THIS is Why Your Sourdough Starter Failed \\ Sourdough Starter Troubleshooting

If your sourdough starter won't rise, or if it decided to grow mold, this video is for you! I'll go over some sourdough starter troubleshooting, giving you tips to help your next attempt to make a starter from scratch a success!

WATCH NEXT:

TIME STAMPS:

0:00 Intro
0:11 Mistake #1
0:38 Mistake #2
1:15 Mistake #3
1:37 Mistake #4
2:16 Mistake #5

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL:

FILMING EQUIPMENT:
(some links affiliate)

Note: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own. If you click a link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. This has zero impact on the price you pay, and it helps Buttered Side Up out!

[markdavis]

I have viewed several of your videos and love them all.... they are concise to the point easily to understand without all "the bull" of why I used a certain item product etc. Thank you

[jwillo]

Thanks! I have been using scalding hot water and a sink sprayer to blast everything clean. No soap, I figured everything looked clean. Utensils only came into contact for a few seconds to stir and the jars looked spotless. I figured it's just flour and water what could happen. Mold. Mold is what happened. 2 weeks in the starter is super active but I get white mold on the top. Ugh. I'll be damn sure to sanitize everything next time. Appreciate the video wish I'd have watched it before it started.

[carriegriffin]

No idea that I had to use FILTERED water. Thanks love Ireland 🇮🇪 fan

[rhirsly]

Do you give up if you don't see any bubbles or it doesn't double in size? I am using zero water filter and unbleached flour. I have tried several times with no redults.

[venessagourd]

I sat my starter on a seed starting heat mat that keeps it between 70-85f. My house is very cold so i hard this was ok... my starter is right at the 85f temp all the time. Is this too hot for a baby starter? Thanks!

[Infiniti]

The most useful tip in this video was unspoken...elastic band to mark the starting point after feeding to judge the rise and fall.

[Sus_Jake]

Great video. Thanks. I live in chilly Bismarck, ND and I don't keep my house temperature above 70 degrees. My starter DID NOT rise and fall at all within 7 days so I am thinking it needed more time. However, it developed mold on the sides of the jar so I threw it away. Any suggestions here? It did get bubbly and smell fine so I was really surprised at the mold.

[laurenday]

Hi! Maybe you can help me. My starter is on day 17. I was doing a small quantity starter feeding it 1T each flour and water. It finally doubled around day 13. So I gave it a larger feed. 1/4c starter to 1C each flour and water. My flour is unbleached organic. My water is from my fridge which is filtered. I've done that for 3-4 days now and my starter is not growing. The next day it is very bubbly, super runny, and has not grown at all. Do you know what's gone wrong?

[shithead]

The guide i didn't know i need lol

[wyominghome]

Unbleached flour? No tap water? Now they tell me! I just discovered that the "proof" setting on my oven hits 135F! Ah, modernity.

[lululu]

have you try to use rice koji rice? and it can make amazke. and it can make sourdough starter.can you teach how to use amazke to make sourdought starter to make bread? thank you

[skatey]

what is that flour machine you had called

[dazzhan]

Hmm, I'm going to have to buy some unbleached flour to try. This "sour dough starter" thing is getting frustrating & annoying...lol

3 starters so far have gone moldy - grey / black mold. I'm keep the starter in my kitchen, with the lid not fully closed, as stated in many other videos. The room temp is between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius. I just got home from night shift and threw out a starter as the top of it was completely covered in mold, but was fine 12 hours ago.

All utensils used are clean, and I'm also using filtered water. No starters so far have risen above 1/4 to 1/2 inches in height, although there is some bubbling, not a lot. Feeding is once a day.

I have kept the "discards" in containers in the fridge just in case.

Any ideas ?

[victtoriamarie]

why rye may be good for sourdough bread, but for other things like sweets, wouldnt I want a starter entirely made up of unbleached flour?

[Garanon]

I forgot to feed my refrigerated starter for 2-3 weeks (yikes). It had some hooch I poured off, and a vinegary smell but no weird colors. So I've just fed it, how long would you recommend to wait until I can try baking with it?

[yvasquez]

alternatively, if your starter os growing too quickly put it in a cooler place, maybe in the fridge.

[mariannebrown]

My starter looks ok but Gray and white mold has formed in the side of the jar where the starter has gotten dry. Can I still use the starter it is it a fail? This is my second time trying

[Infiniti]

Have you created any gluten free starters?
Do you know if they are as active and double like wheat based starter?

[olusialovesgod]

Hello, so what do you do when the starter has gone though the week of feeding twice daily (water/flour) and discarding and it’s bubbly but won’t pass the float test? I have tried to bake with it and it’s not rising like it should. I used high quality flour from a farm organic whole wheat einkorn and spelt flour. The water was warm as well and I have been consistent. The loaves of bread I have baked one einkorn and one spelt seemed heavy and not moist at all. I’m not sure what to do I’ve tried the float test a few times and it’s not working. Currently I have two starters one spelt flour/einkorn and the other just einkorn and both aren’t passing the float test but bubbling. I recently bought jovial all purpose flour einkorn and the whole wheat einkorn flour and figured I’d switch to using high of these together. Not sure what else to do now? I’ve been feeding twice a day 1/4 cup water 6 tablespoons of water . Please help - thanks in advance !

[margaritamarrero]

My starter was so alive, and the next day it flopped. Why? Should I throw it away?