Sourdough starter not doubling in size

[Melassa]

Starter novice here. I followed the bake with Jack method using rye flour. Apart from day 2 when it looked like it was bubbling a bit it has stayed quite flat. It’s been warm here and this method was supposed to have doubled in size by day 4, now on day 7 and nothing has happened.

Can I salvage it? It’s in the fridge now as I didn’t know whether to throw it out and start again or if it could be saved. Is there anything I can make with non risen starter?

Just keep going. Mine took nearly two weeks to get there. Putting it in a warm place will help. Mine only took off a couple of days after I started keeping it in the airing cupboard.

And there are lots of recipes for the discard. Look at the King Arthur four website.

Thanks, I’ll take it back out of the fridge then and start feeding it again, maybe with warmer water.

You don’t put a new starter in the fridge. It needs warmth to start fermenting, cold environment seriously slows it down.

Feed it daily, keep it warm and discard the surplus- to minimise waste don’t use large quantities of flour/water.

Some sites recommend to feed it 1:1, I’d go for thick pancake batter consistency as it’s easier for bacteria to penetrate it from the start.

If you’re on fb there’s fab site called Wild Sourdough. Plenty of knowledgeable folks there, newbies and good banter as well.

Paul Hollywood says to chop up a couple of grapes and add them. Has always worked for me

@DeliasDinner

Paul Hollywood says to chop up a couple of grapes and add them. Has always worked for me

Yes, I have his book and saw that, but other more “purist” sites diss the addition of fruit so I was a bit wary of trying it. Might give it a go though, still not really fermenting.

I’ll look at the Sourdough page on FB too. Does anyone have foolproof recipes? I’ve seen some for sourdough loaves that seem to require lots more proving than regular yeast and complicated interventions. Is it really more complicated? I just feel that if I can’t even get the starter right a complicated loaf may well be a step too far.

Strong robust starter is an absolute must otherwise you won’t get the rise.

500 g bread flour
350ml water
10g salt
50 g active starter.

Mix everything together, cover up and leave for at least half an hour.Perform stretch and fold 3-4 times every hour. The dough should rise significantly (at least 50%).

Preshape it, bench rest,shape it and leave it for a final proof until it passes poke test or put in the fridge and bake the following day(fermentation slows down in cold temperature and develops the flavour).

It does sound complicated but it’s not.

The crux is to get the timing right.

You don’t need special equipment (bannetons,dough mixer and so on)

Fermentation will be faster in higher temperature and with more starter.

How does the starter smell???

@swisherfisher

How does the starter smell???

It smells kind of sweet and a bit alcoholic. Not sweaty socks or anything particularly unpleasant.

Should I discard half again?

OP, I only keep about 50g of the starter.

Weigh out 25 grams and leave it in the jar and discard the rest.
Feed your starter with flour and water (roughly to have 50grams) so it has a consistency of thick pancake batter. Keep it in a warm place (mid to late 20’s is good)

Repeat for a few days.

What flour are you using? Rye flour is good for starter to boost its activity.

If you keep it in a container with a lid please make sure the lid is not sitting tight (glass jar might explode).

Alcoholic smell might be the indication of starter being hungry.

I’m using rye flour, I’ve just fed it now with more flour and warm water. So do I discard after feeding or before? At first I didn’t discard as the method I was using was a non discard one, but after a few days of utter flatness I tried throwing away half, but before feeding, not after.

I’m tempted to try a grape to see if that will kick start it. If not I may have to admit defeat and start again from scratch.

Discard before feeding. I tried a non-discard method and it didn't really take off. I didn't start again, but used 25g of the original to to keep going. Keep out of the fridge.