Thread by @VeneficusIpse

Do you want to make sourdough? Do you also keep struggling with your starter because growing and cultivating an alien yeast beast is NOT INTUITIVE?

Please, allow me to offer some tips, hard won after MONTHS of my own deeply frustrating failures.

How to begin:

Combine equal parts flour and water. That's it.

I'd suggest 50g flour and 50g water.
(Remember 1ml of water = 1g of water. God I love the metric system.)

Also: measure by weight, not volume. Trust me.

Ask if you'd like more details.

Why 50g flour? It's enough to get a good colony going without burning through too much flour. You're going to be feeding this yeast beast *at least once a day* once it starts growing, so using more than 50g flour per feeding will add up pretty quickly.

So you've mixed your flour and water and now you've got a thick flour paste. Great.

Put it in a jar or bowl or tupperware or whatever. Ideally it's got clear sides. Then just let it sit UNCOVERED for anywhere from 2-14 days.

You're waiting for yeast to grow.

But how do you know when yeast have started to grow?? Great question:

When you see bubbles inside your dough (hence the clear container) and along the top, that's a solid indication that Good Things Are Happening.

If you don't see bubbles, that's okay! Just keep waiting. All sorts of variables affect how quickly your yeast will grow.

One of the most important is temperature.

Warmer is better, and 80F is a great. At 70F, things can really slow down. It's not bad, it's just not ideal.

If you want to jumpstart yeast production, toss in a tablespoon or two of dried fruit. You'll likely see bubbles in a matter of days.

Just dump the fruit after your first few feedings and you're set.

And don't worry, your bread will *not* taste like dried cherries. I promise.

So you've got bubbly flour. Cool.

Now you need to feed the yeast beast.

Every day, dump half of it. (Yes.) Then add 50g water and 50g flour. Mix. Cover with a lid so it doesn't dry out. Wait. Repeat the next day.

Note: YOU CAN'T BAKE WITH THIS YET.

Just because you've got yeast growing does not mean it's strong enough to leaven bread.

You're going to need to keep feeding your yeast beast every day for anywhere from 3-14 days, and if you feed it twice a day, you can really speed up this process.

What you're looking for is GROWTH.

Your yeast beast should grow noticeably within 2-4 hours after feeding. (Again, temperature is important. If your yeast is colder, it'll be less active and will take longer to rise.)

The point is, if you can't tell it's risen, it's not ready.

Once you've got a reliably rising and falling yeast beast, you're virtually home free.

The next key point is figuring out when to actually use your starter to make bread.

Basically: at the peak of its rise, likely ~4 hours after feeding.

This is where the "float test" comes in. If you drop a spoonful of starter into water and it floats, you're golden.

And by "golden," I mean that you can now use your starter in a recipe that calls for "ripe starter."

Ta-da!

But here are some other observations, earned after yet more failures:

Is your starter thin and soupy? You can't bake with that yet; it hasn't been fed recently enough.

Is there liquid on top of your starter? That's fine, it just means your yeast beast is hungry. Pour off the liquid (it's technically booze) and feed as normal.

Does your starter smell funny? Also fine. The smell should change based on feeding, but not by a ton.

Did you forget to feed your yeast beast? For like... days?

Never fear! You can still recover it. Just dump half and feed as normal. In a few days (especially if you're feeding twice a day) it'll be rising and falling as it should.

Do you really need to feed it every day? No. If you're not going to bake every few days, you can pop your yeast beast into the fridge. Remember: cold temperature = slower growth. In the fridge, you can feed it once a week for several months without killing it.

When you want to pull your yeast beast out of cold storage, you'll need to feed it for 2-3 days before it's strong enough to bake with.

Alright. That's it for my starter thread. If you've got questions, I can try to answer! And if you've got tips to add, go for it!