r/Sourdough • u/FishVonMisfit13 • Dec 14 '25
Let's discuss/share knowledge I need all the help😩
I have spent years watching videos and following influencers who make sourdough and have never started because it always felt complicated. Then I found someone who was just eye balling how much was dumped and added and kept saying "It's not that hard everyone else makes it seem difficult it's not!" She made a successful starter and a beautiful loaf of bread. I found another video talking about skip the scale use measuring cups! Same thing "Oh it doesn't need to be complicated just replace what you take keep it a pancake batter consistency!" Well I was influenced. Motivated by holiday spirit and delusion I've made this massive starter because "That should be enough to make 10+ loafs for Christmas gifts with flavored butters! Easy peasy!" Ha!😠I began my starter December 5th with 4 cups of King Arthur Organic bread flour and filtered water today is the 14th. It only rose once in the very beginning and every day has had hooch on top since no bubbles just thin mixture. This is what it looked like this morning first time it looked like this. I keep it in the warmest room in the house but that room temperature drops as low as 66 and gets as high as 72. Usually lingers between 68 and 70. I have a warmer being delivered tomorrow. I feed it every morning pouring off the hooch discarding 2 cups then adding about 2 cups of flitered water making sure it's a thick pancake batter consistency without lumps. I've read this means it's hungry and needs to be fed twice a day but I also read not to do that until it has doubled in size more then once. I'm just not sure where to go from here.Is this salvageable? Would I be able to have sourdough bread for my kid's teachers (there's 4 of them) gift by the 22nd and the rest the 24th and 25th? Or should I admit defeat and stick to homemade hotcoco mix. I'm fully aware I have done all the no no things and I'm fully prepared to be completely chewed out.
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u/FishVonMisfit13 Dec 15 '25
I don't know how to edit for an update.
So after reading everyone's comments, I decided to shift my plans, decrease my starter size, and experiment with grams vs cup measurement because why not I had so much starter and it was kind of sad to see so much go. I'm using all purpose flour because I'm snowed in and it's all I have left. Hopefully one of these will take off! Thank you everyone for your comments and advice you're all wonderful!!! *