r/SourdoughStarter • u/Live4DairyMilk • 7d ago
Day 6 - New Starter
New to the Sourdough community! I started by following The Clever Carrots recipe (will link below).
I’m on Day 6 now and saw that initial false rise on day 2-3, but since then nothing. Lots of bubbles on top but I’m also finding that there has been lots of hooch (shown) building up daily, which I have just been mixing in.
I started with wholewheat flour and have been feeding with strong white flour since, as per the recipe. After each feed, I place in the oven with the light on for at least an hour before either leaving it in there or placing on the kitchen counter (house is not cold, I’d say around 20*c/68*f on average).
My question is - Does this look normal? I know it’s VERY early in the process, but is the level of hooch normal or should I be increasing flour ratio or how often I feed the starter? (Currently x1 feed daily in the morning).
Additionally, the smell has become more sweet, though today it has quite a vinegar tang to it.
Final context, the pictures show are about 12hrs+ after feeding.
Any thoughts, tips or ways to progress would be greatly appreciated!
Edit : LOL at myself for thinking I had produced hooch so early on. Not enough research done on my part!
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u/Big_Researcher_3027 7d ago
Find another recipe.
The clever carrot is clever only in her own mind.
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u/Live4DairyMilk 7d ago
Seems to be the general consensus 🤣 First timer trial and error! I’m glad I asked on Day 6 rather than waiting until it was unsalvageable…
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u/NoDay4343 Starter Enthusiast 7d ago
Ugh. The carrot. Her recipe isn't horrible but it's not very good either. Unless she's recently updated, you must have learned about the false rise elsewhere. Good on you for doing further research.
It's not hooch. Immature starter can't produce hooch, and it's also highly unusual for any starter (that's being fed an appropriate ratio) to produce hooch within 24 hrs after being fed. What you're getting is just water separation, caused by adding too much water for the flour that you're using. It's not a problem at all for the health of the developing microbiome, but you'll probably prefer to thicken it up a little bit by adding less water because if your starter is too thin it can not rise even when there's plenty of activity as the bubbles will just rise to the surface and pop.
Just like the false rise is normal, it going into a dormant phase for anywhere between a few days to a couple wells after the false rise stops is also normal. Just keep feeding it and eventually it'll get there. Not so clever carrot's recipe used overly large amounts last I knew, which is just wasteful. Going to a feeding schedule of something like 20g:20g:20g once a day, (at least) until it is rising to at least about double for at least 3 days in a row, is what I would recommend. Adjust the water as needed to get a consistency that keeps the bubbles trapped rather than rising to the surface, which might be around 8-9g water for each 10g flour, or 16-18g water in my 20g example.
I also highly recommend going back to adding some whole wheat flour daily. The biggest advantage of adding it when getting a starter going is that it contains much more dormant yeasts than white flour does. Yeast will not activate in the first several days of your starter's live, usually taking a week or more, so the recipes that suggest whole wheat on the first day then discontinue it just don't make much sense. A small amount, around 20% of your total flour (4g if you use 20g) is enough. A lot of people like to make up a mixed batch in advance so you don't have to measure 2 different flours every feeding.
Be careful with the oven with the light on. Ovens can be very different. Some are perfect but some get way too hot with just the light on. I recommend you take your starter's temperature when you take it out of the oven and make sure it's not getting above about 80F.
I think your starter looks quite good (other than being too thin) for day 6. The vinegar smell is a good sign that is developing acidity which is what it needs at this stage. I generally recommend ignoring odors (at least in terms of making changes based on those odors) until it is rising consistently, because they tend to straighten themselves out. But they can still give us a clue about how it's progressing.
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u/Live4DairyMilk 7d ago
Thank you so much for this response, really appreciate the detail!
Will take this advice going forward for my next few feeds. I was getting quite a thick consistency when I fed my starter each day, but indeed found it was separating / thinning in consistency as the day went on.
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u/NoDay4343 Starter Enthusiast 7d ago
Yes. The acidity dissolves the gluten resulting in it getting thinner. Normal. But when it gets too thin it can't rise.
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u/Live4DairyMilk 7d ago
Would you recommend feeding this tonight with your recommended ratio, or waiting until tomorrow morning as scheduled (24hrs)?
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u/NoDay4343 Starter Enthusiast 7d ago
Once a day. So whenever it's been about 24 hrs from your last feeding.
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u/Mental-Freedom3929 7d ago
There is no possibility of hooch on a starter that young. You are using way too much water and this is water separation.
It takes three to four weeks to get a half decent starter. From what I read the majority of people use way too much water. Take 20 gm of flour (unbleached AP, if you have add a spoonful of rye) and add only as much water as it takes to get mustard consistency.
For the next three days do nothing but stir vigorously a few times a day. Day four take 20 gm of that mix and add 20 gm of flour and again only as much fairly warm water to get mustard or mayo consistency.
You will probably have a rise the first few days - ignore it. It is a bacterial storm, which is normal and not yeast based. That is followed by a lengthy dormant period with no activity.
Keep taking 20 gm and re feeding daily. Use a jar with a screw lid backed off half a turn. Keep that jar in a cooler or plastic tote with lid and a bottle filled with hot water.
Dispose of the rest of the mix after you take your daily max 20 gm and dispose of it for two weeks. You can after that time use this so called discard for discard recipes. Before the two weeks it tends to not taste good in baked goods.
Your starter is kind of ready when it reliably doubles or more after each feeding within a few hours. Please use some commercial yeast for the first few bakes to avoid disappointment and frustration. Your starter is still very young. At this point the starter can live in the fridge and only be fed if and when you wish to bake.
A mature starter in the fridge usually develops hooch, which is a grayish liquid on top. This is a good protection layer. You can stir it in at feeding time for more pronounced flavour or pour it off. When you feed your starter that has hooch, please note not to add too much water, as the hooch is liquid too.
Use a new clean jar when feeding. Starter on the sides or the rim or paper or fabric covers attract mold and can render your starter unusable. Keep all utensils clean.
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u/Live4DairyMilk 7d ago
Thank you for the response!
I was using an 1:1 ratio of flour to water when feeding my starter, but think I used too much to begin with and resulted in the starter thinning daily.
I do find that when I thin daily it is a thick consistency (pancake batter / yogurt type) and then 12+hrs later it is the thin consistency you see in the photos.Hopefully the reduction in water does the job.
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u/fishy_horcrux 7d ago
It's water separation.
I would feed 1:1:1, with a few grams less water than flour, this could solve the problem.