Question 1

Starter is not bubbling after 3 days

Accepted Answer

Three days in, the jar looks much the same as the flour and water you mixed. No bubbles, no rise, and no smell beyond raw flour. Normal for many starters. Wild yeast capture varies with the flour, the ambient temperature and a fair amount of luck. Cold kitchens slow everything down. Keep up daily feeds for 7 to 10 days. Move the jar somewhere warmer, around 22 to 24°C, such as the top of the fridge or an oven with only the light on. Switch one feed to wholemeal or rye flour, which carry more wild yeast than white.

Question 2

Starter doubled on day 2 then went flat

Accepted Answer

A dramatic rise in the first 48 hours, often with a slightly cheesy smell, then nothing at all for the next two or three days. The leuconostoc bacteria phase. They produce gas quickly in the first 24 to 48 hours, then die off as the pH drops. The yeast and lactobacilli that will actually leaven your bread have not established yet. Keep feeding daily. You will see real activity again around day 4 to 6. This stall is a normal stage rather than a failure, and it catches out almost everyone making their first starter.

Question 3

Starter smells like acetone or nail polish remover

Accepted Answer

A sharp solvent smell when you open the jar, usually with the starter collapsed and a little liquid sitting on top. Stressed yeast. The starter is hungry and has burned through its available food. Feed twice a day instead of once, and try a richer ratio of 1:2:2, meaning one part starter to two parts flour and two parts water by weight. The smell will mellow within a couple of days.

Question 4

Dark liquid pooling on top of the starter

Accepted Answer

A layer of grey or brown liquid across the surface, sometimes with the starter sunk beneath it. Hooch, the alcohol produced when the yeast burns through its food. Stir it back in if it is light brown, pour it off if it is dark. Then feed, and feed more frequently from now on. Hooch is harmless in itself but it is a reliable sign of underfeeding.

Question 5

Pink, orange or fuzzy patches on the starter

Accepted Answer

Actual colour on or in the starter, or visible fuzzy growth. Clearly different from the beige and grey of a normal starter. Bacterial or mould contamination. Healthy starters never produce colour, only smell. Throw it out. Sterilise the jar with boiling water and start again with filtered water and a fresh bag of flour. This is the one starter problem that cannot be fed back to health.

Question 6

Starter takes 12 hours or more to peak

Accepted Answer

It does rise and it does bubble, but the peak arrives late in the day when you were hoping to mix in the morning. Either too cold, since at 18°C a starter takes roughly twice as long as at 22°C, or still establishing at under two weeks old, or simply underfed. Move it somewhere warmer and try a couple of 1:2:2 feeds in a row. A mature starter at 22°C should double in 4 to 6 hours.

Question 7

Starter looks healthy but the bread does not rise

Accepted Answer

A bubbly, active-looking starter that still produces a dense, flat loaf with almost no oven spring. Usually a timing problem rather than a starter problem. Starter used after it has peaked and begun to collapse has already spent most of its leavening power. Use it at peak: domed on top, full of bubbles, just starting to flatten. The float test is the quick check, since a spoonful should float in water when the starter is ready. If it sinks, feed it and wait.

Question 8

A dry crust forming on top of the starter

Accepted Answer

A firm skin across the surface, sometimes cracked, with normal wet starter underneath. The starter is drying out, because the jar is too loosely covered or it is sitting in a draught. Scrape the crust off, stir what is left, and feed. Cover with a loose lid or a cloth that lets gas escape but keeps moisture in. Do not seal it airtight, because the pressure from the CO2 can crack the jar.

Question 9

Starter has separated into liquid below and dry above

Accepted Answer

Distinct layers: a dry or crusted top, a normal middle, and watery liquid collecting at the bottom of the jar. Underfed and partly drying out at the same time, so hooch and crusting are happening together. Stir vigorously to re-incorporate everything, discard down to a tablespoon, and feed at 1:5:5. Cover it more snugly. It will recover.

Question 10

Forgot to feed the starter for a week

Accepted Answer

A flat, sharp-smelling starter with a good depth of hooch sitting on top. It ran out of food and went dormant. Almost always recoverable. Discard down to a tablespoon and feed 1:5:5, for example 10g of starter with 50g of flour and 50g of water. It will be sluggish on the first feed but should bounce back within 2 to 3 daily feeds.

Question 11

Starter is sluggish after coming out of the fridge

Accepted Answer

A starter kept in the fridge between bakes that rises weakly, or very slowly, on its first feed back at room temperature. Cold storage slows the culture right down. One feed is rarely enough to bring a fridge-cold starter back to full strength. You do not need daily feeding to bake at weekends. Keep a mature starter in the fridge and feed it once a week. Before a bake, give it one or two feeds at room temperature rather than one, and mix when it actually peaks rather than on a schedule.

Question 12

Not sure whether the starter is mature enough to bake with

Accepted Answer

It rises and it smells right, but you are not confident it is strong enough to carry a loaf. Maturity is a threshold rather than a date. Most starters cross it somewhere between day 7 and day 14, and a slow one is not a failed one. Look for three signs together: it reliably doubles in 4 to 6 hours at room temperature, it has bubbles throughout rather than only on top, and a spoonful floats in water. If it hits all three, it is ready.

Question 13

Dense, tight crumb

Accepted Answer

The loaf is heavy, the slice has very small holes, and it feels gummy or doughy near the centre even when it is cooked through. Underproofing, almost always. The starter was not active enough at mix time, or bulk was too short, or the kitchen was colder than you thought. Use starter at peak, meaning domed, bubbly and just starting to flatten. Watch the dough rather than the clock: bulk is done when the dough has risen by 50 to 75%, looks domed, and shows bubbles on the surface and the sides of the bowl. In a cold kitchen, bulk can take 8 hours or more.

Question 14

Pancake-flat loaf, no oven spring

Accepted Answer

Turned out of the banneton, the dough spreads sideways instead of holding its shape, and it barely lifts in the oven. Overproofing or weak shaping. The gluten has either been broken down by fermentation or was never strong enough to hold structure. Cut bulk shorter and pull the dough before it looks fully risen. Shape tighter: gather it into a ball with real surface tension, rest 10 minutes, then final-shape with confidence. Use a banneton or a tea-towel-lined bowl for the cold proof, not a flat surface.

Question 15

Gummy, wet interior under a good-looking crust

Accepted Answer

The crust looks right, but the crumb is sticky and pasty when you slice in, and it feels underdone even after a full bake. Undercooked, or sliced too early. Sourdough carries on cooking for an hour after it comes out of the oven, and cutting a warm loaf releases the steam that should have set the crumb. Bake longer uncovered, another 5 to 10 minutes, ideally to an internal temperature of 96°C. Then cool fully on a wire rack for at least 60 minutes. Two hours is better.

Question 16

Pale, soft, chewy crust

Accepted Answer

The crust is golden-blond rather than deep mahogany, and it is chewy instead of crisp. Oven not hot enough, Dutch oven not preheated long enough, or the lid left on too long. The browning needs both heat and steam at the right times. Preheat at 250°C for at least 45 minutes before the loaf goes in. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. The loaf should be deep mahogany, almost on the edge of looking burnt, before you take it out.

Question 17

Burnt bottom but pale top

Accepted Answer

A dark, hard base, sometimes close to black, while the top of the loaf is still barely coloured. Direct contact with the hot Dutch oven base is overcooking the bottom crust before the top has caught up. Put a baking sheet on the rack below the Dutch oven to deflect heat, or bake on a layer of parchment with a light cornmeal dusting. With a black Dutch oven, which absorbs more heat, consider dropping the temperature by 10°C and baking a little longer.

Question 18

No ear, the score stayed shut

Accepted Answer

The loaf comes out the right shape but the score line stayed exactly where you put it, with no lifted, flared ridge on top. The score was too shallow, at the wrong angle, or made too long before baking. The ear forms when the dough bursts open along the score during oven spring. Score with the blade at about 30° to the surface, cutting around 1cm deep, using a fresh sharp blade. Score immediately before the loaf goes into the hot oven, not minutes earlier.

Question 19

Sticky, unworkable dough

Accepted Answer

The dough is so wet you cannot shape it without it sticking to everything, and stretch and folds turn into a mess. Hydration too high for the flour you are using, weak low-protein flour, or not enough gluten development early on. Use bread flour at 12% protein or higher, and wet your hands before handling, because wet hands do not stick. For wholemeal, drop the hydration by about 3%, since wholemeal absorbs more water. Do the first stretch and fold 20 minutes after mixing while the dough is still firm.

Question 20

Loaf is too sour

Accepted Answer

Aggressively tangy, close to vinegary, with the sourness crowding out the wheat flavour. A long cold proof, a stiffer starter, or both. Sourness comes from acetic acid produced during cold fermentation. Shorten the cold proof to 8 to 12 hours. Use a wetter, more recently fed starter, and reduce the overall fermentation time.

Question 21

Loaf is not sour at all

Accepted Answer

Pleasant but plain. It reads as ordinary bread, without the tang that made you want to bake sourdough in the first place. A short cold proof, a very active freshly fed starter, or both. Extend the cold proof to 24 to 36 hours. Use a slightly older, less active starter at mix time, and keep the dough cooler through bulk.

Question 22

Loaf split along the side or bottom, not where you scored

Accepted Answer

The score you made on top stayed closed and the bread burst open along one side or around the base instead. The most fragile spot was not where you scored. Often it is the seam left from shaping. Score deeper and at a clearer angle, and make sure the shaping seam is on the bottom of the loaf as it goes into the Dutch oven. One decisive cut beats three timid ones.

Question 23

Crumb is tight along the bottom, open at the top

Accepted Answer

A clear gradient through the slice: airy near the top crust, dense and close-textured towards the base. The centre was underproofed, or shaping was loose at the base so the structure collapsed downward. Extend bulk slightly so fermentation is more even throughout. When shaping, build extra tension at the bottom by tucking under as you roll, and give the cold proof at least 8 hours.

Question 24

Big tunnels or one huge hole in the crumb

Accepted Answer

One or two cavernous holes sitting just under the top crust, with otherwise reasonable crumb below them. A trapped air pocket, usually from rough shaping or uneven fermentation through the dough. Degas gently as you pre-shape, then build even tension on the final shape. Do not roll the dough into a cigar. Fold and tuck instead.

Sourdough troubleshooting

Starter problems

1.Starter is not bubbling after 3 days

2.Starter doubled on day 2 then went flat

3.Starter smells like acetone or nail polish remover

4.Dark liquid pooling on top of the starter

5.Pink, orange or fuzzy patches on the starter

6.Starter takes 12 hours or more to peak

7.Starter looks healthy but the bread does not rise

8.A dry crust forming on top of the starter

9.Starter has separated into liquid below and dry above

10.Forgot to feed the starter for a week

11.Starter is sluggish after coming out of the fridge

12.Not sure whether the starter is mature enough to bake with

The short version, for starters

Dough and bake problems

13.Dense, tight crumb

14.Pancake-flat loaf, no oven spring

15.Gummy, wet interior under a good-looking crust

16.Pale, soft, chewy crust

17.Burnt bottom but pale top

18.No ear, the score stayed shut

19.Sticky, unworkable dough

20.Loaf is too sour

21.Loaf is not sour at all

22.Loaf split along the side or bottom, not where you scored

23.Crumb is tight along the bottom, open at the top

24.Big tunnels or one huge hole in the crumb

The single biggest fix

Related reading