My starter almost doubled after 2 hours of feeding on day 5. Is it ready to use?
I used 1:1:1 ratio
by lostmind44
10 Comments
lucy10111
Hi this is probably a fake raise which usually happens to really young starters. Your starter shouldn’t be ready for a few more weeks maybe 2 months or 60 days better.
The chatbot post has a link for beginners that has helped me a lot and answers lots of questions.
You absolutely can start making bread with that, you loaf won’t suffer if you use it. It will be a little mild on the sour side because it is only day 5 but you have to remove at least half to feed it again so why not use it.
There is no way you have to wait 60 days, 7 days onwards is ideal to develop a good level of sour and if your starter is happy like that I say bake away and enjoy.
Artistic-Traffic-112
Hi. While it looks as if it is fermenting vigorously, this is known as the false rise. Your starter is about to appear flat with no activity. Using it now would not give you a good bread texture and taste bad.
You have way too much starter there,you only need a few grams of starter 15g is enough. Mix it thoroughly, put 15g in a fresh screw top jar, feed it 1:1:1 by weight, loosely screw on the lid, and leave out at 25 to 27°C
Your starter is going to go through three phases of development that take between two and four weeks depending on conditions and flour used.
Phase one :
The initial flour water mix is 1:1 by weight. IMO, it is best to use strong white bread flour mixed with either whole wheat or rye, all organic unbleached. There will be a quite rapid false rise or fermentation as the bacteria battle for supremacy! Best not use the ‘discard’.
You do not need much starter. 15g of flour is ample. Reduce your starter each feed to 15g, after mixing thoroughly. Then feed 1:1:1, mix and scrape down inside of jar with a rubber spatula. Avoid using a fabric cloth to wipe they are prone to harbouring contaminants. Place a screw top lid on your jar, loosely.
Phase two: is where you are at.
The starter goes flat. The bacteria are altering the acidity of the medium to suit their growth and development. The ‘good’ bacteria will win they like an acidic environment. So do the yeast strains. They will gradually wake up and start to develop, creating a less violent but more sustained rise.
Phase three:
Thus is where the yeast really begins to develop. They have to grow and mature before they can multiply and grow in number. Gradually, your starter will gain vigour and will double in volume more rapidly. Once it is doubling in under four hours, you are good to use it for baking.
You don’t need much starter. I keep just 45 grams in the fridge between bakes (approximately once per week). When I want to bake, I pull out the starter, let it warm, mix it thoroughly, and then feed it 1:1:1. I take out 120g for my levain, leaving me 15g to feed 1:1:1 again and put straight back in the fridge for the next bake.
Happy baking .
EnoughExpert2853
A starter needs at least a month to mature.
ladywheeler
Right now the wrong kind of bacteria exists in your baby starter, and it probably won’t ferment well. Keep feeding it to promote lactic acid and the wild yeast colonies to be more prevalent than the bacteria you don’t want.
zippychick78
Bacterial fight club
Keep going, minimum two week process.
There are some fantastic tips in our [Sourdough starter FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/kWWPBGjGHI) – have a read as there are likely tips to help you. There’s a section dedicated to “Bacterial fight club” as well.
To test if its ready drop a little in water if it floats its ready to use
PeregrinoHumilde
Do the float test
sullidav
I hope the variety of different answers here makes you take each with a grain of salt, especially the ones that speak with absolute certainty. There are not absolutely right answers here on numbers of days etc.
it seems likely this is a “false rise” and your starter is not yet mature. (And from photo it would pass the “float test,” so I would not put a lot on that measure.). Could you try using it now anyway? Otherwise how many days before you should use it? What is the right amount to keep? There’s not one right answer to these questions, see what works best for you and your sourdough culture. Keep watching it.
10 Comments
Hi this is probably a fake raise which usually happens to really young starters. Your starter shouldn’t be ready for a few more weeks maybe 2 months or 60 days better.
The chatbot post has a link for beginners that has helped me a lot and answers lots of questions.
This is probably the false rise fase not ready. Here is an awesome video for ya.[sourdough starter](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_OAhPvQ5Ngo&pp=ygUZU291cmRvdWdoIHN0YXJ0ZXIgam91cm5leQ%3D%3D)
You absolutely can start making bread with that, you loaf won’t suffer if you use it. It will be a little mild on the sour side because it is only day 5 but you have to remove at least half to feed it again so why not use it.
There is no way you have to wait 60 days, 7 days onwards is ideal to develop a good level of sour and if your starter is happy like that I say bake away and enjoy.
Hi. While it looks as if it is fermenting vigorously, this is known as the false rise. Your starter is about to appear flat with no activity. Using it now would not give you a good bread texture and taste bad.
You have way too much starter there,you only need a few grams of starter 15g is enough. Mix it thoroughly, put 15g in a fresh screw top jar, feed it 1:1:1 by weight, loosely screw on the lid, and leave out at 25 to 27°C
Your starter is going to go through three phases of development that take between two and four weeks depending on conditions and flour used.
Phase one :
The initial flour water mix is 1:1 by weight. IMO, it is best to use strong white bread flour mixed with either whole wheat or rye, all organic unbleached. There will be a quite rapid false rise or fermentation as the bacteria battle for supremacy! Best not use the ‘discard’.
You do not need much starter. 15g of flour is ample. Reduce your starter each feed to 15g, after mixing thoroughly. Then feed 1:1:1, mix and scrape down inside of jar with a rubber spatula. Avoid using a fabric cloth to wipe they are prone to harbouring contaminants. Place a screw top lid on your jar, loosely.
Phase two: is where you are at.
The starter goes flat. The bacteria are altering the acidity of the medium to suit their growth and development. The ‘good’ bacteria will win they like an acidic environment. So do the yeast strains. They will gradually wake up and start to develop, creating a less violent but more sustained rise.
Phase three:
Thus is where the yeast really begins to develop. They have to grow and mature before they can multiply and grow in number. Gradually, your starter will gain vigour and will double in volume more rapidly. Once it is doubling in under four hours, you are good to use it for baking.
You don’t need much starter. I keep just 45 grams in the fridge between bakes (approximately once per week). When I want to bake, I pull out the starter, let it warm, mix it thoroughly, and then feed it 1:1:1. I take out 120g for my levain, leaving me 15g to feed 1:1:1 again and put straight back in the fridge for the next bake.
Happy baking
.
A starter needs at least a month to mature.
Right now the wrong kind of bacteria exists in your baby starter, and it probably won’t ferment well. Keep feeding it to promote lactic acid and the wild yeast colonies to be more prevalent than the bacteria you don’t want.
Bacterial fight club
Keep going, minimum two week process.
There are some fantastic tips in our [Sourdough starter FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/kWWPBGjGHI) – have a read as there are likely tips to help you. There’s a section dedicated to “Bacterial fight club” as well.
Also don’t forget our [Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/index/), and the [Advanced starter page](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/advancedstarter/) for when you’re up and running.
TRUST THE PROCESS. 😁
To test if its ready drop a little in water if it floats its ready to use
Do the float test
I hope the variety of different answers here makes you take each with a grain of salt, especially the ones that speak with absolute certainty. There are not absolutely right answers here on numbers of days etc.
it seems likely this is a “false rise” and your starter is not yet mature. (And from photo it would pass the “float test,” so I would not put a lot on that measure.). Could you try using it now anyway? Otherwise how many days before you should use it? What is the right amount to keep? There’s not one right answer to these questions, see what works best for you and your sourdough culture. Keep watching it.