Day 13 of starting a starter… I know its a lot in this jar but I will be moving it to a large cookie jar so I want it to be a lot more. What do yall think? Does it look like it's actually doing OK? Also it smells like a fresh loaf of sourdough š¤¤
I took a little chunk of it right before feeding and it floated so I'm not sure if it's actually ready or just wasn't heavy
by c-m_bucket69
2 Comments
I feed roughly Ā¾cup flour and water after dumping a bit over half the jar out once a day. I also started keeping it in my microwave with the door open
The float test is cool and all but can be misleading. It is just a test to see if your starter is full of air. If the starter is more than doubled, it is full of air. But scooping it out and putting it in the water can degas it, causing it to sink. The raise can also be due to “false rise”.
My usual advice for “can I use my new starter?” is that it should smell nice, usually at least a little sour, like vinegar and/or yogurt once it is ready. It might also smell sweet, or a little like alcohol, and several other nuances… But not like feet or other nasty things. And it should reliably at least double when given a 1:1:1 feeding, and that in less than 6 hours.
It almost always takes more than 2 weeks to establish a starter that is ready to use. “Reliably” in this context means it doubles in less than 6 hours at least 2 or 3 days in a row. However, a really strong starter will triple in more like 3 hours. This is not necessary to make a really good bread. It will work with even less than a double. [It will not be as photogenic and will take longer… but it will work.](https://youtu.be/rjqxGOCaX4Y)
To account for your young starter, judge the rise by percentage rise, not hours. E.g., if the recipe says something like “allow to rise 5 hours, until about a 50% rise”, then ignore the “5 hours”; it is just a guideline for a mature starter. A young starter will take longer, but the 50% rise (or whatever the recipe calls for) is a better indicator.
When you are ready to test it, test it by making a roll:
* 50g flour
* 34g water
* 10g starter
* 1g salt
* if it rises, bake at 350f for 20-25 min or until brown
If it is dense or gummy, work on the starter more.