter? ›

Yes, you can overfeed your sourdough starter. Audrey explains: “Every time you add more flour and water, you are depleting the existing population of natural bacteria and yeast.” If you keep adding more and more, eventually you'll dilute the starter so much that you'll just have flour and water.

If you experience the dreaded “clicking” noise when you try to turn the key, this is a good sign of starter failure. Keep in mind though that even if you do not get the clicking noise and nothing happens when you try to start the car, the issue may still be with the starter.

The sourdough float test involves taking a scoop of unstirred sourdough starter and dropping it into a glass of water to see if it floats. It's said that if it floats, your sourdough starter is ready to bake with. If it sinks, it's not ready.

Flour with more protein and nutrients make sourdough starter more active, so consider feeding your starter with bread flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour (or a combination of these) to increase fermentation activity and rise. Thicken the starter (lower hydration ratio).

Problem: Temperature

If your starter is too cold, it will rise very slowly, or not at all. Because the cold slows fermentation, this is why I place mine in the fridge when I want to wait a few days before feeding it. Ideally, your starter will be over 70 degrees when you feed it.