Is my sourdough starter "bad"?
I want to bake sourdough bread and have created a starter.
It's three days old and bubbling a lot. However it smells like sour yoghurt and not at all yeasty.
Has it gone bad?
Best Answer
Hard to tell for sure, but it sounds like a good sour to me. It has been my experience that sours do not always smell like yeast. Did you add a pinch of yeast in the first place when making the sour? If not, you would be relying on nature to have any natural yeast spores within your sour, and that does not always work out that way.
Either way, if you are only using the sour to impart flavour in your bread, it doesn't really matter if it has yeast in it anyways, as you will add yeast for leavening purposes when you mix the bread.
It has also been my experience that often a 'strange' smelling sour has excellent flavour. Ultimately, it can't hurt to bake a loaf.
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Should sourdough starter be thick or runny?
one part flour to one part water! The rule of thumb is consistency - it should be a very thick batter to start with, so it just pours. If it's runny, it's too thin, and if it's a dough, it's too thick. You can vary the consistency later, when you know what you're doing.How do I know if my sourdough starter is good?
Check it every so often, ideally every other day. It should smell pleasantly sour and have visible bubbles on top. You should NOT see watery liquid on the surface or smell alcohol. Depending on the strength of your starter you can go between 2 days and 1 week between feedings.Is my sourdough starter contaminated?
Here are some signs of contamination in a sourdough starter: Pink or orange tint or streak. Furry surface or dots of furry patches i.e. signs of mold. Blue/green moldy patches developing on the surface.Is my starter moldy?
The cause is usually some sort of contamination with food or soap residue, or weakened yeast due to a forgotten feeding. If mold does appear, it may be time to discard the starter and begin again with a new starter, or it may be possible to revive the starter.Troubleshooting Your New Sourdough Starter
More answers regarding is my sourdough starter "bad"?
Answer 2
When my sourdough is at its best, it floats if I take a table spoon and add to a glass of water. When it is over the hill, it sinks to the bottom. Good news is that an over the hill starter can be great tomorrow night. Just pour most of it out and replenish with flour and water and leave at room temperature.
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