My sourdough starter stopped growing after day two
I've tried making my own sourdough starter.
On the first day I added a cup of whole rye flour with 3/4 of cool filtered water. After 24 hours it already started smelling a little sour and had a few bubbles. I took 8 table spoon of the starter and added the same ingredients in the same amounts as the day before. This was at around 21:45
By morning (around 08:00) the starter was very bubbly and over flew the jar (which, admittedly was too small) and filled everything around it. The smell was quite strong and more sour. Can't say it was nice. In the evening I fed it again in the same way (in a bigger jar)
In the morning there was no change in volume and very few bubbles. The smell is still there though...
According to the recipe I'm supposed to feed it twice a day now, but I'm not sure it's good. Any ideas?
Best Answer
The first few days when setting up a new sourdough can be quite inpredictable - but like in your case, there often is an initial burst of activity, followed by a rather quiet phase. This is because during that time, there is no stable “bacterial and yeasty community” yet and one or the other may temporarily prevail. The “not right” smell can also be an indicator of this. This is initial phase of a activity is often interpreted as “the sourdough is ready”, but it is not. And two or three days is really too short for the whole process of creating a new sourdough from scratch.
I suggest you keep feeding your starter for a few more days. Whether you feed once or twice is not crucial, but as long as there is very little activity, once a day should suffice1. There is always the risk of a new starter not working out - if the “wrong” bacteria win over the desired ones - but this will become evident pretty quickly. In this case, discard it, clean your equipment well and start over. And don’t worry, even experienced bakers had new sourdough fail.
1 Feeding cycles depend a lot on the ratio of starter : (flour & water), in other words, how quickly the yeasts and bacteria “eat up and multiply”.
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Quick Answer about "My sourdough starter stopped growing after day two"
What is this? Your sourdough starter is too young and not strong enough for bread baking. The starter is strong and active, but not quite ready. Allow the starter to sit at temperature for another 30 minutes or hour and test again.Why did my sourdough starter stop rising?
Soft water. Soft water has fewer minerals which will increase the rate of fermentation which weakens the starter. If you do think the quality of your tap water is the cause of your sourdough starter not rising, try bottled water and see if it makes a difference.Why has my sourdough starter slowed down?
Sometimes the microbes in your starter simply need time to metabolize all the feedings. This is usually the case in cold environments (AC under 70F, winter kitchens). If your starter is barely bubbling or not bubbling at all 12-24 hours after the last feeding, simply stir it again and let the jar sit for a day or two.Can you use sourdough starter after 2 days?
Depending on the strength of your starter you can go between 2 days and 1 week between feedings. Feed as normal, leaving the starter out at warm room temperature to ripen for 6-8 hours before refrigerating.HOW TO FIX YOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER | Troubleshooting common issues
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