4 day old starter is not doing anything?
I’ve been wanting to make bread for years So finally a few days ago I grabbed a bowl and decided to just go for it
However, it hasn’t done anything. I was feeding it twice a day, in the morning and the evening, but since we keep it relatively cold inside(between 69F to 72F usually) I just started today only feeding it once in the evening, plus my flour is getting low lol.
But anyway, it’s not doing anything and I’m worried that I’ve done something wrong. It doesn’t bubble, it doesn’t have a strong smell one way or another, and as best as I can tell it doesn’t rise
Do I have to start over?
Posted Oct 15, 2020, 3:13 AM UTC
16
Here are some thoughts: Make sure your flour has more than 12 or 13% protein. I had difficulties getting my starter off the ground with standard 10.6% all purpose flour. I got the best result with 13% whole wheat flour and rye flour. Also, I would feed it 1:1:1 at the start and maybe begin with a one feeding per day schedule. Once your starter is active, you can change it to twice per day. I don’t think the temperature in your kitchen is an issue. Finally, regardless what they say, it usually takes over a week to have an active starter and maybe two weeks before you get the first good loaf.
I've never heard of protein content making a difference. Really, most flours will work, but BLEACHED flour can't be used to make a new starter (you can use it to feed your starter, but it's not ideal). Another thing that can hurt your starter is chlorinated water, so if your water has a lot of chlorine, then filter it or buy distilled water.
Most people say rye is the best for new starters, followed by whole wheat. Don't throw it out, just keep feeding it 50% flour/water and 50% starter every day and hopefully it will start bubbling.
I think my flour might be bleached. I won’t know for sure until I actually look at the bag, but it’s very white. I went to the store a few days ago and bought yeast packets to try making test loaves before my starter got going, could I put that yeast into the mix to kick things off?
I can't say whether it's safe to make a starter from commercial yeast or not, but anyway, it won't be a sourdough starter if you do. Wild yeast is different from domesticated yeast strains and has different flavors, as well as thriving with the bacteria that give sourdough its sour flavor.
I’m in Europe, so bleached flour isn’t really a thing here, as it is in the US (FYI - this is due to our EU food standards that ban certain chemical additives). The flour I used at the start was pretty high quality but low in protein and fibers - and didn’t work.
Good. I never use bleached flour for sourdough. I figure, if I'm baking my own bread, it's still going to be cheaper than store-bought, so I might as well use the good flour and get a better product.