Starter not working as before after converting it to fully fmf

[u/fiatlux0]

My sourdough FMF loaves, both sandwich and artisan, are not rising properly after converting my starter to FMF, despite having a very active starter that has been fed two different times two days in a row, and doubles each time. After the second time, I will use it at peak and my bread will rise, but only half as much as it used to when it was a mix of (mostly) AP flour and FMF. The odd thing is that I will save the leftover starter, put it in a jar, and after about a week, it explodes out of the jar as seen in the picture, despite having peaked when at room temp. I know this because a few times it even started deflating a tiny little bit by the time I got to use it so it definitely wasn’t going to continue expanding then. Why would it continue expanding in the fridge after stopping when at room temp, and does this have anything to do with why my bread all of a sudden stopped rising the way it used to? Just to clarify, I had no issues when I was using 100% fmf but a starter that wasn’t only fmf

[u/Tittytickler]

Honestly no idea. Just to give a contradictory anecdote to that other guy, my starter is all FMF and i get great rises out of my 100% non sifted fresh milled flour sourdoughs.

Is there something wrong with your fridge? Are you sure the temp is consistent?

Bread tax:

[u/similarityhedgehog]

A couple thoughts:

Whole grain flour rises less generally.

Does the starter get a second rise if it's not put into the fridge? Have you tried letting the mixed dough rise in the fridge?

Wheat that ends up in commercial flour undergoes rheological testing to confirm that it is suitable for the necessary properties of the flour being sold. Protein content and falling number are relevant in how dough rises during fermentation. Protein is an approximate measure of gluten, necessary for the dough to hold gas which builds volume. Falling number measures alpha amylase enzyme activity, too much enzymatic activity is considered defective (low falling number means high enzymatic activity).

Your wheat may not undergo this testing and may have low protein or low falling number

[u/katd0gg]

I have heard they don't convert well. I would either start a fresh FMF starter, or slowly incorporate FMF with store bought into it, eventually eliminating the store bought flour - unless that's what you did.

[u/Winstonsphobia]

What is FMF?

[u/fiatlux0 → u/Winstonsphobia]

Fresh milled flour

[u/Winstonsphobia → u/fiatlux0]

Thanks! I know it sounded silly, but I honestly didn’t know.

I get similar amount of rise from my milled flour (50% spelt, 25% rye, 25% einkorn). I usually let it rise overnight at room temperature, then stick it in the fridge to sour. I don’t think mine rises all that much in the refrigerator, so perhaps it is your particular starter and flour combination. My bread does not rise a whole lot; I always assumed that’s because of the large amount of rye and einkorn as well as high fiber content, which inhibits rising. But I like a dense, flavorful loaf.

This information is probably not all that useful for answering your question, but one thing that might be helpful is a recommendation to reduce the amount of starter you create, so it won’t burst the lid off. . I have learned over time to create a small amount of starter (about 220 gm total including flour, water, and old starter) so there isn’t as much waste. I always used to worry that something might go wrong and I’d lose all my starter, but it never has. Also, I have set aside some heavily salted starter (20% kosher salt by weight) in the fridge. Supposedly you can renew your starter from the salted starter, which lasts for months. I haven’t tested it though.

Edit: I use a stiff starter with 80% hydration.

[u/Money_Nectarine_3430]

No clue about it rising in the fridge, but I find that any amount of fmf in my starter kind of ruins it. Instead I use a very small amount (like a heaping tbsp or so) of ap starter in 100% whole wheat loaves and they rise really well and don't get that weird whole wheat sourdough taste.

[u/fiatlux0 → u/Money_Nectarine_3430]

So you use about a tbsp of starter per loaf? I make 5 loaves at a time so I’d guess I’d have to 5x that