73: SOURDOUGH: Sleepy Starter? DEAD!? You've probably just got TOO MUCH - Bake with Jack

You might think your sourdough starter is sleepy, sluggish, or even dead but I reckon there might just be a little too much of it. If your feeding or refreshing regularly you might be getting a build up, and the little feeds you make will no longer excite a MASSIVE mass of starter...
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[@richardharris5336]

Sometimes I think I'm a bad father, I only feed Jerry when I want something from him. I used to feed him a lot when he was first born, but now he's just neglected in the back of the fridge, hibernating, waiting to see daylight once more. Still, he seems pretty happy when he is fed, springing about all over the place. I am concerned about his hooch dependency though...

[@Bakewithjack]

🤣 as long as you are talking about your starter Richard, I think you are fine 👍🏻

[@suecollins3246]

Richard, as long as Jerry lives under your roof he plays by your rules. Leave him in the fridge - that way you don't have to feed him, buy him toys, clothes, a cell phone, computer, sound system, send him to school and put up with girlfriend nonsense - leave him in the fridge, Richard. (Put the rest of your kids there too...)

[@antoniogonzalez3810]

I had the same feeling with Sophie and Brenda, now I think both are dead, I think I gave them to much love and food. But I will always remember the good bread both gave me.

[@melstarr1864]

You guys are hilarious!

[@TheRealCantaraBella]

I love this so much!!!! I too have a drunk starter.

[@powderriverfarrier]

Pretty cool how Jack takes very important bread making techniques and makes them sound so much like plain common sense. Thanks Jack!

[@skinzsa5527]

I have done the sourdough course with a well known company in Cape Town South Africa. I was so confused and never made 1 single. Until I starter watching your videos, thank goodness for that! I’m about to bake my 3rd loaf tomorrow with the wholewheat flour, makes absolute sense! Wish you were living next door to me! I love your videos and learn so much every time I bake. Thank you for sharing all with us hopefulls🍷

[@roykelsey8584]

Hi Jack. Thanks for another entertaining and informative video. Until I heard from you about your "no discard" method, I too was struggling with keeping a big volume of starter and throwing half away before feeding (which I hated doing), but didn't want to learn about making other baked goods just to use up the starter. All I wanted was a sourdough loaf every now and then. Along you come Jack, with your revolutionary (to me) method of keeping a "dirty pot" in the fridge (which is what the minute amount of starter in the pot looks like). A real "lightbulb moment" for me. Also I was lucky enough to live close enough to attend your first Sourdough Workshop at Victoria's Kitchen and came away with enough confidence to have a go with the teaspoonful of starter method, following to the letter your recipe and method you have posted. As well as the bread we made on that day at Victoria's Kitchen, which was superb, I have had one bake at home which I think was a great success, and after using the starter by adding to it the flour and water to make the weight of starter asked for in the recipe, I am still left with my teaspoonful of starter in the pot in the fridge ready for my next session. When that time arrives, I shall just do the same again. Add the flour and water to the "dirty pot", equal to the amount of starter called for in the recipe, then leave it on the side to grow as per your video on using and feeding the starter. Wondefully simple, producing tasty, good looking wholesome bread and NO WASTE.....YIPPEEEEEE !! Thanks again Jack. Kind regards Roy Kelsey

[@kylieisola4735]

Always a pleasure to see you Jack! 👍

[@andrebepe]

Awesome video Jack! I make bread twice a week at home and my Puffs is alive and kicking thanks to your tips!

[@lissyperez4299]

Great tip Jack! I hear this complain a lot on my Facebook sourdough community. It makes sense. The way I think of it is the more starter you have the more mouths to feed, so it requires a huge amount of stuff to feed it, in order to keep it going, therefore, you end up with a huge amount LOL . You're so funny!

[@Bakewithjack]

The more mouths to feed! Exactly! What a great way to put it 👍🏻

[@dorisfonseca8662]

Hello Jack, THANK YOU - I am on my day 2 of a starter I also got from San Francisco - it hasn't increased in volume, there are barely any bubble at the top with a slight amount of hooch. I will definitely only keep 1 tablespoon and discard the rest.

[@Eman-fu8jk]

Exactly what I need at the moment. Very helpful.

[@TheStephenCarr]

Thanks for the tip Jack.

[@flowergrowersmith449]

Hi Jack - Yesterday I fed up my "scrapings" starter out of the fridge and it sprang back to life! Beautiful. It's winter here now, so the final prove is going slowly. In fact I'm putting it in the fridge tonight and hope to bake it late morning tomorrow. I love sourdough videos!

[@marilynmiles7214]

FlowerGrower Smith j

[@juliadavid3637]

Great information as always and so entertaining 👏 I'll be baking my first sour dough bread in a couple days, thank you Jack for all the great advice

[@flopilop3808]

I remedied it on acciedent :D I had too much starter, threw away most but kept 25g and fed it 25g of water and 25g of flour jsut did it today and happy to hear I did the right thing

[@sherylp.7212]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I knew my sourdough starter was alive but couldn't get it active. Until you made me realize I was a starter hoarder! Immediately, discarded large portion. Bread dough is now on the rise!

[@justinerogers1353]

Yep, Jack is responsible for monster starters as there's no mention in the How to make a Sourdough Starter video on what to do after Day 4 if you don't bake a loaf with it and want to wait for a more mature starter.

[@drklnel]

Thanks Jack this is helpful.

[@JSTpacek]

i usually bake my bread on saturday. so the starter is in the fridge from saturday to thursday evening. on friday morning and friday evening i feed him. i know it's not needed but i enjoy the process + on friday I make pancakes (love them).

[@Bakewithjack]

If you love them... make them!! ☺️☺️☺️ 🥞

[@justinerogers1353]

Jack - I watched your Sourdough Starter video for making it super easy. Thank you so much. Am also on a Facebook Group and they advise not to bake with your new starter for at least 2 weeks (development of flavour, strength of starter etc). You baked a loaf with your starter on Day 5 - so you may be responsible (ha) for monster starters as people carry on feeding "25g flour and 25g water" day after day not knowing they can discard.

[@happytang1802]

I’m starting to make sourdough pancakes and waffles so I can reduce my starter back to normal and make them alive and happy again. Mum is happy with the scallion pancakes for sure

[@darktower23]

Happy Tang, I love sourdough pancakes with scallions. I also put cumin seeds and fresh coriander and dip in soy sauce 😋

[@suzannenichols6900]

Thanks. Excellent video.

[@makingbakingnana9652]

Such commen sense. Thanks Jack 😍

[@Bakewithjack]

Pleasure always ☺️

[@NovemberStormborn]

hey jack, thanks for your explanation of bread with no discard... working great!! finally got rid of my excess, but don't have any discard to make waffles with now :-/

[@markparker5585]

Yep, if I have too much I just make drop/Scotch pancakes. When done, just add a knob of butter, a rasher of bacon and some maple syrup. Not thrown any starter away since the very early days of making sourdough.

[@juliaaquaamateur1573]

This is exactly what I had to do recently. This time I measured and wrote down the weight of an empty jar before putting my "new starter" in, so now I can easily calculate the amount of starter I have at the moment by just weighing the jar with starter. If I'm going to make bread (or pancakes, or whatever), I just add the amount of the water-flour mix needed to reach the amount of starter in the recipe + about 30 grams to be left for the next time. No matter if I feed it 4 hours before making the dough and leave it on the counter, or I feed it 12 hours before making the dough and put it in a fridge (overnight) - the bread is amazing :)))) Btw, I've found out that it helps a lot to reduce excess sourness in bread.

[@marilynmiles7214]

Julia Z a

[@introvert211]

So I took a tablespoon of my starter, fed that, very little bubbles, about a centimeter of hock on top, I poured the hooch out, fed it again, and there’s bubbling going on, but it’s getting thin real quick.

[@charlespate9310]

Love your accent, mate!

[@roberttagatzhairdoc916]

Enjoyed your video!

[@cowboy.beetle]

My sourdough starter isn’t bubbling or rising that much. It’s been about 2 weeks and I’m sorta nervous. I don’t really think I have too much. I only have about 1 cup or so. I’m kinda hopeless at this point so I’m going to try to do what you said.

[@cgoddy]

Great tip! I’ve still yet to make my first successful sourdough and am quite nervous because my starter hasn’t passed the float test yet. Tried once but I might have over proofed it 🤪

[@artbarn2624]

I feed my starter with rye flour. It's a very thick starter and will not float. However, it makes beautiful bread. The float test is very unreliable.

[@KaiTenSatsuma]

The one time Jack suggests throwing out starter XD Maybe split it up for a bunch of boules '_'

[@Mrsfabiana]

I’ve watched this video you’re mentioning and I got it, no need to feed everyday. BUT if you bake everyday, then you feed everyday, rights?

[@chellakaygraves]

So fun! And funny! Don't need to "Cuddle it"" Hahaha!! Thanks for the tips. I'm going to run out and by rye flour for sure!

[@justinerogers1353]

wholemeal rye flour worked for me, also 35oC water temperature and keeping it slightly warmer (doesn't matter if it's in a dark airing cupboard, the starter doesn't need light).

[@sebastiannygaard9117]

You are damn charismatic, Jack, lol! Great tips, thanks 💪🏻

[@xxxxxx6873]

Thank you it helps

[@atesmucur6924]

you are the best man thnx!!!

[@Bakewithjack]

My pleasure 🤗

[@alexmahon1]

Great vid but I have a jar of sourdough starter but I make a poolish starter the night before and it is ready to go in the morning...Good luck

[@renmuffett]

Some people don't discard the starter but will dump it into hot fry pan to make quick flat bread cakes. Top with anything!

[@goldenrule4064]

V cool, Jack🎯👍🏾

[@andreamiller8731]

My starter refuses to rise at room temperature (75°f-77°f). It will ONLY rise in a warm (around 90°f oven). Do I just need to be more patient at room temp to get it to be happy that way? I don’t want to keep my oven warm forever..thanks for any tips.

[@markstewartpraisejesus4842]

So I can cancel the hotel room I booked for my sourdough starter?

[@tinaingamells932]

hi Jack... dont throw your discarded starter..i use it to make banana bread..muffins..CRUMPETS! I always keep a little back and when i get a *glut..i use it up on the above.. it is very easy to end up with too much..but binning it is a waste.. be a savvy sourdough baker! i say.. Cheers Jack.. ps ..floating crust..is it cos my oven was too hot(forgot to turn ot down!) or was my dough *overprooved?! (*overtired!!) love your vids x

[@lissyperez4299]

Tina Ingamells oooo, have never tried making crumpets! Sounds like a great idea. Will have to make some to have with my tea, in my English China Tea Cup he he he

[@marilynmiles7214]

Tina Ingamells z

[@r.thomassen6285]

I have never tried banana bread, but it sounds like the most horrible thing ever! And with sourdough, even worse! That's why I have never made it. I have never heard of anybody in this country (Norway) make banana bread. So it must be an invention from the country where they eat thick pancakes drowned in syrup to breakfast. I guess I have to bake banana bread, just to find out if it is as bad as I imagine. I have tried the famous Elvis sandwich, and it was horrible! If I don't remember wrong, the Elvis sandwich is a white bread sandwich with peanut butter, bacon and bananas. I imagine banana bread to be in the Elvis sandwich-category. Or like jelly popcorn, which I have also tried to make out of curiosity. Needless to say how bad that was. Who invent such things? I have made banana soup with popcorn. And that was really tasty, actually. The soup was made with bananas, fried chicken, onions and curry, and the popcorn was sprinkled over as an alternative to bread cubes. That was actually very good, even though it sounds horrible. And the swedes have their Flying Jacob, which is a banana, roasted chicken, bacon and peanut casserole on a bed of rice, with whipped cream with Heinz chili sauce spread over the top (before it goes in the oven). Not too bad either, and it sound even weirder than anything else. The swedes for sure love their Flying Jacob. Since I have tried a lot of banana weirdos already, I guess I just have to take it all out and make a loaf of banana bread. But is it bread or cake?

[@becauseimafan]

@@r.thomassen6285 Banana bread is a "quick bread" - so essentially it's a cake 😂 www.allrecipes.com/recipes/360/bread/quick-bread/ I love the homemade banana bread I grew up with though, mostly because it's actually more like bread than the "quick bread" you find in stores or cafes! I've only just started baking on my own though, so I'll be working my way up to banana bread! 💪

[@angiebee2225]

@@r.thomassen6285 There are yeasted and non-yeasted banana breads out there, and they're delicious, but very different. Non-yeasted banana bread is usually fairly dense and sweet and uses 2-3 bananas per loaf (usually quick breads do best in a 9x5 inch pan) plus sugar and oil or butter. Yeasted banana bread is just one banana per loaf and the banana provides most of the sugar. There is nothing weird about banana bread if you've had bread or cake with fruit in it before. The "Elvis" sandwich is a unique thing and a far cry from banana bread. As much as I love bacon, I don't love it in everything. Chocolate covered bacon exists, and I'm not a fan. If you bake with bananas, they need to be really ripe. They need to have lots of freckles.

[@jameslake6306]

I have a half gallon of starter which sounds bad, but after feeding a full cup and +/- 8 oz. of 90degree F water I get a medium thick medium that easily doubles and sometimes triples in volume at about the 5 hour mark. I enjoy my pet starter and am wondering if any "additives" like vinegar or high protein flours will give additional strength and/or longevity to my starter "baby"

[@korbandallas8931]

I've had this issue with my first few starters I made, I thought leaving a little more would be better and speed up the process, when its the opposite, good videos man glad someone pointed me in your direction....ordered some things off your sight also!

[@andyblackpool]

Re-fed at 6.00am, its now 10.00am and residing it in a warm room. Still like thick sandy sludge. :-(

[@johnnyjimj]

That's EXACTLY the error I made with my first sourdough bread... Had to add dry yeast to make the dough rise ;-)

[@TheGozz13]

Hi Jack, I want to do a sourdough starter but I don't have access to wholemeal rye flour, I tried regular flour and wholemeal wheat flour and they seem to take off OK, but after the 2nd feeding everything slows down and I only get an increase of about a quarter above the rubber band compared to what's under the rubber band o/night (there are bubbles but it's not energetic....! How do I make it better...? is there anything to add to make it more active and double o/night...?? Cheers...!

[@rose496900yt1]

Hi Jack, your videos Inspire me to come back to challenge sourdough again. A huge thank you🙏 for your sharing your knowledge which are make sense and straight forward. I gave up trying 10years ago because watching some KZbin and it was too much effort start from making the starter 😅. About starter, I made starter as your recipe but I didn't use it when it's ready as busy with work and just left it at room temperature for 2 days. Is it called over fermented? Can I still use it? Do I need to feed it again before use ? Thanks again. 👍👍

[@HussiAli123]

My starter has showed no signs except for hooch I've had it for 5 days now and use 25g of whole wheat flour and 25g of water

[@granmabern5283]

Thankyou

[@flixter666]

Hi Jack! I've been having issues with my starter doing great for the first 2-3 days, and then, like clockwork, the starter becomes mostly unresponsive and a clear/tan colored liquid layer that either settles to the bottom of the jar or on top of the starter. Is this liquid layer called hooch? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[@notahotshot]

I was having the same problem. I've been using all purpose flour, because it's what I could find. I finally got my hands on some whole wheat flour, and my starter took off. If you can, try switching the flour you're using, it may help.

[@johnscrivy]

Some peeps use there excess starter to make pancakes

[@marilynmiles7214]

John Scrivener s

[@kathleencole2806]

Yes, before learning Jack’s “scraping method,” I made pancakes with my discarded starter, and they were the best I’ve ever had. Now I don’t have any excess so if I want yummy pancakes, I’ll have to mix some up just for that purpose. In the meantime, I’m LOVING the scraping method. Thanks, Jack!!

[@terrypogue]

We like sourdough waffles and my recipe calls for a full cup of starter. So i need to keep a nice supply on hand. Ive read that to get a slightly more sour bread i can add small amount of citric acid.have you ever heard this? Or will it kill my starter

[@catherineiselin]

Question: how should a starter smell? And if a starter smells a bit "ammoniaqui..." it is better to start all over again or reduce it to the minimum (like two soup spoons) and feed again? You certainly have already answered this question, if so: thank you for the link. I am watching all your videos to learn and so now I know nothing about what is happening with Brexit!

[@TheChefLady4JC]

Help!! My first batch produced a wonderful loaf of Sourdough bread. I took it out of the refrigerator just shy of a week later and I about fell over cuz it smells like NAIL POLISH REMOVER! I am using a glass canning jar with a canning lid as my starter's home. What am I doing wrong?

[@Bakewithjack]

Yeah that’ll happen after a week, no worries 👌🏻

[@lucyd007]

My starter is on its 5th day...it certainly smells good, but it just rises and falls after every feeding....I just seem to have way more than I started with even though I keep discarding some prior to it’s feeding... what am I doing wrong?

[@themusiccovenant]

Your videos are very practical and answer all questions. I mix well and shape well the baguettes and even keep ice cubes and water in the lowest shelf but I never get a crust...what do I do? My rack position is middle for the baguettes. 230c for 15 mins and then 180c for 13 mins...still no crust. Should I try spraying water on the baguettes to make them wet ...

[@Bakewithjack]

I think the problem is the ice. Try water from the kettle poured into a hot tray for lots of steam 👌🏻

[@themusiccovenant]

@@Bakewithjack thank you very much. I will make the baguettes again tomorrow and will let you know. Thanks again

[@themusiccovenant]

@@Bakewithjack hello sir. I got the crisp. Apart from putting hot water in the bottom tray I had to generously spray water on my sourdough. I would like to send you 2 pictures. Please give me your email address. Thanks again for your response and help.

[@humblerepentpraygive5815]

I take starter that I am removing from the primary container and spread it between two pieces of parchment paper and let it dry. After a couple of days I remove the flakes and put them in a ziplock then I store it in the freezer. When I want to use it I put the amount needed for the flour I am using, in warm water to loosen it up a bit then add the flour as usual blending the flour extremely well, not kneading exactly but blending well with palm. Let the flour mixture sit for about 20 min. No sense in wasting any part of starter especially now. Give to your neighbors or friends.

[@Bakewithjack]

Ba da boom! Nice one 👌🏻

[@humblerepentpraygive5815]

@@Bakewithjack Thanks Jack!

[@andyblackpool]

I started my starter last week precisely as per your instructions; organic flour, warm water etc' and from day one its looked like heavy damp sand.... I'm on day 5 now and nothing, nada, zip has happened to it, not even the slightest sign of a bubble so I'm going to throw most of it away and start again like you say from 25g I shall keep over. Wish me luck I'm not feeling too confident but I'm sure the flower people will be happy

[@hoboesque]

I'm not the expert here, but I do make sourdough twice a week... Where we live (rural Japan) we can use water from the tap, but I tried to make some starter at a friends' place in the UK; it didn't work. Did a little more research and apparently in some countries/regions they add chemicals to the mains water (to strengthen your teeth or make you healthier or whatnot) that inhibits or kills the natural yeasts. Try using distilled water or bottled Evian or similar?

[@angiebee2225]

Don't give up on a starter after a week. Mine took almost a month to get going.

[@dolce13651]

Jack if I start again with a tablespoon how much do I add?

[@Lithaldatwin]

I am new to this as well and found so long as you add more in weight than what you have as starter you should be good

[@akshay5295]

hey thanks for this tip. improved my starter activity. Any tips on how to make sourdough bread less sour? mine is TOO sour and the starter too is very pungent, burns the nose.

[@Bakewithjack]

Hey Askhay, I think the sourness comes from a couple of factors. One is the quantity of starter you use (I made one yesterday with just 25g of starter and it was quite mild- on instagram) also if you leave it slightly less time after you feed it to use it, the further it goes the more acidic it becomes, also I think the proving time is a factor too. The longer the more sour. Any body else have any suggestions??

[@ibsoarin]

Jack, Your advise is excellent. Reducing the time between refreshments (accelerating the refreshment rate), the starter will have more yeast activity and less time for production of acid by bacteria. Akshay, The first thing is you need to follow Jack's advise starting at 2:40 in this video. Your starter has built up too much acetic acid and lactic acid from the bacteria and is suppressing the growth of the yeast which produces carbon dioxide gas.

[@markparker5585]

That's what I've found. Longer between refreshes, the more sour the sourdough becomes. Refresh often and it's milder. Quantity seems to make a difference too, so as Jack says, try adding less to your first mix.

[@rosannavantklooster134]

Can someone help me?!?! After this video I thought I finally understood the principles so my hopes were high! After my young starter was ON for the first few days, rising, bubbling, everything (I fed it the 'usual' way with throwing parts away), suddenly it didn't anymore. Soooo I tried this method (using a tablespoon starter, adding 25g rye flour, 25g water - next feed 75g rye flour, 75g water) hoping it would do the same as with Jack, to bake my first bread but NO LUCK. Minimal bubbles and volume increase. What don't I understand? & WHAT TO DO!

[@opusthe2nd]

Calling Jack...hello Jack, is this thing on?? Suppose I want to make 10 loaves of sourdough. Do I just start with my 25g I have and fast feed it twice a day to get to the volume I need, then put it back to sleep?

[@unconventionalforager6389]

Music....Nice!

[@Bakewithjack]

☺️👌🏻

[@MrDgmiller]

"Making some wonderful bread" "showed Me her sourdough starter" I hear you Jack!

[@sadiethomson-ashworth582]

Lol! My mind also went there

[@andreamiller8731]

I started a starter from scratch 12 days ago and I’m having trouble getting it super active. I only keep 150g each day and feed with 150g water and 150g flour. Should I keep less?

[@hover_trug]

150g total. 1:1:1 is common

[@angiebee2225]

I use 113 g starter, 113g flour, 113g water. How much you have isn't an issue as long as you're discarding enough. You probably don't NEED too keep that much, but the ratio should keep it fine. My starter, from scratch, took something like 4 weeks to finally get going enough to use, but I started it in January when the indoor temperature was lower than ideal for starting a starter.

[@user-tw9pp5pk6c]

My sourdough starter was strong and in 3,4 hours was triple its size.i put some in fridge and at the fifthe day took it out to feed it.now it has bubbles but not increased. What to do?

[@angiebee2225]

I know I am answering this long after you asked the question, but I take my starter out of the fridge before bed and leave it on top of the fridge until morning, and I do not feed it yet. If it doubled and hasn't started to fall back down in the morning, I'll go ahead and make some bread with it, feed it, and put it back in the fridge (after letting it sit out for an hour or two first - I never put it in the fridge right after feeding it). If it is clearly falling by morning, I feed it and then leave it out until it has doubled before using it, and I feed it again before putting it back in the fridge.

[@mojsharhappy]

Sooo, you stop feeding when you see that it bubbles and has doubled in size?

[@bethbilous4720]

okay taking out 150 grqms, pitching the remaider of 500 grams.

[@dumontanne-catherine7410]

I'd say: "Don't do to your starter what you don't do to yourself"....avoid overweight! It's just common sense, isn't it? Have a healthful weekend!

[@MoshieJ]

Tile the ceiling! Ha!

[@Bakewithjack]

😂

[@ramonaeaglesmith3430]

Hi Jack have been feeding starter which is 25g. Rye50g 50 Ap but starter feels/is thick, with small bubbles. Can up hydration so more air can get thru the"mud" or should I reduce the flour quotient. TIA

[@Bakewithjack]

Mine is thick, like WELL thick. Should puff up ok though 👌🏻

[@cipriandragoi9166]

I have a question for you! When baking sourdough, oven should be set with or without ventilation ?

[@LazerWonder1998]

Jack's recipe calls for lots of steam. So if you can trap that steam by not having ventilation, you'll get a crustier crust. :)

[@Bakewithjack]

Exactly 👊🏻

[@levictor]

What happened to the banana basket?

[@juhainijabar9408]

I need some help 😢 I have just started my starter 5 days ago. The second and third day it showed signs of life, bubbling and doubled in volume. When I fed it on the 4th day, nothing happened overnight. I fed it again this morning (5th day), I hope something will happen. If nothing happen should I take out 1 tablespoon and start again? Btw I live in Malaysia where it’s hot and humid.

[@Bakewithjack]

Try this kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJmbYXWFpbaKrrM

[@rodenel007]

my sourdough starter is in the refrigerator. There is about a 100 grams. How long do I have to let it sit out a room temp or can I use right away..

[@angiebee2225]

You technically can use it right away, but the bread may not rise as much and will probably take (possibly a lot) longer to ferment depending on whether it's "hungry" or not. How long you want to let it sit out depends on how quickly it picks up once it reaches room temperature. I take mine out the night before I want to use it and check on it in the morning. Sometimes it's active and doubled in the morning and sometimes it rises and falls before I get up and then it needs to be fed again (and then wait a few hours) before I use it.

[@nt4019]

Help! I followed your instructions and after the first feeding it doubled in volume but now im into day 3 amd there's been no more rising. My house ranges from 21-23C... Is that too cold?

[@katiehuynh03]

I’m having the same problem. I use whole wheat flour for my starter using jacks instructions for 25/25g water and flour and there hasn’t been activity and I’ve tried feeding it once morning and night too. I’ve even thrown away half to see if that was the problem. Still haven’t figured it out

[@anniwilson2534]

Mine did the same, I had bubbles and volume on day 2 but unfortunately I couldn’t use it that day. On the subsequent days feeding 25g wholemeal flour & water it just stagnated. I put it back in the fridge so it didn’t go off. It separated with that hooch on the top. Tipped liquid off. Took a tablespoon out and made a new starter out of that and the same thing has happened.. It stinks of acetone so I don’t know if I can use it? So confusing all this :(

[@katiehuynh03]

Anni Wilson it worked for me! I read that sometimes starters need to mature and that that could happen the first couple of days. Every time I feed my starter now it grows. Some stuff I did was, stopped using metal to mix, feed it more than once a day(I read that when the starter develops a hooch, that means it’s out of food), and Something I think made a big difference was discarding some. Obviously not more than half but mostly the top where there was the layer of skin and liquid. (The reason for that is that when you take away some starter, there’s more food for the rest when you feed it), lastly I switched to bottled water. The way I knew my starter was going to work was the change in smell, it was much easier to handle while before I could still smell that stinky starter from 10 feet away. I don’t even know to to describe the smell from before it was horrific. I’m not a pro but these were some of the things I did that hopefully can help you, don’t give up it will work. If you have questions and stuff look online there’s a ton of stuff that can assure you or help you. Hope this helps ;)

[@anniwilson2534]

Katie Huynh thank you for replying. I’m mixing it with plastic spatula. The smell went from floury to vinegary and now it’s like acrid paint thinners. I read somewhere if it has an acetone smell it needs feeding. I don’t want more starter though, just an alive non-stinky one! It grew about 1cm only but it has lots of little bubbles in it.. I cannot find any info on whether I can actually use a starter that smells of acetone. I just think if I discard again I’ll end up with the same thing happening. I will persevere though! Thank you for the tips.

[@robertnordeen4631]

hahaha. how did i get here again? I had leftover and put in the jar. Took out a teaspoon. made a cup and 1/4. dump the left over in jar. what? Now i got a load of it. make pancakes!

[@BH-re4nu]

Will out of date flour perform worse that in date? I expect that's a pretty obvious question but my rye flour is about 4 years out of date and although it's producing bubbles etc I'm wondering if fresher flour will work better. Not sure what vital parts of the equation break down over time ...

[@phoebedenton123]

Older flour will take longer to activate and get bubbles because it’s drier. That’s the full extent of my knowledge on the matter!

[@artbarn2624]

If your rye flour is 4 years out of date, smell it. At this point it's probably going to smell rancid. I found an expired bag of rye flour in the back of my pantry. It was expired by about 6 months. Reluctant to throw out flour during the Covid shortage, I decided to test it. It smelled fine. I took about a tablespoon of Tina, my original starter (Tina is from another brand of rye flour), put it in a clean jar, and fed it with the expired flour. I named that starter Peri (for experiment). Peri more than doubled and she bubbled like crazy in the first few hours. Weeks later, Peri is still is much more responsive than Tina, although they both make lovely bread. I continue to feed each with their original brand of rye flour. So before you throw away flour, test it in a new jar with a bit of your starter to see what it does.

[@oringe7326]

But what should I do with the rest of the starter if I don’t wanna throw it all away?

[@cammy1273]

oringe I make bread that asks for 200g starter so I try to only keep around 225g in jar at any time.

[@carpetpete]

I pour the excess into a hot oiled cast iron skillet with scallions, salt and sometimes sesame seeds. When it’s toasted on both sides I cut it into pie shapes and dip it in soy sauce. Great appetizer or snack.

[@carpetpete]

I will also do the same as previously mentioned but without the scallions and put a piece of sausage, bacon or ham and a poached or fried egg on top. Makes a quick fry bread style toast base to sop up all the yoke.

[@mjp8845]

Jack I think you are great ! My problem is not with starter but baking in general . The base of my bread does not cook properly so I upend it and shove it back in for about 5 minutes . Sometimes works , sometimes not so well.....still doughy . Am I baking at too low temperature throughout anyway ? I normally set fan oven at about 210 / 220 Any advice please ? I am hooked on your vids and addicted to baking . I suspect it may have to do with my experimenting , sometimes too much . I am an old fart and that is my excuse Best regards

[@Bakewithjack]

Hey Michael, sometimes that is just the way... I’ve baked in tons of peoples houses and depending on the heat distribution in the oven, sometimes you’ve got to flip it for a bit to get an even bake 👍🏻

[@boo01ify]

Try using a lidded cast iron casserole, if you have one!

[@PlayaSinNombre]

Dude! Don't shame me for cuddling my starter!

[@bustershin]

the flour seller told me you need a massive starter and you need to feed it regularly. LOL

[@r.thomassen6285]

I have a small starter, so when I feed it I use 30 grams of starter, 60 grams of flour and 60 grams of water. So it is not a massive amount I keep. But my starter is slow. Do you know anything to help it react quicker? I have tried to let it be on the counter 2-3 feedings to see if it could get some strength, and then put it back in the fridge. But it really doesn't become quicker. It is not dead or anything, just slow. So slow that to see a double in volume, I have to give it 10-12-14-16-ish hours, if not more (I have given up trying to find out when my starter peaks at its highest, so I don't know exactly). And I mean in room temperature, around 22 degrees. So, I add both yeast and sourdough to my bread, to get around the issues with my slow starter. And that works just fine. But one day I might want to make sourdough bread instead of hybrid bread, and without starting baking early in the morning and take the bread out of the oven right before bedtime. And then I have not used the starter straight from the fridge and in the dough, but given it a feed the evening before and let it stay in room temperature before usage. If you as an expert know a trick to get a slow starter to speed up, then I say thank you 1000 times :-) If not, that is okey too, since I do have yeast and it works fine in combination with sourdough. My starter was originally a 50/50 rye and wheat starter. But if I'm out of rye, it becomes a wheat starter, if I'm out of wheat, it becomes a rye starter. So who knows what it is. I fed it today with wheat only, and it was fed with rye only before that. I have tried to be consistent and feed it 50/50 wheat/rye for a long time. But I don't care too much now, because it is slow anyway. And it was slow also when I didn't change food. And I feed it very roughly once a week-ish, which I suspect is a little too often. It don't look starving when I feed it. Apart from being slow, I think my starter is otherwise quite healthy. I have not noticed any off-smells.

[@LazerWonder1998]

I will now cancel the overnight babysitter I have hired to take care of my yeast pet, Morgan, while I'm away. ;) He can just starve in the fridge until I get back.

[@Bakewithjack]

😂

[@luwanacouch2617]

Do you no longer do this? I ask because everything is 2-3years old

[@Bakewithjack]

Yes I still do it this way ☺️👌🏻

[@luwanacouch2617]

Sorry, I should’ve been more specific. I meant are you no longer doing KZbin as there is nothing current with you that I can see.

[@angiebee2225]

@@luwanacouch2617 His channel is still quite active kzbin.infovideos will show you newest first. KZbin likes to recommend really old videos from channels I subscribe to, which is why I'm here today, but there's definitely plenty of new content.

[@andyblackpool]

HELP ME PLEASE Today I did a second feed on my remaining starter (see my comment from yesterday below) and the thing is like Monty Python's parrot, it is dead. This sourdough starter is a deceased sourdough starter, it is no more, in fact it never was. PLEASE Jack what am I doing wrong I've used nearly a half bag of very expensive organic flour now and all I have is a jar with sludge looking damp sand in it without a single bubble to be seen? HELP ME PLEASE Thanks mate

[@humblerepentpraygive5815]

andy thompson, sounds like you might be suffocating it. Too many feedings and not enough time for the air to circulate. I did the same thing to mine and learned the hard way. Expensive flour, lots of feedings no action and inexperienced threw it all out, when what I should have done was add water separate some and give it a couple of days to feed on what it had without feeding it until I saw some activity.. Live and learn.

[@21laucha]

El rubius angloparlante

[@stephenwalker78]

I'm well happy with my starter, you and your tips have made it super easy, it's bubblin' hot like a soup in a pot! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZq0qmimnceah7c Maybe not so hot, but yeah. Bubblin'!

[@educationcentral_]

Lol book it a hotel

[@miguelmenjiivar679]

This English guy is a wasted of time he's in love with himself! Only talking about himself

[@Bakewithjack]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@DeShark88]

Aw Miguel, don't worry man, no-one is forcing you to watch and a lot of us find his videos super useful! No worries if you're not one, just find someone else you enjoy watching more (or set up your own channel if you think you'd do better!)