One thing I really want to thank you for is providing your guides directly vs making us sign up to a mailing list. Really appreciated and I think it's something you should call out sometimes when you mention your guides.
I had been struggling for a whole year to create a sourdough starter. By chance, while browsing sourdough videos, I discovered your channel and followed the entire video. The next day I said to myself, “This is the desired video.” After seven days, I succeeded in making sourdough starter , and for the first time I smelled the yeast. Thank you
i’ve watched so many videos trying to make a successful starter, thinking it would be somewhat simple. Ha! you’re the only one i’ll watch now. i think when we watch too many different people, it causes so much confusion and discouragement!
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you so much Tom! idk anyone else who is as trustworthy as you online! every person i listened to lead me into failure. i was ready to quit until i found your channel 😂 that’s honest to goodness! thank you for such good and genuine information!
THIS is the absolute BEST video on sourdough starters, this guy does the best explanation from 100s of videos I watched so far, and it answers so many questions.... Tom, BIG THANK YOU
Oh my. I wish I found your videos before the others I’ve used as a guide as a newbie. So informative and helpful. Hoping my third attempt at this will be a success with your explanation! Subscribed.
You are an authoritative site for fact based, trustworthy knowledge about working with sourdough. The social media websites have so much conflicting info, but after watching several of your videos now I know where I stand and how to move forward. Many thanks!
Thank you so much ! I failed two trials of starters following other CZcamsrs until I found your videos. I m now starting my third starter and so far things going so well and I m gaining confidence now! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I'm from Sri Lanka🇱🇰, in our country we love bread.for the first time I made the sourdough starter in your recipe. thank you so much. You are a good teacher. once again thank you so much 🙏
It's amazing how you and Harrison Ford have almost the same voice. It's noticeable (The raiders of the lost Ark, where he explains to the Feds how to read from the Staff) ! I can't thank you enough for sharing such a complex subjet. I'm as green as they come and I hope to learn some more! Thanks again!
Great video. Learned quite a bit in this video. I’m on day 3 of new starter and I guess I had my false rise this morning. I was so excited and It smelled good. I guess I can feed tomorrow. I used rye flour and buttermilk to make my starter.
I wish I found your channel 6 days ago. Lucky for me I didn't discard and have actually been doing things as I should more or less. Great video. Very informative. Thank you ! ❤
I was reading and following all the wrong, simplified advice from other sourdough enthusiasts. Myself being a rule follower, followed everything to a t. Finally I found your videos. I was patient and waited and my starter is looking much better! Im also changing my flour to 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour combination, as I thought the AP flour was ok. Not optimal, as I understand now. I continue to refer to all your videos as I troubleshoot my way through. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge Tom!
Thank you for such an in-depth explanation of this process. I'm on day 5 of a previously started starter that had a beautiful "false rise" and then on day 4 fell flat. Now, I feel there is hope! Thank you, again!!
I've been following your method for 3 days now. So far so good. I'm anxious to see what happens over this journey with so much possibility for varied results 😅 I really appreciate how straight forward you speak and how well you explain what's happening at each stage. As someone who wants to know the "why" behind everything, it's extremely helpful in keeping me sane 😂
Tom, I hear your voice in my head every morning as I get up to check my starter 😁which is currently being strengthened per your instruction in the 6 day video. 🤞 I am finding that for me, I have to jump in with both feet, try all kinds of methods and fail…. THEN start understanding the science behind what is happening. Your videos have been such a HUGE help to understanding sourdough starters especially. Thank you for following your passion to understand sourdough and passing that info along to us. Much appreciation sent your way! 🍞
I am on day 10 of my brand new starter and your videos are the reason I've had success. It's been doubling for 3 days now. I had my false rise 6 hours in which was a little scary, but then basically nothing until day 7 where things started to pick up and gave me hope. Tomorrow I'm going to try baking my first loaf. Wish me luck!
Thank you for these sourdough teaching videos. I just tossed out my third try at creating a starter. Your videos explains so much more than I have found elsewhere. I'll be trying again with new understanding.
Thankyou for the in depth explanation. I watched many other videos and websites to troubleshoot my starters but failed until I saw yours. I am in a warm climate so temperature is not too much a concern. I used Rye flour for 1 starter and keto flour for another starter. I found that the keto flour took much longer so I almost gave up(18 days to see some bubbles). Luckily I saw your videos and waited patiently. Finally it bubbles up but not yet peak at 4-8 hours. It bubbles up to double in 12 hrs after feeding. For the rye starter it doubled in 8 days. I guess I shall wait a few days more before I can make my first bread🤭Anyway Thankyou!
I started a starter with your method of not feeding until day 3. I also had one where I started feeding after 24 hours. Well, today is day 3 on the one, and it doubled overnight. The other one I’ve been feeding daily, hasn’t. So, I think it’s safe to say your method is better! I’m going to subscribe to your channel now and watch your videos! Thanks! I about shrieked when I saw it this morning lol
Love the new video. Always great educational data. When the Institute has time I would love to see data on every other week bakers starter starting from a nice rest in the fridge.
I really could have used this video last year, when I became involved in a disagreement on social media regarding when to discard and feed while creating a new starter. The other person was flat out wrong and I gave up arguing with them when they justified their opinion by stating they're in the same Facebook group as Tom Cucuzza and therefore knew more than me! 😅 Thank you very much for all your informative videos. It's much appreciated.
Thank you! I didn't find this until I was a few days into my sourgough starter journey, and I was on the verge of throwing it out because it smelled weird. I'd also been following instructions that were 'discard half, then add 50g water and 50g flour', which didn't feel right to me. Understanding the correct ratio and the journey through bacteria proliferation, and then the development of lactic acid, has been really helpful. My starter is on day 8 now and doing great, although I plan to give it a few extra days to make up for the less than ideal start it got off to.
I wished I would have seen your video first. I should do a video of what NOT to do and how to quickly ruin a starter. You explain perfectly and simply the How, What and Why of the Sourdough starter process. So many videos either over simplify or over complicate the process. New subbie here. Thank you
After spending 3 weeks on my starter journey this is the most informative video yet 😀 I have been over bulking and using the delicious smelling starter for pizza bases etc which have been amazing but still no rise to bake 😩 I will follow your method from now 👍🏻
So his is my second try of my starter journey.1st try it was pure paint acetone smell. I trashed it after two weeks. Now I tried your method. Everything was going fine until it stalled. It's 2 weeks. Doesn't smell bad nor good. Some bubbles but not a lot. I need to buy a different bag of WW flour and see how that goes. In the mean time. I purchased King Arthur starter and I'm in love❤😂. How can I be in-love with yeast idk but OMG. It smells perfect. When I first opened the little jar it smelled like yeast beer. 😊 I thought: WOW I never smelled anything so divine before ( baking wise). It doesn't compare to the package yeast. And I use all purpose flour to feed it. Straight all purpose and it's not fussy. Today is my second feeding and its amazing already. I'll probably have 1 AP and 1 WW and bread flour. Because why not.
Just want to thank you for this video.. On Day 7 or so after what seemed like a routine start for my first attempt, my starter seemed like it wasn't doing a thing. Not a single bubble. Left it for 48 hours and BOOM on the next feeding it doubled, and then the next it tripled easily. I'll take it from here. Just letting it just sit there for an extra day is a great tip I rarely came across when researching this
I tried to leave mine for 24 hours and had a lot of water separating from the starter and a very acetone like smell. Did it happen to you? Im looking for any advice
This is so helpful. So many other resources said to just feed feed feed your slow starter, I did this and just slowed everything down even more. The waiting and watching makes way more sense. The only thing I'm still struggling with is feeding ratios. The only way I get lots of bubbles and a rise to ALMOST double is if I keep more starter than I feed it. For example 125 starter to 60g flour 60g water. When I try to increase the food by moving to a 1-1-1 it slows right down again. So many people say I should be able to move towards a 1-2-2 or more like 50 starter to 100g flour 100g water but I don't know how to transition to that.
My false start happened on day 2, super excited because it is matching everything you say for day 3, I'm doing what you say for the phase it's at, not what day it's on.
Okay, I'm still at it and my starter looks like it's a success, on day 9, but it's more like day 8. And it smells so much better now ! Thanks for helping me be patient in getting one started. It has been a fun experience. Hoping to bake with it this weekend.
Tom knows sourdough like no one else. After the second try at my starter I decided to watch the troubleshooting video and reviewed everything he says. It turns out that the whole wheat flour I am using expired in July of 2023. Based on what he talks about, I think the flour is probably missing a lot of what’s needed for the starter to feed. That’s why I’m not getting the activity that is supposed to happen! After looking through various other sites, I now only check out one, Tom’s. It is the most accurate and fact based source for everything sourdough! Thanks Tom for saving me time and money, and here I was trying to understand why it’s taking sooooo long for me to get my starter going!
I had no trouble using BLEACHED AP flour. I varied a few things here and there. But on day 10 things were consistent, and on day 15, last night, I made my first dough. Final proofing in fridge now. I didn't discard first few days. I began with sterilized jars. I switched to UNbleached bread flour at one point, then switched back. I changed jars a couple of times. I changed to 75g instead of 50 grams for a few days. I powered through days when it rose crazy, and just days when it didn't do much. I think there is plenty of yeast in bleached. And I think sterilizing the jar keeps the bad bacteria at a minimum. I had strong acetone smells from about day 4 through 11, then it began to get sweet/sour. My kitchen is cold, 65F ish. These aren't directions or contradictions, just my experience. Absolutely great video that answered a lot of question I still had even though I was successful.
I still believe in your teachings though. I think you're doing best practices, and I'm learning A LOT from you, much appreciated. Your testing methods are from another world. Loving it. And I'm directing people to you left and right. As well as finding it interesting to troubleshoot what they might be doing wrong based on your knowledge. Really great work. @@thesourdoughjourney
@@thesourdoughjourney I also used bleached AP flour because that’s all I could get during the pandemic. I successfully made a starter which is still strong and active and used every week. I didn’t find you until later but I was lucky enough to follow another YT video (made a few years before the pandemic) which also advocated starting with small amounts and not discarding for the first 2-3 days. I kept detailed notes and observed all the steps you described. Thank you, Tom, for your thoroughness and precision regarding all things sourdough. I refer to your videos whenever I have questions and recommend your channel to friends who are interested in starting their own sourdough journeys.
I wish this video was out a couple of weeks ago! I was able to get past the flat starter, temperature restraints, and feeding cycles. Everything I had trouble with, you covered in this video. There was a Japanese gal and an German woman who I combined their method with your original method and I had a breakthrough. I always remembered what you said about feeding. One can always hurt of weaken their starter if they feed too early. I ended up with a massive jar of waste but when I wasn't sure in the day 4-5 period after several failings, I fed without a discard and it ended up breaking through. This video would have been everything that I needed and will be all that anyone else will need.
@@thesourdoughjourney A little more clarity or your consumption, I used 100% whole grain spelt; I surmised that was the limitations of the ancients so I had to do it as they did. To be clearer, it seems that mine was too acidic after watching this video. Somehow I missed from your previous videos and henceforth what you emphasized on this one that the huche could only come after a cycle. On my fifth attempt, and after the bacteria jump, within 4 hours of the yeast growth I started feeding without discarding every 4-6 hours a tablespoon of whole spelt and adding water until it was a pancake batter consistency. You can imagine how quickly the excess buildup became. My shipment of rye berries showed up at this time as well and I started it. What I learned from the other girls I mentioned was the stirring it up whenever it looked wet or dry on top. That seem to have a positive effect on the Rye whole starter. I also started a new spelt whole starter and I started using a hold back of 83% ratio considering that spelt has an 83% flour density in its berries. Then the food would not override the base of the retained starter because I calculated it at a lower percentage, and I think that’s where my acidic value got over ridden. With your experience, I’m sure you would understand it more but suffice to say that your video will save a lot of people a lot of flour😁🫡
@@thesourdoughjourney with all of your wonderful work, I don’t wanna presume on your time, but somehow, if you could explain a little more clearly, the values of a 1:1:1 to 1:2:2, …. 1:5:5 You explained it general in a couple other videos, and after watching those other videos many times it seems like I’m not left with confidence of understanding how it builds strength without waste or was I actually building strength or tastes ? Why do some people recommend 1:1:1 and others 1:5:5? If you have time🙏 Thank you again for all your massive efforts into your videos, and how much they truly teach and reveal.
Tom... I am loving your vidoes! I too, am an identical twin and so am enjoying learning from you both! I am new to this sourdough journey. I attemtped one starter which failed. But I am on Day 3 of my new starter following your instruction and it's lovely so far. There's been some rise and fall, and this morning there are lots of pinholes and a sweet vinegary smell. Fingers crossed it grows as planned. My question... where there has been some rise and fall but now rising again, should I stir, or leave be until tomorrow and start feeding? Thanks for all these amazing videos .... So happy to have them as my teaching on this journey!!
Had a 30 day old starter that never matured because I kept feeding it too early. Then I came across your videos, realized what I was doing wrong, and decided to start over. I left a 50% wheat 50% bread flour starter mixture for several days (stirring every 24 hours) on the counter but it never had its false rise. It ended up just separating and being very wet for some reason. Since at one point you said that most of the yeast of any starter comes from the initial 3 days, I decided to use 100% wheat flour as the initial starter, and then would feed that 50/50 mixture after the initial 72 hour mark - since that's when it would actually need the extra food (bread flour). Happy to report that it's only been a day and a half and I woke up to a good false rise. Going to check it again in a few hours to see if it might be close to peaking so I get an idea of when I might feed it.
I'm on ~day 26 and I think today was the first day that it fully doubled and it took over 10 hours. I haven't had an issue with bubbles and it's risen ~150% each day since day 7. However one odd thing is that my starter has been consistently runny. Not a layer of water separation, but similar to melted peanut butter. I can actually pour out my entire discard out of the jar into the trash. I'm not sure if this is because I'm waiting too long to feed it? I wait until I get a full rise and fall before I feed it and get plenty of bubbles on top. Should I be feeding as soon as it begins to fall? I even tried adding more flour to get back to that thick batter consistency, when I would feed, at times but by the end of the daily cycle it would go back to being runny. I have my starter on top of the fridge, and I do see condensation inside the jar, so perhaps it's too warm.
You are such a good brother and helpful to me as a senior citizen beginner of making my own sourdough starter per your help. I am daisey (betsyintheloop) who just donated money for your excellent knowledge and time helping all of us. thank you.
Tom - great video and very useful inputs to anyone that wants to create a sourdough starter. Please do not mind my peripheral observations but I think you went overboard on some technical stuff (Salmonella, etc) - looks good superficially for the unquestioning herd but best leave that to professionally qualified scientists. Be that as it may - this is a great value added tutorial!
Wonderful information as always Tom!! I have created my starter following your method and so far so good! My question after watching this video is...I am on day 14 and I use a 1-2-2 feed each day (as suggested in a previous video) and you suggested a 1-1-1 daily feed in this video....Should I continue to feed my 1-2-2 from here on out as I continue to evaluate my bubble activity or change to 1-1-1? I use a mixture of whole wheat and bread flour for my feeds. Thank you!
Hi! Thank you for this tutorial. I just this morning made my first starter following instruction in your previous video. In this episode you mention that in the early days of building the starter separation may occur but I didn’t hear you say what to do about it, if anything. Should the liquid be stirred back in or would it be time to start over? Thanks again for the fine instructional videos.
Sorry if I missed it in your explanation, but what do I do if my kitchen is at 78 degrees and my starter is taking 7-8 hours to peak on days 8+? It peaked on days 6 & 7 in 7-8 hours so it doesn’t seem to be strengthening or rising faster
This was an awesome and incredibly informative video! I unfortunately learned the hard way of needing to be patient, and watched your other video about screwing up your starter by discarding too often and watched your video on my starter’s “day 10” now 3 more days later I’ve finally got a double rise going. Would I consider this a true day 3 now? It’s hard to determine where I am having had all this time go by and now finally getting good activity going.
@@thesourdoughjourney I was on the up and up, I had 3 days where my starter was doubling, it looked awesome! I was doing your peak to peak feedings …suddenly it’s barely rising above the rubber band line…what could I have done wrong?!
No clue where I first heard this, or if its even accurate, but I recalled that "the fastest way to cultivate yeast is to just put some fruit in water for a few days." So in the name of science I put 50g of grated apple and 50g of water in a jar and let it sit in my proofer at 82f for 3-4 days. Then I sifted out the pieces of apple, added another ~50g of water, and mixed this liquid with 100g of a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. To my astonishment, it rose 3x in height in just over 4 hours. I had managed to create a turbo-charged starter in just a few days. It baked perfectly. The loaves rose in an explosive fashion during baking. I need to replicate this experiment. Maybe it was just a fluke and I got lucky, but man... It really worked this one time. Ive made plenty of starters from scratch the "traditional" way, and even my best ones after weeks/months of care and refeedings have gotten to a point where they reliably rise 2 - 2.5x in ~4 hours. This apple method beat that in just 3-4 days. Would the institute investigate if there's some merit to this, or if I just got lucky somehow!? Thanks for the exceptional content!
Modernist Bread had a presentation in which they discuss this approach that you might find interesting. It's under the Sourdough Mythology section, they experimented with raisin water. czcams.com/video/gxpj_2to1u8/video.htmlsi=atlRIoU1D59wo7N2
Great video! I don’t understand though why you can’t make a new starter with your discard? If you are using the reserve to feed as your starter wouldn’t it be the same to feed the discard and have 2 starters that are the same moving forward? Thanks so much!
The next day you would have 4, then 8, then 16. It’s best to keep a small amount until your starter is established. Once it is established, you can increase the amount of starter by 20x in one night with one feeding. You’ll never not have enough starter. and you avoid all that maintenance and discard in the process.
I’m from the Caribbean and on the first day I had a massive rise to the top of the jar and water separation. I discarded and fed and now I’m on day 5 and I’ve been feeding since day one. Everyday I’ve seen a rise and fall and bubbles to the top after the fall
@@thesourdoughjourney oh that’s music to my ears! However, I had to feed it this morning, twelve hours later from yesterday’s feeding because it rose and fell during the night
I am a beginner 1st time sourdough starter. My starter so far is following your videos. I am on day 8 and will do the wait and do nothing until tomorrow only because I did not have any rise. What should I do on day 9? Should I discard and feed?
Thank you for the video. Was very informational. I started mine with whole wheat flour only prior to seeing this video. Can I continue the process with the discarding after day 4 with the 2 four mixture or would you recommend starting all over?
Hey Tom, I dehydrated some starter at peak last week, and now I'm wondering exactly how I would rehydrate and then what the feeding schedule would be. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, man! All your help is really appreciated!!
Hey Tom, another great video! What's your take on adding salt to the starter? I saw some youtubers do it as it better resembles the actual conditions that starter would have to work in when rising the dough. Thinking about it, it does make sense, so just curious, what's your take?
I wish I had seen this before buying my fancy sour dough starter container. this is exactly what happened. I was doing great then at about day 8, layer of mold across the top. I took out the starter every day and rinsed the jar out before putting it back in and feeding it. Luckily this was a starter I made using a different method and it wasnt doing anything anyway. and since it was using up the fancy containiner still I put the one I used your method to creat in a much smaller container. anyways that was a lot of words to say yeah.. those big containers with cloth tops kinda suck.
Yes. You can use 100% whole wheat. You may need to add 10g more water it will be drier. And in the first few days, make sure you stir it at least once a day to keep it from drying out on top. It is more prone to attract mold in the first few days. Keep it wet and stirred up. It will work well.
Do you ever do lives? You could answer questions live and it would majorly affect your follower count as well as help people with more unique specific questions.
Love your video that I just found but i have a question. After your starter is ready how do you keep it alive if you are not gonna make bread for a week or 2 in the fridge as I know im not gonna feed it everyday on the counter. I will forget to feed it after a while plus where i live the house temperature is never consistant. What do I do after I take it out of the fridge after 3 days Do you just scoop out what you need for the recipe. Then do I just put it back in fridge.
My progression is slow. On the 3rd day it was a little surface bubbles but also some moisture on top not a lot so I stirred and put back in cool place. This morning of the 4th day showing a small rise and fall but also not a lot of bubbles I stirred it but should I discard and feed or wait another 24 hours. It does have a stronger smell but not awful?
Hi Tom! I am very much enjoying your instructional videos. I'm a first time sour starter maker and decent baker who bakes with precision nonsense My question is... I have an almost usable starter that I've used 100% WW flour to establish ( I followed another baker until I found your page) and I plan on using all bread flour flour for my first loaf. Should I transition my starter over to your recommended 50/50 mix before I use it or keep going with the WW until I use it for my first all bread flour flour loaf? Thank again for your great videos. You sure put a lot of time and research in and I appreciate it.
CZcams censored and removed parts of my comment, which is why my second sentence reads wonky! I complimented my German heritage for being a precision bake and commented on how your no nonsense approach to sour dough baking suited me. CZcams did not appreciate those statements! Beyond silly in my opinion!
You can use a whole wheat starter to make a loaves with bread flour. If you want to transition to the 50/50 blend, I would do it slowly over a few weeks. 90/10 for a few days, 80/20, etc.
@@thesourdoughjourney Thank you! In your opinion, is it ok to use the starter during its transition, or is it better to wait until I get it to 50/50. I have patience to wait.
Your videos have been so helpful. Thank you!! My starter is on day 8, no rise yet and I am seeing less bubbles than yesterday. So I decided to watch and wait as you recommended. My question is: Do you stir it before analyzing the bubbles on the top?
Yes I would analyze it before stirring. Then stir it and check back periodically to see what the bubble activity does after stirring (every 4 hours or so).
@@thesourdoughjourney thanks for answering :) I will do that, I have pictures of my starter before and after stirring each day, so it would be easy to compare. Thanks again
Hi! I'm glad I found your video cuz i really thought i failed recently! My whole wheat starter was going great until I bought a new bag of flour and then it just became super inactive. I waited and tried all kinds of things until I pulled the plug after many days of no bubbles, no rise. I was trying to figure out where I went wrong and maybe it was just that bag of flour! Anywho, I'm starting over now and doing an even mix of whole wheat and unbleached all purpose...is that okay? I know you said bread flour but I'm wondering if AP would work all the same. Thank you for your help!
Hi Tom! Once our starter is rising and falling pretty regularly after we’ve first fed it, should we only continue discarding/feeding it once it’s fallen all of the way? Or can we discard and feed at the peak or when it’s actively falling?
Rising is more important than falling. Once it is “past peak” it is safe to discard and feed. With a new starter, it’s better to feed “too late” versus “too early.” So there’s no need to rush the feedings.
I want to ask please if there is video for you to send to me about after the 10 day how to save the starter. For examples if i want to use after a week or 2 weeks or when i need to cook.. want to save my starter for along time. For example after i use my starter it will be in the peak , then what to do just put in refrigerator direct ? Or feed the starter again keep one hour outside then put in refrigerator?
This is for longer term storage but the same principles apply. How to Put Your Sourdough Starter on HOLD, and Revive It czcams.com/video/6GWRkoYo5A4/video.html
Tom, on another video you showed a lab fridge for bulk fermenting and proofing dough. I found the fridge on Amazon, but it did not have that nice little bucket that you mentioned came with it. So far I haven’t found a bucket that will fit the inside dimensions. Any suggestions? Thank you .
Thank you for this video. I am on day eight of my starter has bubbles. But it isn’t rising much in the last couple days. I have been discarding 50 g and re-adding 50 g. Now I found your video I discarded down to 25 g. And I bought new flour. I started my original starter with unbleached white flour. Today I bought whole wheat flour and bread of flour and mixed them 50-50. I discard it down to 25 g and added 50 g of the new flour combo and 50 g water. Will this work to grow? I was also now feeding ever 12 hrs, should I wait 24 now?
@@thesourdoughjourney I will tell you that I started by base using 50 g of unbleached white flour (wouldn’t do this again after watching this video) and 50 g water. Sun was day 7. I believe Monday or Tue after watching your video I discarded quite a bit and added in a 50/50 mixture of 50 g (half unbleached King Arthur bread flour, half wheat flour) and left it. It had bubbles, I feel like less bubbles yesterday, and it’s not rising. I live in WI it’s cooler here now, so mostly I’ve been leaving it in my oven w the light on. Thank you ❤️
I want to ask please i am now in the middle of day six .. and the starter doubles in size after 6 hours .. now and after 9 hours i see my starter going down after the full rise.. what can i do now ? Wait to 7 th day morning ? Or start feeding now ?
I’d wait 24 hours. With a new starter it can be helpful to give it more time before discarding. If it falls completely flat and looks lifeless, then you can discard and refeed. But that is uncommon in 24 hours with a new starter.
I have a question if I did this right. I noticed the amount of bubbles. There’s a handful of thick bubbles, then it was mostly still a handful of bubbles but there was some in different spots. So I stirred it and that’s when I noticed a slight black discoloration and tiny pinhole bubbles started to appear. So I discarded and fed it since it was passed 24 hours and appeared hungry from the small tiny bubbles. I thought it was the start of mold, but I was told that the black discoloration was the start of hooch but i don’t know. Whenever I feed it a ratio, I usually give it slightly more flour.
Thank you for all your help! I did the 2nd discard and feed on day 5. 24 hours later, there's bubbles, but I can't tell if it's more than the previous day. I stirred the starter and now I can see a lot more bubbles. Is that normal? Does that mean I should discard and feed again, or wait? @thesourdoughjourney
I keep rye and whole wheat flour in the freezer. Would the natural yeast on those flours be killed by the cold over time? I might occasionally add rye to my starter to give it a boost, but I won’t bother if the yeast is dead anyway.
Should I start over? I followed the guide exactly and had almost same results till day 6. So at day 4 I got few big bubbles and they increased till day 6(big bubbles about 8) but now I'm at day 12 and still as day 6. I feed before sleep at night and check in next morning (about 8 hours later), there are big bubbles but they gradually disappear and I see only very tiny bubbles after 24 hours of the feeding (but not at all what you get before the doubling). Then I thought maybe I should wait more so I didn't threw away the discard and I leave it alone for another 24 hours, but nothing happing to discard part, the very tiny bubbles disappear and it smells so bad
Mine is doubling on the third day of doubling then peaking and it is doing this between 4 and 6 hours. The last rise started quicker. Should I still do 24 hour feeding still using 1: 2: 2. Temperature is around 71 or 12 hour feeding?
I started my sourdough starter on Monday and it smells awful like nail polish. Will this smell eventually go away and how long will it take? Also, thank you for this information. In the past, I would have thrown my sourdough out, thinking it went rotten.
My starter is maybe day 8. It smelled very vinegar-y 2 days ago and had less bubbles so I waited to discard and feed. It was rising very minimally. I didn’t see more bubbles so at the 48 hour mark I discard and fed. It then turned into an acetone smell by the next morning (24 hours) it had bubbles on the sides but not the top. I discard and fed and it’s been 9.5 hours with no rise and the bubbles are back along the sides but not the top. Smells slightly of acetone but maybe a hint of banana? Is this just a slow new starter or am I killing it? 😬
Hey Tom, fellow Clevelander here. I created a starter 2 weeks ago. It takes 12 hours to hit peak rise. Two questions 1. I use 100% rye flour because I was told it’s great for getting a starter going. Do you think I’d get better results with your 50/50 blend? 2. I have a proofing box I keep it in set to 86 degrees. Also told warmer was better. Is there any downside to keeping it this warm? Thank you!
Rye works well. I prefer a 50/50 blend. It can become acidic. Also if you keep it warm. I’d first try the 50/50 mix and see how it behaves. Should be fine. But you don’t need to keep it that warm long term.
I once met an old guy a few years back who had been making sourdough for about 40 years. He told me that every time he came across another sourdough maker he would ask them to trade him a smidge of their starter for some of his. He figured the more diverse he could make his starter the stronger it would be. And, I think it makes perfect sense. There are many, many strains of lactic acid bacteria. A few years later I started doing this too. My super starter, Shericka, is now a mixture of perhaps a dozen different starters. There are great starters you can buy for $5 or less. Starters that are 178 years old that can be had for a donation. But, it is fun to make your own starter. My first starter I had for nearly 20 years, before I started adding more strains of starters into my one starter.
Hi Tom! Thank you for your videos. Today is day 15 of my sourdough starter, and despite meticulously following your instructions, my starter is quite hitting that double mark of rising after 10-12 hours, sometimes not even double. I've been feeding it once daily with a 1:2:2 ratio, and my kitchen temperature sits between 73-74°F. I've been so meticulous about following each step since day one, and this is actually my third attempt at getting it right. Should I change my feeding routine? Maybe feed it after it peaks instead of sticking to the 24-hour mark? Or should I try a different feeding ratio altogether? Or maybe it's time to consider buying a starter online. Thank you again!
Good evening.. i make a new starter.. i am in the 3 rd day... I see my starter after 2 days very active .. now i see my starter not rise ( after i stir it in the morning ) .. do i need to feed now ??
My starter is around 12 days old and peaks consistently at around 11h in around 79°F. It used to peak in around 9 hours but I think peak-to-peak feedings that ive started weakened it. I've tried making sure I don't feed it before the peak. What could be the reason and how to strengthen it?
Peak to peak is for mature starters. With a new starter you want to stretch out the feeding times. Wait until it rises, falls and is completely covered with bubbles before discarding and refeeding. Don’t let it get to “starving” where the bubbles disappear. But well past peak is when a new starter is strongest.
I'm on day 16 @ 74 degrees...no rise, bubble activity and I've slowed down feeding based on your videos. how long is it feasible to wait for rise activity?
Thank you again. I have a question: some sourdough breads do not test sour. Then, what I have to be ware of when I baking my sourdough bread for my bread to have a delicious test. ? Thanks.🙏
Most of the sour flavor comes from a long cold final proof in the fridge. It also comes from your starter to some extent. Every starter is different. And the type of flour (rye and some whole wheats) can accentuate the sourness.
Thank you very much. I want to let you know that it was very nice ❤ to hear that you are in Cleveland, Ohio. I attended graduate school at CWRU in the 80’s. Now I am in New Zealand. ❤
I hope you can help please. I use King Arthur organic bread flour. I read in a blog by Elaine Bod not to use organic flour. I have researched and researched and cannot find a answer why. Your video on BF made me not quit sourdough baking. My starter is 5 months old and strong I have a good rise my family loves the taste, but I struggle with the crumb holes are not as open and to me crumb is not gummy but moist could some of that be organic flour? Hoping your wonderful knowledge can help answer thank you
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you so much. I love your videos.I will keep watching and try to figure out how to get a more open crumb. Its not dense, holes are even but not real open if that makes sense lol
If the water separation means that the starter is weak and I shouldn't discard and feed it, do I have to wait for more activity and mix in the water whenever it comes up? I had the false rise and I am in the quiet days but with liquid coming up always
One thing I really want to thank you for is providing your guides directly vs making us sign up to a mailing list. Really appreciated and I think it's something you should call out sometimes when you mention your guides.
Thank you, I will.
You are literally the only sourdough content creator I trust
Thank you so much. 🙏
Me too!!!!
I so just thought the same thing
Same!!
He’s the only sensible person I’ve seen so far and I’m sad that I hadn’t found him earlier in my sourdough journey.
I had been struggling for a whole year to create a sourdough starter. By chance, while browsing sourdough videos, I discovered your channel and followed the entire video. The next day I said to myself, “This is the desired video.” After seven days, I succeeded in making sourdough starter , and for the first time I smelled the yeast. Thank you
Thanks!
i’ve watched so many videos trying to make a successful starter, thinking it would be somewhat simple. Ha!
you’re the only one i’ll watch now. i think when we watch too many different people, it causes so much confusion and discouragement!
Thank you. Also lots of great content on my website.
thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you so much Tom! idk anyone else who is as trustworthy as you online! every person i listened to lead me into failure. i was ready to quit until i found your channel 😂 that’s honest to goodness! thank you for such good and genuine information!
Best info ever. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Currently in the quiet days phase and was freaking out until I saw your video. Thank you for your knowledge!!
Thanks. Lots of new tools here too. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
Thank you for a straightforward approach to making a starter. I am starting a new one today.
More tools here. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
Woke up on day 3 to the false rise!!! So excited 😊 🤗 🤪
Good luck!
Finally.. some logical, well explained, detailed information to help make sense of the process.
Thank you!
Thank you. Lots of helpful info here too. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
Thank you for the tips, I learned a lot today
You are so welcome!
This is the best video I’ve seen on sourdough!❤
Thank you. 🙏
Part 2 of the best sourdough starter advice that exists on the web. Thank you very much!
Thank you.
THIS is the absolute BEST video on sourdough starters, this guy does the best explanation from 100s of videos I watched so far, and it answers so many questions.... Tom, BIG THANK YOU
Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.
Oh my. I wish I found your videos before the others I’ve used as a guide as a newbie. So informative and helpful. Hoping my third attempt at this will be a success with your explanation! Subscribed.
Thanks. Also check out my website at thesourdoughjourney.com
The temperature : rise time chart table was EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you
Thanks.
You are an authoritative site for fact based, trustworthy knowledge about working with sourdough. The social media websites have so much conflicting info, but after watching several of your videos now I know where I stand and how to move forward. Many thanks!
Thank you!
Thank you so much ! I failed two trials of starters following other CZcamsrs until I found your videos. I m now starting my third starter and so far things going so well and I m gaining confidence now! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you. Also check out my website for more new tools. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
I'm on day 2, and I'm surprised how excited I am. Thank you for the tips. I watch these everyday to try to be patient.
Good luck.
I'm from Sri Lanka🇱🇰, in our country we love bread.for the first time I made the sourdough starter in your recipe. thank you so much. You are a good teacher. once again thank you so much 🙏
Thank you
It's amazing how you and Harrison Ford have almost the same voice. It's noticeable (The raiders of the lost Ark, where he explains to the Feds how to read from the Staff) ! I can't thank you enough for sharing such a complex subjet. I'm as green as they come and I hope to learn some more!
Thanks again!
Thank you. I never noticed that.
Great video. Learned quite a bit in this video. I’m on day 3 of new starter and I guess I had my false rise this morning. I was so excited and It smelled good. I guess I can feed tomorrow. I used rye flour and buttermilk to make my starter.
Sounds good.
I wish I found your channel 6 days ago. Lucky for me I didn't discard and have actually been doing things as I should more or less. Great video. Very informative. Thank you ! ❤
Thank you.
Thank you for another awesome video❤
Thanks!
I was reading and following all the wrong, simplified advice from other sourdough enthusiasts. Myself being a rule follower, followed everything to a t. Finally I found your videos. I was patient and waited and my starter is looking much better! Im also changing my flour to 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour combination, as I thought the AP flour was ok. Not optimal, as I understand now. I continue to refer to all your videos as I troubleshoot my way through. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge Tom!
Thank you. AP is ok for feeing a mature starter, but you need the whole grains for the initial source of the dormant yeast.
Thank you for such an in-depth explanation of this process. I'm on day 5 of a previously started starter that had a beautiful "false rise" and then on day 4 fell flat. Now, I feel there is hope! Thank you, again!!
Thank you.
I've been following your method for 3 days now. So far so good. I'm anxious to see what happens over this journey with so much possibility for varied results 😅 I really appreciate how straight forward you speak and how well you explain what's happening at each stage. As someone who wants to know the "why" behind everything, it's extremely helpful in keeping me sane 😂
Thank you 🙏
Tom, I hear your voice in my head every morning as I get up to check my starter 😁which is currently being strengthened per your instruction in the 6 day video. 🤞 I am finding that for me, I have to jump in with both feet, try all kinds of methods and fail…. THEN start understanding the science behind what is happening. Your videos have been such a HUGE help to understanding sourdough starters especially. Thank you for following your passion to understand sourdough and passing that info along to us. Much appreciation sent your way! 🍞
Thank you! 🙏
that's me too. I think the variations help US learn the same way he does, by experimental variations.
I am on day 10 of my brand new starter and your videos are the reason I've had success. It's been doubling for 3 days now. I had my false rise 6 hours in which was a little scary, but then basically nothing until day 7 where things started to pick up and gave me hope. Tomorrow I'm going to try baking my first loaf. Wish me luck!
Thanks. Good luck!
Thank you for these sourdough teaching videos. I just tossed out my third try at creating a starter. Your videos explains so much more than I have found elsewhere. I'll be trying again with new understanding.
Thanks.
Thankyou for the in depth explanation. I watched many other videos and websites to troubleshoot my starters but failed until I saw yours. I am in a warm climate so temperature is not too much a concern. I used Rye flour for 1 starter and keto flour for another starter. I found that the keto flour took much longer so I almost gave up(18 days to see some bubbles). Luckily I saw your videos and waited patiently. Finally it bubbles up but not yet peak at 4-8 hours. It bubbles up to double in 12 hrs after feeding. For the rye starter it doubled in 8 days. I guess I shall wait a few days more before I can make my first bread🤭Anyway Thankyou!
Good luck!
I started a starter with your method of not feeding until day 3. I also had one where I started feeding after 24 hours.
Well, today is day 3 on the one, and it doubled overnight. The other one I’ve been feeding daily, hasn’t.
So, I think it’s safe to say your method is better! I’m going to subscribe to your channel now and watch your videos!
Thanks! I about shrieked when I saw it this morning lol
Thanks! Good luck.
Love the new video. Always great educational data. When the Institute has time I would love to see data on every other week bakers starter starting from a nice rest in the fridge.
Thanks. I’m working on a “fridge maintenance” video. Coming soon.
This has answered all my questions. It’s the best sourdough starter video out there. Thank you.
I really could have used this video last year, when I became involved in a disagreement on social media regarding when to discard and feed while creating a new starter. The other person was flat out wrong and I gave up arguing with them when they justified their opinion by stating they're in the same Facebook group as Tom Cucuzza and therefore knew more than me! 😅
Thank you very much for all your informative videos. It's much appreciated.
thank you. That’s funny. I’m often misquoted in those groups.
Thank you! I didn't find this until I was a few days into my sourgough starter journey, and I was on the verge of throwing it out because it smelled weird. I'd also been following instructions that were 'discard half, then add 50g water and 50g flour', which didn't feel right to me. Understanding the correct ratio and the journey through bacteria proliferation, and then the development of lactic acid, has been really helpful. My starter is on day 8 now and doing great, although I plan to give it a few extra days to make up for the less than ideal start it got off to.
Good luck!
Thank you for the great tips
You are so welcome!
I wished I would have seen your video first. I should do a video of what NOT to do and how to quickly ruin a starter. You explain perfectly and simply the How, What and Why of the Sourdough starter process. So many videos either over simplify or over complicate the process. New subbie here. Thank you
Thanks!
After spending 3 weeks on my starter journey this is the most informative video yet 😀 I have been over bulking and using the delicious smelling starter for pizza bases etc which have been amazing but still no rise to bake 😩 I will follow your method from now 👍🏻
Thanks. 🙏
So his is my second try of my starter journey.1st try it was pure paint acetone smell. I trashed it after two weeks. Now I tried your method. Everything was going fine until it stalled. It's 2 weeks. Doesn't smell bad nor good. Some bubbles but not a lot. I need to buy a different bag of WW flour and see how that goes. In the mean time. I purchased King Arthur starter and I'm in love❤😂. How can I be in-love with yeast idk but OMG. It smells perfect. When I first opened the little jar it smelled like yeast beer. 😊 I thought: WOW I never smelled anything so divine before ( baking wise). It doesn't compare to the package yeast. And I use all purpose flour to feed it. Straight all purpose and it's not fussy. Today is my second feeding and its amazing already. I'll probably have 1 AP and 1 WW and bread flour. Because why not.
Thank you!
👍
Just want to thank you for this video.. On Day 7 or so after what seemed like a routine start for my first attempt, my starter seemed like it wasn't doing a thing. Not a single bubble. Left it for 48 hours and BOOM on the next feeding it doubled, and then the next it tripled easily. I'll take it from here.
Just letting it just sit there for an extra day is a great tip I rarely came across when researching this
Thank you! I’m happy it worked for you.
I tried to leave mine for 24 hours and had a lot of water separating from the starter and a very acetone like smell. Did it happen to you? Im looking for any advice
This is so helpful. So many other resources said to just feed feed feed your slow starter, I did this and just slowed everything down even more. The waiting and watching makes way more sense. The only thing I'm still struggling with is feeding ratios. The only way I get lots of bubbles and a rise to ALMOST double is if I keep more starter than I feed it. For example 125 starter to 60g flour 60g water. When I try to increase the food by moving to a 1-1-1 it slows right down again. So many people say I should be able to move towards a 1-2-2 or more like 50 starter to 100g flour 100g water but I don't know how to transition to that.
I would try to get to 1:1:1. 1:2:2 is unnecessary. Feeding less than 1:1:1 can build up acidity which actually slows your starter down.
@@thesourdoughjourney ok, I will try, thank you!!
My false start happened on day 2, super excited because it is matching everything you say for day 3, I'm doing what you say for the phase it's at, not what day it's on.
Excellent.
Okay, I'm still at it and my starter looks like it's a success, on day 9, but it's more like day 8. And it smells so much better now ! Thanks for helping me be patient in getting one started. It has been a fun experience. Hoping to bake with it this weekend.
Thankyou
Thanks!
Tom knows sourdough like no one else. After the second try at my starter I decided to watch the troubleshooting video and reviewed everything he says. It turns out that the whole wheat flour I am using expired in July of 2023. Based on what he talks about, I think the flour is probably missing a lot of what’s needed for the starter to feed. That’s why I’m not getting the activity that is supposed to happen! After looking through various other sites, I now only check out one, Tom’s. It is the most accurate and fact based source for everything sourdough! Thanks Tom for saving me time and money, and here I was trying to understand why it’s taking sooooo long for me to get my starter going!
Thank you!
perfect timing. The kids want to get back into baking bread again. We are 2 days in on new starter. This is great info.
Thanks. Also check out my website. Great info there too. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-creation/
I had no trouble using BLEACHED AP flour. I varied a few things here and there. But on day 10 things were consistent, and on day 15, last night, I made my first dough. Final proofing in fridge now. I didn't discard first few days. I began with sterilized jars. I switched to UNbleached bread flour at one point, then switched back. I changed jars a couple of times. I changed to 75g instead of 50 grams for a few days. I powered through days when it rose crazy, and just days when it didn't do much. I think there is plenty of yeast in bleached. And I think sterilizing the jar keeps the bad bacteria at a minimum. I had strong acetone smells from about day 4 through 11, then it began to get sweet/sour. My kitchen is cold, 65F ish. These aren't directions or contradictions, just my experience. Absolutely great video that answered a lot of question I still had even though I was successful.
Thank you. It’s possible to use AP or other flours but many people struggle with them. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I still believe in your teachings though. I think you're doing best practices, and I'm learning A LOT from you, much appreciated. Your testing methods are from another world. Loving it. And I'm directing people to you left and right. As well as finding it interesting to troubleshoot what they might be doing wrong based on your knowledge. Really great work. @@thesourdoughjourney
Thanks 🙏
@@thesourdoughjourney I also used bleached AP flour because that’s all I could get during the pandemic. I successfully made a starter which is still strong and active and used every week. I didn’t find you until later but I was lucky enough to follow another YT video (made a few years before the pandemic) which also advocated starting with small amounts and not discarding for the first 2-3 days. I kept detailed notes and observed all the steps you described. Thank you, Tom, for your thoroughness and precision regarding all things sourdough. I refer to your videos whenever I have questions and recommend your channel to friends who are interested in starting their own sourdough journeys.
I wish this video was out a couple of weeks ago! I was able to get past the flat starter, temperature restraints, and feeding cycles. Everything I had trouble with, you covered in this video.
There was a Japanese gal and an German woman who I combined their method with your original method and I had a breakthrough. I always remembered what you said about feeding. One can always hurt of weaken their starter if they feed too early. I ended up with a massive jar of waste but when I wasn't sure in the day 4-5 period after several failings, I fed without a discard and it ended up breaking through. This video would have been everything that I needed and will be all that anyone else will need.
Thank you!
@@thesourdoughjourney A little more clarity or your consumption, I used 100% whole grain spelt; I surmised that was the limitations of the ancients so I had to do it as they did.
To be clearer, it seems that mine was too acidic after watching this video. Somehow I missed from your previous videos and henceforth what you emphasized on this one that the huche could only come after a cycle.
On my fifth attempt, and after the bacteria jump, within 4 hours of the yeast growth I started feeding without discarding every 4-6 hours a tablespoon of whole spelt and adding water until it was a pancake batter consistency. You can imagine how quickly the excess buildup became.
My shipment of rye berries showed up at this time as well and I started it. What I learned from the other girls I mentioned was the stirring it up whenever it looked wet or dry on top. That seem to have a positive effect on the Rye whole starter. I also started a new spelt whole starter and I started using a hold back of 83% ratio considering that spelt has an 83% flour density in its berries. Then the food would not override the base of the retained starter because I calculated it at a lower percentage, and I think that’s where my acidic value got over ridden. With your experience, I’m sure you would understand it more but suffice to say that your video will save a lot of people a lot of flour😁🫡
@@thesourdoughjourney with all of your wonderful work, I don’t wanna presume on your time, but somehow, if you could explain a little more clearly, the values of a 1:1:1 to 1:2:2, …. 1:5:5
You explained it general in a couple other videos, and after watching those other videos many times it seems like I’m not left with confidence of understanding how it builds strength without waste or was I actually building strength or tastes ? Why do some people recommend 1:1:1 and others 1:5:5? If you have time🙏
Thank you again for all your massive efforts into your videos, and how much they truly teach and reveal.
You can find more info in the FAQs here. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-maintenance/
You had me at International Institute for the Advancement of Sour Dough!
😀
Tom... I am loving your vidoes! I too, am an identical twin and so am enjoying learning from you both! I am new to this sourdough journey. I attemtped one starter which failed. But I am on Day 3 of my new starter following your instruction and it's lovely so far. There's been some rise and fall, and this morning there are lots of pinholes and a sweet vinegary smell. Fingers crossed it grows as planned. My question... where there has been some rise and fall but now rising again, should I stir, or leave be until tomorrow and start feeding? Thanks for all these amazing videos .... So happy to have them as my teaching on this journey!!
Thank you. 🙏 It never hurts to stir it. If in doubt, stir.
@@thesourdoughjourney you should put that on a tee shurt. When in doubt stir!
Had a 30 day old starter that never matured because I kept feeding it too early. Then I came across your videos, realized what I was doing wrong, and decided to start over. I left a 50% wheat 50% bread flour starter mixture for several days (stirring every 24 hours) on the counter but it never had its false rise. It ended up just separating and being very wet for some reason. Since at one point you said that most of the yeast of any starter comes from the initial 3 days, I decided to use 100% wheat flour as the initial starter, and then would feed that 50/50 mixture after the initial 72 hour mark - since that's when it would actually need the extra food (bread flour). Happy to report that it's only been a day and a half and I woke up to a good false rise. Going to check it again in a few hours to see if it might be close to peaking so I get an idea of when I might feed it.
Great. Good luck!
I'm on ~day 26 and I think today was the first day that it fully doubled and it took over 10 hours. I haven't had an issue with bubbles and it's risen ~150% each day since day 7. However one odd thing is that my starter has been consistently runny. Not a layer of water separation, but similar to melted peanut butter. I can actually pour out my entire discard out of the jar into the trash. I'm not sure if this is because I'm waiting too long to feed it? I wait until I get a full rise and fall before I feed it and get plenty of bubbles on top. Should I be feeding as soon as it begins to fall? I even tried adding more flour to get back to that thick batter consistency, when I would feed, at times but by the end of the daily cycle it would go back to being runny. I have my starter on top of the fridge, and I do see condensation inside the jar, so perhaps it's too warm.
Nevermind, I saw your a couple of your other videos and see now that it's just acidic.
You are such a good brother and helpful to me as a senior citizen beginner of making my own sourdough starter per your help. I am daisey (betsyintheloop) who just donated money for your excellent knowledge and time helping all of us. thank you.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the support.
Tom - great video and very useful inputs to anyone that wants to create a sourdough starter. Please do not mind my peripheral observations but I think you went overboard on some technical stuff (Salmonella, etc) - looks good superficially for the unquestioning herd but best leave that to professionally qualified scientists.
Be that as it may - this is a great value added tutorial!
Thank for the feedback.
Wonderful information as always Tom!! I have created my starter following your method and so far so good! My question after watching this video is...I am on day 14 and I use a 1-2-2 feed each day (as suggested in a previous video) and you suggested a 1-1-1 daily feed in this video....Should I continue to feed my 1-2-2 from here on out as I continue to evaluate my bubble activity or change to 1-1-1? I use a mixture of whole wheat and bread flour for my feeds.
Thank you!
If 1:2:2 is working, stick with it. And I still use the 50/50 blend.
Thank you
謝謝！
Thank you. 🙏
This is the greatest video on the sourdough starter I have ever seen!🫶
Thank you.
Hi! Thank you for this tutorial. I just this morning made my first starter following instruction in your previous video. In this episode you mention that in the early days of building the starter separation may occur but I didn’t hear you say what to do about it, if anything. Should the liquid be stirred back in or would it be time to start over? Thanks again for the fine instructional videos.
Thank you. Yes, just stir it back in. Stirring never hurts a starter, in general.
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you for replying so promptly.
Sorry if I missed it in your explanation, but what do I do if my kitchen is at 78 degrees and my starter is taking 7-8 hours to peak on days 8+? It peaked on days 6 & 7 in 7-8 hours so it doesn’t seem to be strengthening or rising faster
This was an awesome and incredibly informative video! I unfortunately learned the hard way of needing to be patient, and watched your other video about screwing up your starter by discarding too often and watched your video on my starter’s “day 10” now 3 more days later I’ve finally got a double rise going. Would I consider this a true day 3 now? It’s hard to determine where I am having had all this time go by and now finally getting good activity going.
Thank you. If you’re at Day 10 I’d give it a few more days to be sure it’s ready.
@@thesourdoughjourney I was on the up and up, I had 3 days where my starter was doubling, it looked awesome! I was doing your peak to peak feedings …suddenly it’s barely rising above the rubber band line…what could I have done wrong?!
Peak to peak is more for mature starters. A new starter needs a little more runway between discard and refeeding. The yeast is still pretty weak.
No clue where I first heard this, or if its even accurate, but I recalled that "the fastest way to cultivate yeast is to just put some fruit in water for a few days." So in the name of science I put 50g of grated apple and 50g of water in a jar and let it sit in my proofer at 82f for 3-4 days. Then I sifted out the pieces of apple, added another ~50g of water, and mixed this liquid with 100g of a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. To my astonishment, it rose 3x in height in just over 4 hours. I had managed to create a turbo-charged starter in just a few days. It baked perfectly. The loaves rose in an explosive fashion during baking. I need to replicate this experiment. Maybe it was just a fluke and I got lucky, but man... It really worked this one time. Ive made plenty of starters from scratch the "traditional" way, and even my best ones after weeks/months of care and refeedings have gotten to a point where they reliably rise 2 - 2.5x in ~4 hours. This apple method beat that in just 3-4 days. Would the institute investigate if there's some merit to this, or if I just got lucky somehow!? Thanks for the exceptional content!
Thank you. Yes, this is a “yeast water” method. I’ve not tried it and can’t say much about it but I have seen a few people use that method.
I’m doing an experiment now. Added a tiny bit of cantaloupe juice to my starter along with the flour. Let’s see what results I get.
Sorry but that's not a true Sourdough starter, I mean sure it worked and gave you great results, but you don't add yeast to authentic sourdough bread
Modernist Bread had a presentation in which they discuss this approach that you might find interesting. It's under the Sourdough Mythology section, they experimented with raisin water.
czcams.com/video/gxpj_2to1u8/video.htmlsi=atlRIoU1D59wo7N2
Great video! I don’t understand though why you can’t make a new starter with your discard? If you are using the reserve to feed as your starter wouldn’t it be the same to feed the discard and have 2 starters that are the same moving forward? Thanks so much!
The next day you would have 4, then 8, then 16. It’s best to keep a small amount until your starter is established. Once it is established, you can increase the amount of starter by 20x in one night with one feeding. You’ll never not have enough starter. and you avoid all that maintenance and discard in the process.
I’m from the Caribbean and on the first day I had a massive rise to the top of the jar and water separation. I discarded and fed and now I’m on day 5 and I’ve been feeding since day one. Everyday I’ve seen a rise and fall and bubbles to the top after the fall
That sounds great.
@@thesourdoughjourney oh that’s music to my ears! However, I had to feed it this morning, twelve hours later from yesterday’s feeding because it rose and fell during the night
I am a beginner 1st time sourdough starter. My starter so far is following your videos. I am on day 8 and will do the wait and do nothing until tomorrow only because I did not have any rise. What should I do on day 9? Should I discard and feed?
Yes.
Thank you for the video. Was very informational. I started mine with whole wheat flour only prior to seeing this video. Can I continue the process with the discarding after day 4 with the 2 four mixture or would you recommend starting all over?
100% whole wheat is fine. I’d switch to the blend going forward.
Thank you for the advice and fast reply.
Hey Tom, I dehydrated some starter at peak last week, and now I'm wondering exactly how I would rehydrate and then what the feeding schedule would be. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, man! All your help is really appreciated!!
Here are instructions. thesourdoughjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/How-to-Rehydrate-Dried-Sourdough-Starter.pdf
Hey Tom, another great video! What's your take on adding salt to the starter? I saw some youtubers do it as it better resembles the actual conditions that starter would have to work in when rising the dough. Thinking about it, it does make sense, so just curious, what's your take?
I’ve seen a few people recommend it, but I don’t think there is any real benefit.
I wish I had seen this before buying my fancy sour dough starter container. this is exactly what happened. I was doing great then at about day 8, layer of mold across the top.
I took out the starter every day and rinsed the jar out before putting it back in and feeding it.
Luckily this was a starter I made using a different method and it wasnt doing anything anyway. and since it was using up the fancy containiner still I put the one I used your method to creat in a much smaller container.
anyways that was a lot of words to say yeah.. those big containers with cloth tops kinda suck.
Thanks. 🙏
Could I use WW flour instead of mixing flour for my starter?
Thank you for this video ❤
Yes. You can use 100% whole wheat. You may need to add 10g more water it will be drier. And in the first few days, make sure you stir it at least once a day to keep it from drying out on top. It is more prone to attract mold in the first few days. Keep it wet and stirred up. It will work well.
Do you ever do lives? You could answer questions live and it would majorly affect your follower count as well as help people with more unique specific questions.
I’m in the Facebook Group, Sourdough Geeks. Tag me in your post and I’ll answer. Also on FB messenger.
Love your video that I just found but i have a question. After your starter is ready how do you keep it alive if you are not gonna make bread for a week or 2 in the fridge as I know im not gonna feed it everyday on the counter. I will forget to feed it after a while plus where i live the house temperature is never consistant. What do I do after I take it out of the fridge after 3 days Do you just scoop out what you need for the recipe. Then do I just put it back in fridge.
I don’t have a specific video on fridge maintenance. Here’s a lot of helpful info. thesourdoughjourney.com/faq-starter-maintenance/
My progression is slow. On the 3rd day it was a little surface bubbles but also some moisture on top not a lot so I stirred and put back in cool place. This morning of the 4th day showing a small rise and fall but also not a lot of bubbles I stirred it but should I discard and feed or wait another 24 hours. It does have a stronger smell but not awful?
It never hurts to stir and wait long longer.
Hi Tom! I am very much enjoying your instructional videos.
I'm a first time sour starter maker and decent baker who bakes with precision nonsense
My question is... I have an almost usable starter that I've used 100% WW flour to establish ( I followed another baker until I found your page) and I plan on using all bread flour flour for my first loaf.
Should I transition my starter over to your recommended 50/50 mix before I use it or keep going with the WW until I use it for my first all bread flour flour loaf?
Thank again for your great videos. You sure put a lot of time and research in and I appreciate it.
CZcams censored and removed parts of my comment, which is why my second sentence reads wonky! I complimented my German heritage for being a precision bake and commented on how your no nonsense approach to sour dough baking suited me. CZcams did not appreciate those statements! Beyond silly in my opinion!
You can use a whole wheat starter to make a loaves with bread flour. If you want to transition to the 50/50 blend, I would do it slowly over a few weeks. 90/10 for a few days, 80/20, etc.
@@thesourdoughjourney Thank you! In your opinion, is it ok to use the starter during its transition, or is it better to wait until I get it to 50/50. I have patience to wait.
Further more, do you see a reason or benefit to transition in the first place?
If it makes good bread, no.
Your videos have been so helpful. Thank you!! My starter is on day 8, no rise yet and I am seeing less bubbles than yesterday. So I decided to watch and wait as you recommended. My question is: Do you stir it before analyzing the bubbles on the top?
Yes I would analyze it before stirring. Then stir it and check back periodically to see what the bubble activity does after stirring (every 4 hours or so).
@@thesourdoughjourney thanks for answering :) I will do that, I have pictures of my starter before and after stirring each day, so it would be easy to compare. Thanks again
Hi! I'm glad I found your video cuz i really thought i failed recently! My whole wheat starter was going great until I bought a new bag of flour and then it just became super inactive. I waited and tried all kinds of things until I pulled the plug after many days of no bubbles, no rise. I was trying to figure out where I went wrong and maybe it was just that bag of flour! Anywho, I'm starting over now and doing an even mix of whole wheat and unbleached all purpose...is that okay? I know you said bread flour but I'm wondering if AP would work all the same. Thank you for your help!
Yes. Whole wheat and AP will also work.
Awesome, thanks for the quick response!
Hi Tom! Once our starter is rising and falling pretty regularly after we’ve first fed it, should we only continue discarding/feeding it once it’s fallen all of the way? Or can we discard and feed at the peak or when it’s actively falling?
Rising is more important than falling. Once it is “past peak” it is safe to discard and feed. With a new starter, it’s better to feed “too late” versus “too early.” So there’s no need to rush the feedings.
I want to ask please if there is video for you to send to me about after the 10 day how to save the starter. For examples if i want to use after a week or 2 weeks or when i need to cook.. want to save my starter for along time. For example after i use my starter it will be in the peak , then what to do just put in refrigerator direct ? Or feed the starter again keep one hour outside then put in refrigerator?
This is for longer term storage but the same principles apply.
How to Put Your Sourdough Starter on HOLD, and Revive It
czcams.com/video/6GWRkoYo5A4/video.html
Tell me the name of the book? Please, your info is excellent thank you for sharing. Fran 😊
Did I reference a book in the video?
Tom, on another video you showed a lab fridge for bulk fermenting and proofing dough. I found the fridge on Amazon, but it did not have that nice little bucket that you mentioned came with it. So far I haven’t found a bucket that will fit the inside dimensions. Any suggestions? Thank you .
Scroll down on this page to the product you purchased and you’ll see the links to the vessels there. thesourdoughjourney.com/products/
Thank you for this video. I am on day eight of my starter has bubbles. But it isn’t rising much in the last couple days. I have been discarding 50 g and re-adding 50 g. Now I found your video I discarded down to 25 g. And I bought new flour. I started my original starter with unbleached white flour. Today I bought whole wheat flour and bread of flour and mixed them 50-50. I discard it down to 25 g and added 50 g of the new flour combo and 50 g water. Will this work to grow? I was also now feeding ever 12 hrs, should I wait 24 now?
Wait at least 24 hours. Watch and wait for lots of bubble activity on top before doing anything. It needs time, not food. Stir it at least once a day.
@@thesourdoughjourney I will tell you that I started by base using 50 g of unbleached white flour (wouldn’t do this again after watching this video) and 50 g water. Sun was day 7. I believe Monday or Tue after watching your video I discarded quite a bit and added in a 50/50 mixture of 50 g (half unbleached King Arthur bread flour, half wheat flour) and left it. It had bubbles, I feel like less bubbles yesterday, and it’s not rising. I live in WI it’s cooler here now, so mostly I’ve been leaving it in my oven w the light on. Thank you ❤️
I want to ask please i am now in the middle of day six .. and the starter doubles in size after 6 hours .. now and after 9 hours i see my starter going down after the full rise.. what can i do now ? Wait to 7 th day morning ? Or start feeding now ?
I’d wait 24 hours. With a new starter it can be helpful to give it more time before discarding. If it falls completely flat and looks lifeless, then you can discard and refeed. But that is uncommon in 24 hours with a new starter.
Hello again
Should we expect decreasing weight on day 5 to 10 , before feeding?
The only way you would lose weight is through water evaporation. And it should be minimal.
I have a question if I did this right. I noticed the amount of bubbles. There’s a handful of thick bubbles, then it was mostly still a handful of bubbles but there was some in different spots. So I stirred it and that’s when I noticed a slight black discoloration and tiny pinhole bubbles started to appear. So I discarded and fed it since it was passed 24 hours and appeared hungry from the small tiny bubbles. I thought it was the start of mold, but I was told that the black discoloration was the start of hooch but i don’t know. Whenever I feed it a ratio, I usually give it slightly more flour.
Mold would be fuzzy and gray on the surface. Sometimes then whole wheat flours look dark when they oxidize.
Thank you for all your help! I did the 2nd discard and feed on day 5. 24 hours later, there's bubbles, but I can't tell if it's more than the previous day. I stirred the starter and now I can see a lot more bubbles. Is that normal? Does that mean I should discard and feed again, or wait? @thesourdoughjourney
If you’re not sure, I’d still discard and feed at 24 hours after previous. As long as you’re seeing some activity.
I keep rye and whole wheat flour in the freezer. Would the natural yeast on those flours be killed by the cold over time? I might occasionally add rye to my starter to give it a boost, but I won’t bother if the yeast is dead anyway.
No. The freezer doesn’t kill dormant yeast cells if they are dehydrated.
Should I start over? I followed the guide exactly and had almost same results till day 6. So at day 4 I got few big bubbles and they increased till day 6(big bubbles about 8) but now I'm at day 12 and still as day 6. I feed before sleep at night and check in next morning (about 8 hours later), there are big bubbles but they gradually disappear and I see only very tiny bubbles after 24 hours of the feeding (but not at all what you get before the doubling). Then I thought maybe I should wait more so I didn't threw away the discard and I leave it alone for another 24 hours, but nothing happing to discard part, the very tiny bubbles disappear and it smells so bad
If you are at Day 12 with no activity, I’d start again. Try a different whole wheat flour. A good quality flour makes a difference.
Mine is doubling on the third day of doubling then peaking and it is doing this between 4 and 6 hours. The last rise started quicker. Should I still do 24 hour feeding still using 1: 2: 2. Temperature is around 71 or 12 hour feeding?
I would stick with 24 hour, 1:2:2 feedings, unless the starter is falling completely flat with no bubbles before the next feeding.
I started my sourdough starter on Monday and it smells awful like nail polish. Will this smell eventually go away and how long will it take?
Also, thank you for this information. In the past, I would have thrown my sourdough out, thinking it went rotten.
thesourdoughjourney.com/my-sourdough-starter-smells-like-acetone/
My starter is maybe day 8. It smelled very vinegar-y 2 days ago and had less bubbles so I waited to discard and feed. It was rising very minimally. I didn’t see more bubbles so at the 48 hour mark I discard and fed. It then turned into an acetone smell by the next morning (24 hours) it had bubbles on the sides but not the top. I discard and fed and it’s been 9.5 hours with no rise and the bubbles are back along the sides but not the top. Smells slightly of acetone but maybe a hint of banana? Is this just a slow new starter or am I killing it? 😬
Banana is good. Stir it up a few times a day and watch the bubble activity. Skip a feeding if it’s not increasing in bubbles.
Hey Tom, fellow Clevelander here. I created a starter 2 weeks ago. It takes 12 hours to hit peak rise. Two questions
1. I use 100% rye flour because I was told it’s great for getting a starter going. Do you think I’d get better results with your 50/50 blend?
2. I have a proofing box I keep it in set to 86 degrees. Also told warmer was better. Is there any downside to keeping it this warm?
Thank you!
Rye works well. I prefer a 50/50 blend. It can become acidic. Also if you keep it warm. I’d first try the 50/50 mix and see how it behaves. Should be fine. But you don’t need to keep it that warm long term.
I once met an old guy a few years back who had been making sourdough for about 40 years. He told me that every time he came across another sourdough maker he would ask them to trade him a smidge of their starter for some of his. He figured the more diverse he could make his starter the stronger it would be. And, I think it makes perfect sense. There are many, many strains of lactic acid bacteria. A few years later I started doing this too. My super starter, Shericka, is now a mixture of perhaps a dozen different starters. There are great starters you can buy for $5 or less. Starters that are 178 years old that can be had for a donation. But, it is fun to make your own starter. My first starter I had for nearly 20 years, before I started adding more strains of starters into my one starter.
A great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tom! Thank you for your videos. Today is day 15 of my sourdough starter, and despite meticulously following your instructions, my starter is quite hitting that double mark of rising after 10-12 hours, sometimes not even double. I've been feeding it once daily with a 1:2:2 ratio, and my kitchen temperature sits between 73-74°F.
I've been so meticulous about following each step since day one, and this is actually my third attempt at getting it right. Should I change my feeding routine? Maybe feed it after it peaks instead of sticking to the 24-hour mark? Or should I try a different feeding ratio altogether? Or maybe it's time to consider buying a starter online. Thank you again!
What kind of flour are you using?
@@thesourdoughjourney I have been feeding with a mixture of 50% whole wheat flour and 50% bread flour since day 1. Both from King Arthur
Good evening.. i make a new starter.. i am in the 3 rd day... I see my starter after 2 days very active .. now i see my starter not rise ( after i stir it in the morning ) .. do i need to feed now ??
Feed on the morning of Day 4.
My starter is around 12 days old and peaks consistently at around 11h in around 79°F. It used to peak in around 9 hours but I think peak-to-peak feedings that ive started weakened it. I've tried making sure I don't feed it before the peak. What could be the reason and how to strengthen it?
Peak to peak is for mature starters. With a new starter you want to stretch out the feeding times. Wait until it rises, falls and is completely covered with bubbles before discarding and refeeding. Don’t let it get to “starving” where the bubbles disappear. But well past peak is when a new starter is strongest.
I'm on day 16 @ 74 degrees...no rise, bubble activity and I've slowed down feeding based on your videos. how long is it feasible to wait for rise activity?
Are you using 50% whole wheat?
Do you use half wheat flour and half bread flour for the flour for feeding or just bread flour?
Half whole wheat and half bread flour.
Thank you again.
I have a question: some sourdough breads do not test sour.
Then, what I have to be ware of when I baking my sourdough bread for my bread to have a delicious test. ? Thanks.🙏
Most of the sour flavor comes from a long cold final proof in the fridge. It also comes from your starter to some extent. Every starter is different. And the type of flour (rye and some whole wheats) can accentuate the sourness.
Thank you very much.
I want to let you know that it was very nice ❤ to hear that you are in Cleveland, Ohio. I attended graduate school at CWRU in the 80’s. Now I am in New Zealand. ❤
I hope you can help please. I use King Arthur organic bread flour. I read in a blog by Elaine Bod not to use organic flour. I have researched and researched and cannot find a answer why. Your video on BF made me not quit sourdough baking. My starter is 5 months old and strong I have a good rise my family loves the taste, but I struggle with the crumb holes are not as open and to me crumb is not gummy but moist could some of that be organic flour? Hoping your wonderful knowledge can help answer thank you
Thank you. I’ve never heard of not using organic flours.
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you so much. I love your videos.I will keep watching and try to figure out how to get a more open crumb. Its not dense, holes are even but not real open if that makes sense lol
I have my starters inside a cooler with a 76 degree temp. Is this an ideal spot for starters?
Yes.
Do you still have to use the whole grain flour after your starter is up to the “ready to bake” stage?
You can wean it off the whole grain slowly over a few weeks period.
If the water separation means that the starter is weak and I shouldn't discard and feed it, do I have to wait for more activity and mix in the water whenever it comes up? I had the false rise and I am in the quiet days but with liquid coming up always
It depends what day you are on. Keep stirring, discarding and feeding until about day 6 or 7 then this video explains the “watch and wait” method.
Thank you so much! Your videos saved my sourdough starter, it’s thriving!!
I’m on day 3. TONS of pinholes on top it smells kinda tangy. I haven’t had a false rise though. It did rise a bit but not like yours. Is it normal?
Yes. The pinholes are similar to the false rise. Yours may be a wetter mix. Or different flour.