Thick vs. Thin Sourdough Starter (2024)

FAQs

Thick vs. Thin Sourdough Starter? ›

Too thick is a good indicator that you fed it too much flour or didn't let it ferment long enough. If it's too thin, it may not be able to hold enough gas, resulting in a weaker rise in your bread. Too thin is a good indicator that you fed it too much water or let it ferment too long.

Does it matter if my starter is thick or thin, you ask? Nope! Thick and thin starters are both full of wild yeasts and bacteria which is what your bread is begging for. The viscosity of your starter is really just a personal preference because thick and thin starters will both make bread.

A sourdough starter tends to get runny when it's hungry. Simply feed it more often. If you feed your starter once a day, up it to twice a day, once in the morning and once again at night. You can always use the extra starter to make a yummy treat like Sourdough discard brownies, or whip up some pancakes.

Active sourdough starter should have bubbles in it and also smell fresh and fruity. If yours seems a little sluggish, just keep it out of the fridge and step up the feeding schedule. Once you feed it every day for a few days to a week, it should show signs of life again.

When starting to build your starter you can leave it a bit thinner but once you start making bread you will want it THICK, You want your sourdough starter to be the consistency of thick pancake batter. if it's too thin add a scoop of flour. If it is too thick add water to find the right consistency.

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.

After feeding your starter, it should double or triple in size with bubbles visible on the surface and sides of the jar.

With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic. Most will compost or trash this discard, but you can save it and use it in other recipes!

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Can you use runny sourdough starter? ›

If your starter is too runny, it maybe that you need to increase the ratio. A ratio of 1:2:2 can work - so you'd double the flour and water. Alternatively, if your starter is very runny, a 1:2:1 ratio could be used.

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.

If your starter has never predictably grown to double its original size after feeding it, then it's not an active starter. But if you follow a proven sourdough starter plan/recipe, it should only take you about a week or more to achieve an active starter.

As long as your starter is doubling (or even tripling) in a timely manner after being fed, the size of the bubbles don't really matter too much. What you're looking for is activity and fermentation. Bubbles of any kind are an indication that this is happening inside your jar.

Hungry yeast will eventually produce hooch if you don't feed them. A hungry starter will collapse. It may be more runny than when you first fed it and it can also start to smell like acetone if it's left hungry for a little too long.

Ideally, your sourdough starter should be loosely covered with a lid or paper towel to keep out bugs (like fruit flies) and other debris. A loose lid will also stop it from drying out too much.

A very strong starter will rise slowly at low temperature, but it will rise rapidly at a warm temperature. A weak starter will not rise rapidly at either cool or warm temperatures. The type of flour used in your starter and the hydration percentage can also impact how much of a rise your starter will display.

A stiff starter is a little more forgiving when it comes to refreshment (feeding) due to the delayed “falling” (when compared to a liquid starter which falls when food is exhausted) of the dome on top when rising.

Yes every sourdough starter will taste different depending on the age of the starter, they type of flour you feed it, how often you feed it and where the yeast in the starter has come from. Each starter also has a unique level of acidity, hydration and bacteria.