I’ve wanted to try to make sourdough for sometime now. I’d held off as sourdough always seemed to be more complex to make. My thinking was that if I could consistently make white bread first, I’d stand a fighting chance of making sourdough.
Last Christmas, as in 2024, my wife bought me a sourdough starter kit. It consisted of a jar with millilitre measurements printed down the side, a stick on thermometer, a silicone spatula and a cloth cap to cover the jar.
The kit also came with a link to a video explaining how to make a sourdough starter and the subsequent sourdough bread.
So I watched the video and the starter seemed straightforward enough. Flour, water, leave it for a day, discard half then add more flour and water. After seven days, it should be doubling in size and ready for use.
So seven days later, my starter isn’t quite doubling in size but I put that down to to the colder temperatures in my kitchen. I decided to try and make the sourdough regardless. The recipe seemed straightforward enough. By and large, it was similar to how I normally make no-knead bread, just using the starter instead of packet yeast, and proofing in the fridge.
I put the mix all together, aiming for a reasonably high hydration, and popped it in the microwave as it’s usually consistently warm in there.
After half an hour or so, I went to perform the first set of folds. Unfortunately, not much had happened with the mix and it was a little on the sloppy side. This proved problematic when trying to grab the dough.
I left it a bit longer. Then a bit longer. And a bit longer still, but after about eight hours, it was still a bowl of slop. Slightly disheartened, I threw it away.
About a week later, I thought I would try again. I fed my starter beforehand, tried a slightly different recipe and started off with a better looking dough. Again, in the microwave it went and after an hour, there were signs of activity. This looked promising.
I managed to fold it and came back every half hour or so for a few hours to do the same. Sadly, each time I went to fold the dough, I would just have bubbles on the surface and not in the dough itself.
I left it overnight hoping it would proof but eventually I admitted defeat and binned it.
Something is amiss here. I looked to the internet for help. Having read a myriad of articles and posts, I suspect there are a few issues at play. First, I think my starter might not be mature enough. Whilst the recipe with the kit suggested that the starter would be ready in seven days, a lot of information I was finding suggested it could take up to 21 days for the starter to fully mature.
This really shouldn’t surprise me as I’ve had similar issues with beer kit recipes saying it’ll be ready to bottle in 10 days, when in reality, they’re still merrily fermenting away at that point.
The other issue i think that is coming into play is temperature. I think my starter is too cold. At best, it falls short of doubling in size. One time however, I left if on a cooling radiator and it suddenly had a second spring.
I watched a video encouraging you to learn when starters are at their peak. If I let mine peak, or what I perceive to be it’s peak, I can stir it and it will start to grow again. In the temperatures in my kitchen, this may take two days.
As a result, I’m currently feeding the starter regularly and trying to find a suitably warm spot for it to grow. Hopefully soon I will have something I can use.
If anyone has any tips, feel free to get in touch.
