When starting a sourdough starter, issues with the starter can occur at any time. To keep the healthiest starter possible, being able to solve sourdough starter problems is crucial. Bakery classes in Chennai teach their students to make sourdough bread by teaching them to do sourdough starters and to deal with the issues, which can be termed ‘sourdough starter troubleshooting’. But the sourdough starter is a challenging task for a person who has just started to bake. Here are a few of the most typical problems with sourdough starter, along with quick fixes for the common question like ‘how to know if your starter is bad?’. 

• Drying sourdough starter

You might have experienced your sourdough starter getting dried up that you are impelled to add water to it. Should you water it? Definitely not! A stiffer starter is a good thing! Your slurry will thin forth and grow in quantity as it ferments, giving it an almost sponge-like appearance of airiness and lightness.

Baking classes in Chennai recommend that if you’re worried, feed it,  keep it aside and let it sit for around 30 minutes, then give it a good stir one more time. This aids in mixing in all of the flour.

• Stagnant water 

On occasion, a dark liquid may start to form on the starter’s surface or in the centre, and it is called hooch, and it’s very normal. If you can, simply pour it off before continuing to feed normally by mixing it back in. You’ll notice that when your beginning is hungry, hooch is what it produces. 

If you start to find furry or pink or orange, it is obviously mould and it’s time to ditch the sourdough starter and start a new one.

• Strange smell

Your starter may occasionally start to smell like nail polish remover or acetone. It’s only hungry, so never stop feeding it; it’s entirely natural. You could notice that your beginning smells more like this in a warmer climate or setting. Baking courses in Chennai advise changing your feeding frequency ratio to 1:2:2 to offer your starting extra food or adding some chilled water to slow down slightly if it is required to be fed twice or more times a day.

• Dead starter

Starters can start strong before tapering off slightly during the 3rd and 7th day. It’s okay; the beneficial bacteria may simply need a little more time to triumph. You should start seeing results if you continue to feed it constantly. Do not give up thinking your starter is dead, and discard it; remain persistent, and you’ll be awarded. Your startup is undoubtedly still alive; it’s simply fresh and developing.

• Discard while feeding

If you do not want your starter to develop hooch, discard a little amount of starter whenever you feed. Every time you feed, you must discard. Without discarding, your sourdough starter will grow enormously and not receive enough nourishment. Professional bakery courses in Chennai say that discarding makes the starter less wasted than not discarded at all.

• Skinning starter

Your sourdough starter may occasionally form a crust or peel. It only signifies that the top is becoming a little too dry, which is absolutely OK. Consider using a jar lid that isn’t fastened on or maybe some cling film. Simply scoop the skin off, then continue to feed as usual. If it occurs frequently, you might want to relocate where you keep your starter.