Some other signs your sourdough starter is being overfed are: sourdough starter not bubbling or rising. not smelling yeasty. starter is runny.
As a general rule, the less sourdough starter you use, the slower your dough will ferment - resulting in a more sour flavored loaf. The more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf.
Generally, about 5-6 hours after feeding my starter is ready. The time may vary based on room temp, dough temp, etc. The starter should have doubled in volume and started to recede and/or pass the float test. I take my starter out of the refrigerator once a week for feeding, even if I'm not baking.
Simply put: a sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of flour and water. Once it's fed with additional flour and water (and left in a warm spot to rise, ideally 75+ F), it becomes bubbly and active.
How do you know if sourdough starter has spoiled or gone bad? The main indicator if a sourdough starter is still good or not is if it will still rise and fall after feeding it fresh flour and water. If it does, it's still alive!
Yes, you can overfeed your sourdough starter. Audrey explains: “Every time you add more flour and water, you are depleting the existing population of natural bacteria and yeast.” If you keep adding more and more, eventually you'll dilute the starter so much that you'll just have flour and water.
SEVERE NEGLECT: If you neglect your starter long enough, it will develop mold or signs of being overtaken by bad bacteria. Mold can appear in various colors and is typically fuzzy in appearance. Bad bacteria is generally indicated by an orange or pink tinge or streak.
stir your starter in between feedings - try stirring it twice in between feedings and really give it a chance to get oxygen into the mix. This will help to activate your starter without too much effort.
It's not a good idea to use a sourdough starter right after feeding. Ideally you should wait at least 2-4 hours.
The discard is just the sourdough starter you're not currently feeding or baking with. It's called discard because it often gets "discarded" during feeding. If you don't "discard" some starter during feeding your starter will just grow and grow and grow until you're staring in a remake of The Blob.
Before you stir your starter, drop a spoonful of it into a Starter Jar half filled with water. If the teaspoon of starter floats, then it is ready to be used in your dough.
You can feed your starter 1:2:2 or even up to 1:5:5, wait for it to peak and then use it in your recipe. This method is recommended. It catches the yeast population at peak and it de-acidifies the starter by using a very small carry-over portion (20% in 1:2:2 and 9% in 1:5:5).
If your bread had a good rise and is still holding gas but got sticky while shaping, then it may be overworked. All bread dough requires a very gentle touch at this stage. If you break the gluten strands at the shaping stage by overworking the dough it will get sticky, flatten out in a blob, and won't look smooth.
If at one point your starter was all bubbly and happy, and now it's not rising anymore, it's possible that it needs a few extra feedings to boost the yeast development. Assuming you understand how temperature and ingredients can effect the rise of your starter, try feeding it 2x per day and see what happens.
Ideally, sourdough should be the consistency of warm peanut butter. When it's just been fed, it should be quite thick. It's actually ok if it seems a little dry. As the starter ferments, it will absorb the flour and thin out just a little.
Your starter will be very bubbly, double or triple in size after feeding, will smell like yeast bread, and will be a bit frothy on top (you'll see bubbles and activity on the top of the jar).
What if I miss feeding my sourdough starter? If you miss one of your starter feedings, it'll be just fine. Give it a feeding when you next remember it needs one, and continue with your daily feedings as usual.
Storing your sourdough starter in the fridge will require feeding around once a week. It can, however, be stored up to two months in the fridge without being fed.
Should I Pour The Hooch Off My Sourdough Starter? Generally, no you should not pour the hooch off your sourdough starter. The hooch is part of your starter's hydration, so pouring it off will change the hydration of your sourdough starter.
It will need a lid or cover, but not something airtight: Sourdough starter emits gas, and a sealed canister can explode. If you have intermittent baking plans, you may want something that can be lidded more tightly and stashed in the refrigerator.
If you do go with an airtight lid, you'll want to "burp" the container every now and then so the gas doesn't build up inside and cause it to explode. The perk of a glass jar is you can see what's really going on inside your starter, not just on the surface.
Rise and Expansion: A well-fed and active starter will rise and expand in volume after feeding. It should show noticeable growth, with bubbles forming on the surface and throughout the mixture. Texture and Consistency: The starter should have a light and airy texture.
You'll find that your sourdough starter sometimes develops a crust or skin. It's totally ok and just means that it's getting a bit too dry on top. Try using a jar lid (not screwed on) or even a piece of cling film. Just scrape the skin off and feed as per normal.
The most common separation you'll in a sourdough starter is when you get black or gray liquid on top. This is completely normal. The black liquid on top of your starter is called hooch. Hooch is the waste product of the sourdough starter.