Weak Starter?

If your sourdough bread isn’t getting a good rise, it’s probably your starter. I know you’ve probably grown it from scratch, cared for it and have tried to do everything right. I get it…and I know how much effort you’ve put into it.

The good news is there’s an easy fix!

First, I would recommend you take a look at your feeding ratio. The 1:1:1 ratio is pretty standard.  What do those numbers mean? 1 part starter, 1 part flour, 1 part water. 

The thing is, it’s normally way too watery. The higher water content makes the yeast eat through their food quicker which can be why you might be missing your rise. And it’s also really thin, and a thin and watery starter isn’t as strong as holding its shape, which means your rise won’t be as strong in your dough either.

Here’s what I have found; a 1:1:0.75 ratio is way better for my starter. When you’re mixing it, think really REALLY thick muffin batter consistency. Less water = thicker texture = stronger starter = better rise. So that means if you have 100g of starter you’ll feed it 100g of flour and 75g of water. 

Here’s a few other tips to strengthen a weak starter:

Room temp over 70F 

Sourdough loves to be warm! If your house is on the colder side in the winter like mine is, you might need to give your starter a little help. Personally, my starter is pretty strong so she’ll still give me a really good rise at 63-65 which is the normal temp in our house in the winter. It’s just a bit slower than normal. But when I pop her in the oven with the oven light on, she takes off and is ready to go sometimes in 2-3 hours! Just be careful if you decide to use the oven light method that you have a way to make sure people know NOT to turn the oven on without removing your starter. I can’t tell you how many messages I get from people who have totally charred their starter by accidentally forgetting it in the oven.

Bread flour > all purpose flour

Bread flour has a much higher protein content than all purpose flour. The yeast cultures feed on the protein in the flour so higher protein means more food for your cultures. More food means they’ll be much happier and perform so much better for you.

Filtered water > tap water 

This one can be controversial but here’s the deal. SO MANY tap water systems are treated with chlorine. Over time, the chlorine can kill off your cultures making your starter sluggish and slow. I use filtered spring water and I heat it a bit. Which brings me to my next tip…

Warm water > Room temp or cold water

Sourdough LOOVES warmth, as we discussed a few tips back. The same goes for the water temperature. If you’re using cool water in your feedings, it’s going to slow your starter down. I use my electric kettle to warm the water to between 100-110F. I also use warmed water in my dough.

If you’ve tried all of these things and still aren’t seeing results, consider buying Rowena and adding her to your existing starter. Simply rehydrate her and add to your starter or follow the directions included with your purchase to rehydrate and feed her and have a ready to go starter in less than a week! BUY ROWENA HERE.

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