Troubleshooting Your Sourdough Starter

I’ve been baking sourdough for about 2 years now and have been maintaining my own starter through that whole time. Now, by no means does that make me an expert. In fact, I still consider myself a beginner but I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way that might answer some common questions among other beginners.

What helps a struggling/ sluggish starter?

How do I know if I've killed my starter?

Is that mold I see?

Is your starter supposed to be runny?

Can I use something other than all-purpose flour to feed my starter?

There is a thin, clear liquid on top of my starter. What is that?

Myths about sourdough starter

If you’re just starting out and are curious on how to maintain and feed a sourdough starter, head to this other post: How to Feed a Sourdough Starter, for some tips!

1.      What helps a struggling / sluggish starter?

There are two common answers to this question: temperature or feedings. If you’re finding your starter fermenting really slowly, taking longer to rise and progress through fermentation then it’s possible that the area you’re keep it is too chilly for it. Usually, a heated house will be warm enough but sometimes there is a draft or something that cools a small area of the house down. Storing my starter on the back of the stove works best for me because it will capture the heat of the stove or oven every time I cook.

The other issue I find when talking to friends is that they are feeding their starter in a 1:1 ratio, meaning equal parts starter to flour. There are two issues with this approach. You’re generally feeding large amounts of starter so that you can keep up with enough volume to actually bake with the starter. The other issue is that you’re not providing your starter with enough food to allow it to rise and keep fermentation active for an extended period of time. So, unless you’re planning on using your starter to bake that day, say within the next 5 hours or so, then your starter will have eaten and burnt though all of it’s ‘food’, falling flat by the time you’re ready to bake. Check out my How to Feed Sourdough Starter post on how I feed my starter.

Keep in mind, it is very normal for a young starter (less than two weeks old) to not rise at all.

2.      How do I know if I’ve killed my starter?

Honestly, it’s soooo hard to kill a starter! I will leave my starter on my counter for over a week between feedings and have always been able to bring it back. Sometimes it will take a little extra babying, like feeding twice a day, but I can always get it to bloom eventually.

The starter in my fridge has been there for over a month and I just used some of it to start a new batch for a friend!

3.      Is that mold I see?

Typical signs of food spoilage include mold that is pink, orange, or green or white fuzzy spots. If you see any of these growing on the tops of your starter, or sides of the jar I would highly recommend discarding your starter and starting a new one.

4. Is your starter supposed to be runny?

This depends on the hydration of your starter. Mine is often the consistency of thick pancake batter, but if you include a higher ratio of water when feeding, your starter will naturally be runnier. There isn’t really a right or wrong way though. I know some experts who mix their starter until it is the consistency of the bread dough itself and they have great success!

5. Can I use something other than all-purpose flour to feed my starter?

Of course! A lot of experts that you might follow on social media will actually use bread flour because of it’s higher gluten protein content. With this in mind, switching the type of flour that you use might result in a different fermentation pattern if you end up switching.

6. There is a thin, clear liquid on top of my starter. What is that?

This thin layer is sometimes called ‘hooch’ and it nothing to concern yourself about. All this is, is the alcohol that is produced during the fermentation process. You can pour this layer off and feed your starter as usual.

6. There is a thin, clear liquid on top of my starter. What is that?

This thin layer is sometimes called ‘hooch’ and it is nothing to concern yourself about. All this is, is the alcohol that is produced during the fermentation process. You can pour this layer off and feed your starter as usual.

Myths about sourdough starter:

1.      You must use filtered water, never tap water. I don’t really know where this came from but any water that is safe to drink, it fine to feed your starter with.

2.      Never use metal on your sourdough. Again, I’m not sure where this started, but I stir my sourdough starter and even my dough with a metal spoon all the time and I can confirm that there have been no adverse effects! If you’re using more sensitive metals like copper or aluminum then you might see some reactions happening, but for the typical stainless steel cutlery, you’d be safe.

3.      Do I have to weigh my ingredients when feeding my starter? My opinion is no, you don’t. However, it is a helpful tool to use until you have the experience to know what consistency or texture your starter should be after feeding. The biggest help a scale offers is making sure that your ingredients are within ratio. If you’re planning on feeding your starter at 1:5:5, weight is the easiest way since 1 cup of water doesn’t weigh the same as 1 cup of flour. So by volume, you might not have a perfect ratio.

Remember, sourdough dates all the way back to ancient Egypt, when they certainly didn’t have thermometers or scales. If they can grow a starter and bake bread with no technology, then you can do it in your temperature-controlled home! Don’t over complicate it, it’s just bread!