Your sourdough bread isn’t turning out?! Let me help you! There’s a ton of different reasons it could be and I’m gonna break them down for you. Understanding how your sourdough starter works is a huge reason people have success with baking. If you aren’t really sure why you’re doing something, then it just feels confusing and not consist results. A lot of people think your starter will be okay if you feed it here and there but really you’ll have better results when you feed it more often.

Five Reason’s your Sourdough isn’t turning out-

1-Starter

Feeding your sourdough starter is HUGE when it comes to sourdough bread baking. If you are feeding it here and there and not keeping up with feedings- it’s gonna show.
Sourdough starters need to be fed AT LEAST once a day if you are storing it on the counter. If you feel like you are still in a slump of trying to get your starter really active, try feeding it twice a day, every 4-6 hours. Sourdough starters are happiest when they are fed more often.

If you are storing your starter in the fridge and not feeding it, its going to take some time to get it happy again, but it can be done! If your starter stays in the fridge for to long without being fed, you’ll notice hooch forming on top. Which is a black alcohol liquid from it fermentation. It means your starter is VERYYYYY HUNGRY! If your starter develops hooch, just mix it in and feed twice a day till it becomes very active again.

2-flour-

Using the right flour has a huge effect on how your sourdough loaves will turn out. Once I switched to a flour that has a higher protein content it completely changed how my loaves turned out. I rave about Trader Joes Organic All Purpose Flour to anyone that I talk about sourdough with! The protein content is higher than King Arthur and its half the price! And it’ll give you the softest bread with Trader Joes Flour!

Rye Flour-

If my sourdough starter isn’t as active as I’d like it, I’ll feed it with rye flour a couple times. It’ll really wake it up and it’ll start to really rise and bubble over. Rye Flour is made with ground rye berries, also known as rye kernels. Rye flour is naturally rich in amylases, nutrients, and microbes, which helps your starter to quickly convert sugars for faster fermentation.

3-Temperature –

Sourdough starters thrive when they are in temperatures between 78-85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a colder climate I would highly suggest keeping your starter in your oven while its rising (don’t forget it though). I ALWAYS keep my dough and starter in my oven on the bread proofing setting when I’m baking. If its to cold in your house, its going to take a lot longer for your starter to rise, and your bread could turn out flat.

4-Over Fermented-

You let your dough bulk ferment for to long and now its not holding its shape. Which means its over fermented. It sucks but it happens to everyone. Don’t throw that dough out! You can make focaccia with it! To avoid over ferment soup dough, keep track of how long you are letting it rise.

5- sourdough isn’t rising

I swear everyone has at least one loaf that doesn’t rise. This could be a couple reasons.
1- Your starter wasn’t ready. Make sure you feed it 4-6 hours before using. You can also do a float test with your starter. Put a spoonful in a glass of water and if its floats, its ready! If it sinks , its not ready.
2- Temperature is huge when it comes to sourdough rising! Like I said above, sourdough thrives when its in warmer temps! So keep it warm.
3- Not enough stretch and folds. Stretch and folds help strengthen your dough and build the gluten up. Don’t skip stretch and folds or you’ll notice with the end results! I always do four sets of stretch and folds.

Common questions-

Why does my starter smell acidic?

If you ordered a live active starter through the mail and it has a bit of an acidic smell to it, that means its very hungry. Or just leaving your starter on your counter for a couple days and not feeding it can cause it to have an acidic smell to it. If I ever forget my starter on the counter and it starts to smell acidic, I’ll do a double feed every 4-6 hours. It makes a huge difference. Your starter is happiest when its being fed more often. Once you do a double feed you’ll notice the smell is almost gone.

Why isn’t my starter rising or bubbly?

This could mean a couple things. Temperature and how often you are feeding it. If you want your starter to be super active I highly recommend doing a double feed with Rye Flour. When in doubt on how to get your starter more happy and active, feed it more often. Most bakers are feeding their starter a couple times a day because of how often they are using it. If you’re wanting those big bubbles in your starter, that comes with feeding it more often.

Why isn’t my dough rising?

It depend on how often you’re feeding your starter. If you haven’t fed it in a couple days, it might take a few feedings to get it really active again. I always recommend if you are planning on taking a little break from baking, put your starter in the fridge. It wont kill it and it’ll be just as happy when you pull it back out to feed it. Just don’t forget your starter in the fridge for to long. I suggest feeding it once a week if you plan on storing it on the fridge.

Why is my sourdough bread dense & gummy?

Dense sourdough can mean a few things but it usually has to do with being under-proofed. If you didn’t give your dough long enough time to rise, you’ll end up with dense, gummy bread. Same goes with over-proofing your dough.

When you are letting your dough bulk ferment, make sure its in a warm area. Sourdough works best when its in the right environment. I

Why isn’t my dough holding shape?

If you let your dough over ferment, your dough will become a soupy mess and not hold its shape. Whenever I have this happen I use that dough to make focaccia because its basically impossible to shape into a loaf. It’s really frustrating but at least my dough isn’t going to waste.

If you have any questions and anything that I missed, Feel free to email or comment below!:)