Image by Matthew Fugel
So you know how screw-ups are as good at teaching you as successes, maybe even better? Well….
Oops.
I poured off the hooch for the first two days, so it “sat out” without fermenting properly. Then I forgot to feed it for a couple days when it was just over a week old. When I picked it back up, thinking I’d just feed it and carry on, hoping for more bubbles soon…that is what I found. Black, fuzzy mold. Out it went.
And We Start Again
I immediately restarted the sourdough starter. This was Sunday morning. I made sure that I stirred in the hooch each time. I still noted, on Monday, at the third feeding, that it was gummy and gluey and strange (soaked batters are like this too — it means the gluten is being broken down). I was worried again…maybe there was something wrong with me or my kitchen (inhospitable to sourdough, perhaps?) and not my technique. :(
But then I went into the kitchen late Monday afternoon, several hours after last feeding my starter, and I found this:
Which was awesome, believe me, but my camera wasn’t around, and by the time I got it, bubbles had subsided. 
I kept trying to catch it again, but no luck, nothing interesting enough to show you, anyway. But believe me, it was pretty great.
Whoa!
That starter has about doubled in volume due to the bubbles. That’s some seriously active sourdough starter!
The Major Lesson
Stir in your hooch.
Yes, the hooch is what makes it more sour. But the hooch is what contains all those lovely yeasties that we are trying to catch. If you do not stir them in the first few days, when you are trying to get it going, then you are pouring off the yeast and basically opening the starter up to catching bad bacteria instead, which I think is why my starter molded so quickly.
Once your starter is well-established, it shouldn’t make any difference if you pour off the hooch. I’ll let you know when I get there, but that’s what I’ve always heard.
**This post has been entered in Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers.**
How’s your starter going? Did you make the same mistake I did?
Do you have an original recipe for starting the sourdough?
I really appreciate the help you are giving on these starters. I had an established one I bought, but after a couple of months it molded too.
Hello! I’ve been baking sourdough breads for a couple of years now and am enjoying your journey. It is worth the time and effort to learn! I’ve made some of the same mistakes. My greatest success was in reactivating a friend’s starter that looked dead on arrival after 10 months in the fridge with no feeding! Keep at it; it is an awesome way to make a very healthy bread and to save money too (no yeast, honey, etc etc).
Blessings!
Hi Katie,
I had attempted a sourdough starter a few times, without success. Before I began this time I also consulted one of my favorite cookbooks “The Forgotten Skills of Cooking” your website and my previous knowledge from other attempts. I kept it in my laundry room (its nice and warm all the time), fed it twice a day for the first three days and now I am on the 7th day feeding it daily. It looks good, smells more sourdough-y than yeasty or beery. I am wondering if its strong enough? In the Forgotten skills of Cooking, Darina Allen has a fantastic 2-day loaf baking process that I am going to attempt. Thanks for the pictures, step-by-step. I’ll let you know how my loaf turns out!
P.S. Although I don’t comment frequently I do read on a daily basis. Keep up the great work! I was wondering if you could do a few blogs on getting one’s hormones/body ready for another pregnancy. We use AP, NFP or FAM and last time I had some troubles getting my cycle back. While I love our age space 3y 4 mo, I would like it to be a little less this time around. My little guy is only a month (June 28) or so older than Jacob, so we are in the same boat. My first pregnancy/birth was hard and really hard on my body. This one was no problem, so I do think the easier recovery will aid in getting my body ready again, but I know pregnancy/nursing and chasing after older children does deplete vital nutrients. I want each of my children to get the best from my body, and be the best they can be and I know that begins with how healthy my body is at conception. We eat a whole foods, high protein, low grain (b/c my husband is GF) almost a modified GAPS diet with our FLCO and elderberry syrup everyday. Feel free to contact me. Sorry for the long comment!
Thank you for sharing this very interesting post with the Hearth and Soul hop!