SOURDOUGH STARTER HINTS AND TIPS! WHAT NOBODY TELLS YOU

Starting a #sourdoughstarter from scratch can be a tricky business but with some simple hints and tips and some patience you can have healthy active #yeast which will thrive! Happy yeast = amazing #sourdoughbread!
Click the link below for my beginner sourdough bread recipe! (it's foolproof!)
Let me know in the comments if you liked the video, be sure to hit thumbs up & SUBSCRIBEEEE (happy dance, welcome to the earth conscious family:))
Make your own sourdough starter recipe
Day 1
50g wholemeal flour
50g water
* Place the flour and water into a clean bowl or container and stir together until fully combined.
* Cover loosely and leave at room temperature overnight.
Day 2
* To the sourdough starter add 50g wholemeal flour and 50g water. Stir together until fully combined.
* Cover again and leave at room temperature overnight.
Day 3
100g wholemeal flour
100g water
* Throw away 100g of the starter (this is to make sure you don’t end up with like a kilo of starter 😂)
* To the remainder add 100g flour and mix in the 100g water.
* Cover and leave overnight
Day 4
100g wholemeal flour
100g water
* Throw away 150g of the starter.
* To the remaining starter, add the 100g flour to the starter and mix in the 100g water.
* Cover and leave overnight. The starter should start to smell a bit sour and yeasty with small bubbles appearing on the surface - this is the CO2.
Day 5
150g wholemeal flour
150g water
* Throw away 200g of the starter.
* To the remaining starter, add the 150g flour to the starter and mix in the 150g water.
* Cover and leave overnight. The starter should appear active and bubbly the next day
Day 6
200g wholemeal flour
200g water
* The starter should be quite active now and be full of little bubbles and smell slightly sour but give it more time if necessary!
* Throw away 250g of sourdough starter.
* To the remaining starter, add the 200g flour to the starter and mix in the 200g water.
* Cover and leave overnight
* Day 7
* The starter should be starting to become active and ready to use
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[@moiranibhroinn2294]

Really enjoyed this! Thank you for the insight 👏🏻🥰

[@SineadDavies]

That’s great I hope it works out for you🥰

[@paulimagicaable]

Fantastic video, I am just starting on the whole sourdough lifestyle. Thank you for your easy to understand tips. I will be following you from now on !!!

[@SineadDavies]

Glad it was helpful! Best of luck with it! :)

[@C_Morrison19]

Thank you! I never thought about having a larger starter in my refrigerator. Good tip on sour dough starter maintenance.

[@SineadDavies]

Glad you found the video helpful!🤗

[@alexbowman7330]

Don't pour away the hooch. Just stir it back in before a discard/feed. Hooch is especially important for your refrigerator starter that sits for a while because it covers and protects your culture from any mold growth on top.

[@annahayes2279]

YES! I always thought my flour was off or something! (Bread in the back looks 🤤😋)

[@SineadDavies]

Thank you! Keep at it it will come good in no time! :D

[@DaMoli]

Sinead, first thanks for making a great video to help out the sourdough rookies like me. What is the optimal temperature and humidity range for sourdough starter to buble flourish and rise?

[@twizzpudfluff]

Great video thankyou. It really has answered most of my concerns. The one question I'd still like answering is - covered or uncovered starter jar. I keep reading semi uncovered whatever that means, and often 'non air tight' is advised. I then see Kilner jars being used, aren't they airtight? I'm SO confused....Hope you can help.

[@angelaxdawnx]

This is so super helpful! What size is your smaller sourdough jar that you feed in? Do you have a link?

[@ellahatfield6914]

Thank you for your video! I have a lackluster starter. I've been stressing it, and even went to my social media for help. But no one knew anything about it. You gave me hope that I just need to give it more time (I'm at the 1 week with no bubbles).

[@SineadDavies]

How is it going now Ella?

[@ellahatfield6914]

Its beautiful. It just needed more time. I'm waiting for the Dutch oven I ordered to arrive and then I'll be making bread. Thank you again. ❤

[@GeorgeAlexa]

@@ellahatfield6914 What dutch oven to you purchase?

[@marcuspenze6199]

Fantastic! I had problems with the smell but my starter is too young by the sound of it 👏🏻👏🏻

[@SineadDavies]

Yes ! I reckon it just needs more time 🥰

[@Iamstephaniesamuels]

Thank you so much because my starter is 11 days old and has not yet doubled in size but does bubble quite a bit and has that very starting alcohol before a feeding. Sometimes even a few hours after a feeding. Should I discard and feed twice a day perhaps?

[@ninehorsehitch8153]

I did a sourdough starter at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 but started working overtime for a project at work. My starter didn't make it as the weather and room temperature warmed up. Would you be able to do a video on how to keep your starter in the refrigerator?

[@gavytrini]

Regarding that first 5 days of starting your starter is it ok if I accidentally delay a feeding? I was supposed to feed it at 10 pm (which would have been 24 hours from the last time I fed it) but i forgot so I fed it first thing in the morning. It seems fine but just not sure. My starter is currently on day 5 and it has about 5 popped bubbles in it.

[@hermitwatcher8997]

This inspired me to feed my starter

[@SineadDavies]

Sometimes we forget lol

[@weirdheathersgarden]

I can relate on the 7 degree room temperature. I’m in Yorkshire, England.

[@SineadDavies]

Such a struggle lol but we power on! :D

[@eldischel]

Thank you so much for this video! Can you tell me if I should stir my starter before pouring off the discard and then feeding it?

[@SineadDavies]

I think that’s personal preference and there’s no wrong answer ☺️ if you stir in the ‘hooch’ you’ll have a more tangy starter. If you don’t stir and discard your starter will be slightly sweeter. Depends how sour you like your bread!☺️

[@eldischel]

@@SineadDavies Thank you for your reply Sinead! To be more specific, the question was meant to ask do I stir before measuring out the amount of starter because I notice that when I stir it all the air comes out and it is twice as dense. Seems like this would effect the proportions when I go to make bread as well.

[@barbarapearce6005]

I had one starter made and when it got to stage 5, the discard stage, I just split it in half and now have two starters in two different jars, each about 1/2 way full. …I even used my food scale to measure. Still on the same day later in the afternoon, the starters were to the top of the jars, they had doubled is size. It was getting late and I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I dumped both jars into a large bowl and before I went to bed I checked the starter. It had dropped about 2” 😢 In the morning, day six, I looked at the starter and it hadn’t changed so I added 1 cup of flour and about less than 1/2 a cup filtered water . Mixed well, covered the top with Saran Wrap. I hope I didn’t ruin it. Tomorrow will be day 7. Thank you for reading all of this and hopefully if someone else reads this it might help them too.

[@joshuabrande2417]

I'm still confused about how much starter to add to the dough, and do you still knead it?

[@naturemustard2406]

First 3 days my yeast bubbling very well but today 4th day it does not grow like yesterday. Instead just very little bubble but no increases in volume. Smells the same as before .. Why?

[@user-xe1sg9km5s]

Hello! I just ran across your video while on my research for starting a sourdough starter. I have watched a few video and some seem slightly vague on a few of things. This is something I have wanted to do for quite sometime but I am extremely new to baking in general (have only dabbled in basics), so I am a tad nervous about starting this process. How do I cover it? I see some say with a lid simply placed on top but not tightened and I see some say with just a cloth or some sort. Along with this question, how do you cover it when it's in the refrigerator? All the videos I have seen have loads of waste as well when it's "feeding" time - what can I do with the extra starter that seems to be otherwise tossed out? Thank you for your time!

[@SineadDavies]

Hello! I totally understand it can be very nerve wracking! Ok so yes, your starter will need to 'breathe' as it's a living thing so covering the lid too lightly will inhibit the reaction you're looking for when you are feeding the starter in preparation for baking - so cover with something like a cheese cloth/muslin cloth or even a t-towel :) When in the refrigerator in that instance I would cover it tightly with a lid. This is why I like to make my starters in jars with lids/plastic lunch boxes. When in the fridge your starter will be dormant or asleep which is great when you don't have lots of time for baking - it will live happily there for many weeks. Yes there is unfortunately some waste involved with starters! i tend to minimise the waste by spacing out feedings and splitting the starter into two batches - one which I will leave dormant in the fridge and then the second which is starter removed from the refrigerator, warmed up to room temperature and fed (I hope that makes sense let me know if not) and then any waste is so small that I will add it to compost! It's daunting but you will get there! Lots of sourdough baking is trial and error :)

[@hermitwatcher8997]

I’ve been saving my discard since I started my starter and keep it in the fridge. I haven’t seen any hooch since day 3. My starter is 8 days old and I noticed it doubled and floated when I dunked it in water. Then it deflated. I COULD bake with it but I’m a little nervous to make that first loaf. But the discard so far is fun to bake with

[@SineadDavies]

That's so interesting! Glad you are enjoying the discard bakes :D

[@robertofkennedy]

Don't pour the hooch off mix it in

[@vickilabriola1452]

Hi Sinead, I have a question. If my sourdough is made with rye flour do I have to bake with rye or does it matter.

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Vicki fantastic question! No absolutely not. The ration of rye flour in your loaf of choice would be so small it would be barely noticeable when kneaded in☺️

[@nicholaceho9679]

Hi Sinead, one question please can I split my sourdough starter into 2 jars a bigger jar and a smaller jar she is growing real quick I want to have a larger starter and smaller starter. Thank you.

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Nichola! ABSOLUTELY :D I have mine in a couple of jars:) I usually feed my very active one every time I'm due to bake and feed my second jar once a week which has any of the overspill from the growth! Seems to work really well!:)

[@nicholaceho9679]

Thank you very much.

[@victoriafisher808]

Hello! In regards to the hootch, when you say feed it again, do you mean fed without discarding? Or discard then feed? Thanks!

[@SineadDavies]

Great question Victoria! If you want a very sour starter do not discard the hooch. If you want it less sour you can discard it’s totally personal preference 😍

[@SineadDavies]

Any sourdough starter questions be sure to leave them below! 🥰👏🏻

[@annahayes2279]

So is it ok if I leave it in the fridge all the time?

[@fabiennemitchell2371]

If one is not a regular baker, I recommend that they start with very small amounts of flour and water for the starter, to your ratios (eg. teaspoon size). As you feed it daily there is no need for waste.

[@seathrf4806]

If my starter gets "hungry" super fast and never gets to rise or bubble a lot, should I only add flour some feedings? I started it about 6 days ago with 30g starter, 90g flour(King Arthur unbleached all purpose), 90g water so 1:3:3 I believe. I also live in a humid hot climate. It rose crazy good the first day with a lot of bubbles then just stayed flat and liquidy ever since

[@SineadDavies]

Great question! It sounds like your starter just needs more time to mature and the humidity could be making the new yeast Super hungry! Try and move the starter to a cooler environment (easier said than done, I know) but I think this will help a lot!

[@vineetmahajan2231]

I am in Melbourne Australia, It's really cold and dry here even in summers. I made my starter Day 1 and it's day 3 and I can't see any rise or yeast in it. What should I do?

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Vineet great question! I wouldn't expect to see any activity in there for a couple of days still:) If it's quite cold where you are I would suggest placing your starter somewhere warm, for example a hot press/near a radiator/fire (making sure it's covered so it doesn't dry out) in order to get that growth activated :)

[@CyniuxD]

Hello, Do you have to feed your starter daily if your temperature is lower than "room temperature"?

[@SineadDavies]

Hi! Absolutely not ☺️ I feed mine around every 4-5 days when it’s kept at colder temperatures. If it develops a LOT of hooch (the brown liquid on top) then you might want to mix that back in and give it a top up feed. But a good average is around 4-5 days when it’s kept cooler ☺️

[@CyniuxD]

@@SineadDavies Im new with starters and I'm prolonging a little. I've seen some bubbles after second day but none after third day. I think it's because it got colder. Thanks!

[@angelinesamuel1821]

I started making my starter and the mold came on the 3rd day when the starter was ready. How to prevent mold in the container? I used clean spoons, fed it daily but the mold seems to be growing on the side of the jar? How do I prevent this in the future?

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Angeline that’s a great question! I would sterilise your jar if you can, before starting so you minimize bacterial growth so either run it through the dishwasher on a very hot wash or pop it into a sink filled with baby bottle disinfectant 😊 also make sure you have a covering on the jar (preferably cloth) so that it can breathe but it prevents bacteria getting in. Finally it sounds silly but try not to talk while you are feeding the starter as sometimes bacteria can escape and enter your starter that way! I hope that helps ❤️ also as a side note are you sure it is mould and it isn’t the brown/black hooch appearing?

[@angelinesamuel1821]

@@SineadDavies Thank you so much. I am sure it was mold. It was white and you know looked like mold. Again thank you. Helped me soo much.

[@hitomikon]

Finally find someone making sourdough starter in Ireland, just started and mine is in third day and the smell is not good, I am not sure if is correct....

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Lilian! Keep at it - sometimes the funky smell means it’s working! How is it going now?

[@achintkaur8607]

I have tried three times but a separate very thin cotton layer forms over it but smell and colour is not changed. Plz help me with this 🙏

[@SineadDavies]

Hi there! :) Can you tell me more about your proces?

[@moth.stitch]

What's the feeding process after the 7 days? I'm so confused.

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Sara! I know it can be super confusing! Basically what I do is feed my starter around once a week depending on how much I'm baking. If I have 200g starter in my jar that means I will feed it with 200g wholemeal flour and 200 mls of water - we always feed with the same amounts of flour and water as a standard rule of thumb. If you feed this way and do not use up your starter for baking you'll end up with quite a lot left over! Which is why a lot of people discard some of the starter before they feed it, for example feeding only 50g versus the 200g I mentioned above. Or indeed they may only feed enough of the starter to make the particular loaf they are working on (this is called a levain - it might be for example, 35g strong bread flour, 35g wholemeal and 70g water). This would be as you become more advanced. But for the very basics for now, feed whatever amount of starter you have (or want) with equal amounts flour and water at least once a week for a nice bubbly healthy starter :) I hope that helps a little! Anything else just let me know!

[@billmitchell7731]

I was told not to pour off the hooch, but to stir it back in ?

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Bill! totally up to you :) Depends on how tangy and sour you want your bread!

[@Tiger89Lilly]

My starter is only 4 days old but smells really sour. What have I done wrong?

[@SineadDavies]

Nothing wrong! It sounds like you have a very active happy starter it’s just looking for more food! 😍 stick with the process!

[@maxinecunningham3276]

What if there is liquid in the bottom of my sourdough instead of the top?

[@SineadDavies]

That’s no problem Maxine just give it a stir next time you feed!🤗

[@adventurekids.outdooreduca9607]

I wish you were wearing green like a Irish lady! Haha this is great though thankyou. Not even sure if you’re from Ireland

[@SineadDavies]

Haha thanks Eva!🤩🤣 I am indeed from Ireland well spotted ☺️❣️

[@deandeanodean3059]

Does it need to be very bubbly for a good rise?

[@SineadDavies]

Great question Dean! It does need to have a certain level of bubbles yes as that means it’s active ☺️ what you don’t want is for there to be no bubbles at all! If you think it’s not very bubbly and active place it in a warm place for 2-4 hours and check it again, I would imagine it will be getting lovely and active ✨

[@gineisab9240]

Why throw away a quantity? Merci

[@SineadDavies]

Hi Gine great question! People often throw away starter if they do not use up their starter when baking. Like food, it will eventually 'go bad' and would need to be thrown out. However, if you use your starter regularly and use the required amount you should not have to throw any out:) It is also a method of controlling the amount of starter you have as it can become quite a lot lol. Also you can use any of your 'extra' starter to bake other recipes with! :)

[@user-no9lq6ss3f]

Do you use your sourdough starter in your Irish soda bread?

[@naturemustard2406]

First 3 days my yeast bubbling very well but today 4th day it does not grow like yesterday. Instead just very little bubble but no increases in volume. Smells the same as before .. Why?

[@SineadDavies]

Great question! As you feed your starter over the week you are adding more volume and weight to the jar and so it just takes a little longer for the yeast to develop! Stick with it!🤗❤️

[@naturemustard2406]

@@SineadDavies It’s the next day, 5th day now still not rising but lots of tiny bubbles. Smell yeasty though 😜. Should I transfer to another clean sterilised glass bottle in my next feed?