Troubleshooting sourdough can be difficult because every home has a different environment, but hopefully this post helps!
If you are having issues, make sure you have for the starter:
-glass or plastic container with the lid loose
-filtered water (some tap water can be hard and kill the yeast)
-unbleached flour
-a warm 70-75 degree area or close to it
-frequent enough feeding (see list below for ranges and amounts per day)
Troubleshooting and Common Issues
Liquid on top of starter?
Generally if you see the liquid, also called hooch, developing on the top of the starter it's safe to stir in or pour off and proceed with feeding as normal or a starter refresh if it's too sour for you.
Activity slowing down or trouble getting it started from rehydration?
You've been feeding and using your starter for a while but it's not quite working like it used to, or getting as active. Or, you've been trying to rehyrdate it and get it going and it doesn't seem to be working.
A starter refresh (see below) can help immensely, and putting it in a new container while you do a thorough clean of the old one can also help.
Otherwise, check the temperature in your home and make sure you are feeding it enough. These temps and frequencies are for getting the starter active to bake, you can get away with less than this to maintain but once you start smelling vinegar or seeing hooch develop it needs to be fed more often for at least a feeding or two.
- under 60 degrees - once to twice a day, activity will be slower
- 60-70 degrees - feed at least twice a day and can do up to thrice if needed
- 70-80 degrees - you're going to want to feed at least three times, but most likely you'll need 4x a day
- over 80 degrees - activity will be slower, try moving to a cooler place, but at least feed 4x a day
If this is too much feeding, you can keep it in a cooler area or your fridge to need to feed less. If you are keeping it in the fridge you only need to feed it once or twice a week, but if the activity slows down after awhile, feed it more frequently.
At last resort, stirring in a tiny bit of sugar (1/2 tsp or so per 100g of starter) can help, as can using bread flour for a few feedings. Putting the starter in a warmer place and keeping it on the counter for a few days as well can help if this is something you've noticed after keeping it in the fridge most of the time and having this less activity issue.
Discoloration?
If there is any sort of mold that forms after you've been storing it too long in the fridge without feeding or on the counter, you shouldn't continue to use the starter, please reach out and we can send you another for a discount! This is the one thing that a starter refresh for sure will not fix.
Other sorts of discolorations do happen from time to time from not feeding it enough. We are working on getting pictures to upload for examples.
For most issues a starter refresh is the best method for getting the yeast active and back to normal.
Starter Refresh
To do a starter refresh is easy! See steps below:
- Take out 20g of sourdough starter and put into a clean, fresh container. Mason jars are ideal. Certain metals interact badly with starter, so try glass, plastic, or stainless steel (last choice).
- Feed it with 20g of filtered water and 20g of unbleached flour. (Bread flour works best for this if you have it!)
- Mark the line with a marker or rubber band. Stir and let sit on the counter at room temperature for 4-6 hours. 70F to 75F for best results.
- Feed again without discarding - so 60g of water and 60g of flour and stir. Remark the new line.
- Check on the starter after 4-8 hours, and there should be some activity, at least 1.5x rise if not more. Checking every hour or so should ensure you can see the rise.
- If there is still no activity, discard half and feed 1:1:1 ratio starter:water:flour and add 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp of granulated sugar and stir in.
- Let sit for another 4-8 hours, and see if there is still no activity the starter may be dead. Reach out for another if you'd like! We at Sarver Farms like to have our starter be a buy once for life product if we can, and it's rare, but sometimes the yeast get killed through one step or another, and we can kindly send you another for free or a discount because we want everyone to get it going right and have their heirloom starter forever.
After you get your starter back on track, check out this page for regular feedings schedules from now on!