Drawn to its outside size
For temperature control around a starter jar
Brod & Taylor Sourdough HomeA small heating-and-cooling chamber for a jar, rather than a full dough bowl.
41 to 122°F, heats and cools8 × 10 in outside
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Why is my sourdough starter not rising?
A starter that will not rise is almost always alive. The usual reasons, most common first: the kitchen is too cool, the starter is still young, it has just come out of the fridge or missed feeds, or it rose and fell while you were not watching. Once it doubles within about 6 to 8 hours of a feed, it is ready to raise bread (King Arthur).
Most likely: it is too cool. A 1:1:1 feed that peaks in 4 to 8 hours at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C) can take most of a day in a cool kitchen. The fix: a warm spot, two feeds a day about 12 hours apart, a little whole wheat or rye in the flour, and a rubber band at the level so you can see the rise.
Check your starter
Answer a question or two to see what is going on and what to do next.
How old is your starter?
Count from the day you first mixed its flour and water.
What is going on with your starter?
Which day is it?
What has changed since it last rose well?
What does it do in the hours after a feed?
Put a rubber band at the level right after feeding, then compare.
What do you see?
What does it smell like?
When is it runny?
How long since its last feed?
What happened to it?
What did you get?
Look at it now. Which is closest?
Nothing is wrong
Too early to tell
On day 1 little happens. A rise on day 2 is common, and it is mostly bacteria that thrive before the jar turns acidic, not yet the yeast that will raise bread.
Do this now
- Keep 50 g, add 50 g flour and 50 g room-temperature water once a day.
- Keep the jar somewhere warm, ideally 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C).
Look again in 24 hours.
What to expect: A quiet spell on days 3 and 4. It is normal, and it passes.
More on this:Making a starter, day by day
Nothing is wrong
Normal: the quiet spell
The day-2 rise was mostly bacteria. As the starter turns acidic they die back, and the jar goes quiet until the yeast takes over. A sharp or cheesy smell now belongs to the same phase.
Do this now
- Keep feeding once a day: keep 50 g, add 50 g flour and 50 g water.
- Put some whole wheat or rye in the feed and keep the jar warm.
Look again in 24 hours.
What to expect: Bubbles come back and it rises a little more each day, often from day 5.
More on this:Making a starter, day by day
Easy to fix
Young and slow: warmth and two feeds a day
A starter this young is still building up its yeast, and a cool kitchen adds days. King Arthur says a new starter could take 7 days or less, or up to a couple of weeks.
Do this now
- Keep it at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C), or feed it with lukewarm water.
- Feed twice a day, about 12 hours apart, once it rises at all.
- Add a spoonful of whole wheat or rye flour to each feed.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: It is ready to bake with when it doubles within about 6 to 8 hours of a feed, feed after feed.
More on this:Making a starter, day by dayThe signs it is ready
Easy to fix
Stuck: check the warmth, the flour and the water
There is no deadline, but past two weeks something is usually holding it back: a kitchen below about 70°F (21°C), only bleached white flour in the feed, or heavily chlorinated tap water, which can slow a young starter.
Do this now
- Keep it at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C) and feed it twice a day.
- Feed unbleached flour with 10 to 20% whole wheat or rye.
- Use filtered water, or tap water left out overnight. Chloramine does not leave that way; a carbon filter removes it.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Most get stronger through week 3. Fuzzy mold, pink or orange streaks, or a smell other than sour or alcohol mean throw it out and start again.
More on this:Which water to useWhy a starter stays weak
Easy to fix
New home: feed it the way it was fed
A starter that has travelled or sat in a fridge needs two or three warm feeds before it rises well in your kitchen.
Do this now
- Ask how it was fed: which flour, what ratio, how often.
- Feed it the same way twice a day at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C), in a clean jar with the level marked.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Once it doubles within 4 to 8 hours, bake with it, and dry a spoonful as a backup.
More on this:First steps with a gifted starterDrying a backup
Easy to fix
Cold from the fridge: one or two warm feeds
At about 38°F (3°C) the yeast and bacteria barely work, and the acid that built up while it waited slows it further. A feed or two at room temperature gives it back its rising power.
Do this now
- Feed it 1:1:1, for example 30 g starter, 30 g flour and 30 g water.
- Leave it to rise at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C). If it is slow, feed it again.
Look again in 8 hours.
What to expect: If it doubles within about 6 to 8 hours, it is ready to build your levain. After a few weeks in the fridge, allow 2 to 4 days of feeds.
More on this:Fridge care and waking it upWork out the levain
Nothing is wrong
Normal: it is getting used to the new flour
A new flour changes the pace for a feed or two: whole grain usually brings the peak sooner, white flour later. Rye makes a thick paste that rises less visibly, so judge it by its bubbles and domed top more than its height.
Do this now
- Keep the same ratio and feed the new flour two or three times in a row.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Once it doubles reliably again, it has adjusted.
More on this:Changing a starter’s flour
Easy to fix
Slow: almost always a cool kitchen
Temperature sets the pace. At 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C) a 1:1:1 feed usually peaks in 4 to 8 hours; in a cool kitchen it can take most of a day. A starter that doubles but needs more than 12 hours is alive, just not strong yet.
No warm spot? An oven with only its light on can work. Check it with a thermometer first, and tape a note to the door: switching the oven on with the jar inside kills the starter (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Find a spot at 75 to 78°F, or feed it with lukewarm water, never above about 100°F (38°C).
- Feed twice a day, about 12 hours apart, for a few days.
- Put 10 to 20% whole wheat or rye in the feed.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: When it doubles within 6 to 8 hours of a feed, it is strong enough to raise bread.
More on this:Fixing a weak starterA jar and a warm spot
Easy to fix
Bubbles but no rise: often too runny
The bubbles show it is alive. A starter that has ended up too wet may bubble without climbing the jar the way you expect; King Arthur says that does no lasting harm, and a little more flour corrects it. A thick rye starter also rises less visibly.
Do this now
- Weigh the next feeds: equal weights of flour and water, or a little more flour for a feed or two.
- Keep it warm and feed twice a day.
- With a rye starter, judge by bubbles all through and a domed top, not by height.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Look for the level climbing past the rubber band within a feed or two.
More on this:Thick or runny starterRye and whole wheat starters
Easy to fix
It did rise: you missed the peak
Streaks on the glass above the starter show how high it climbed before it ran out of food and fell back. A warm kitchen or a small feed brings the peak early, sometimes overnight. A fallen starter is also thinner than it was at its peak.
Do this now
- Feed it again and put a rubber band at the new level.
- Check it every couple of hours, or feed at a higher ratio, 1:2:2 or 1:5:5, so it peaks later.
Look again in 4 hours.
What to expect: Use it at or just before the peak: doubled, domed and bubbly.
More on this:The rise, the peak and the fallRatios that move the peak
Easy to fix
No activity: underfed or kept long past its peak
An established starter that does nothing after a feed has usually gone too long between feeds, or been fed long after its peak, and its acid has built up. It is very rarely dead: King Arthur calls a mature starter pretty hard to kill.
Do this now
- Take 50 g from the middle into a clean jar.
- Feed it 50 g flour and 50 g warm, not hot, water.
- Keep it at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C) and repeat every 12 hours.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Any rise or bubbles after the first two warm feeds means it is alive. Keep going until it doubles within 4 to 8 hours.
More on this:Reviving a starterWhy a starter stays weak
Easy to fix
Hooch: hungry, not spoiled
The liquid is mostly water and alcohol from fermentation, and it collects when the starter has run out of food. Grey, brown or even black, it is harmless; it darkens the longer it sits (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Pour it off for a milder starter, or stir it in for more tang.
- Discard down to your usual amount and feed.
What to expect: If it shows up every day on the counter, feed more often or at a higher ratio.
More on this:Hooch explained
Throw it out
Fuzzy spots are mold
Raised, fuzzy spots of any colour are mold. Its threads can reach beyond what you see, so scraping it off does not save the starter.
Do this now
- Throw the starter out and wash the jar well.
- Start again from a dried backup, a spoonful of a friend’s starter, or flour and water.
What to expect: A new starter takes a week or two; dried flakes come back in about 3 to 7 days.
More on this:Mold or not?Make a new starter
Throw it out
Pink or orange streaks are unwanted bacteria
A pink, orange or red tint or streak is a sure sign of unwanted bacteria, King Arthur says: the starter has lost the acidity that kept intruders out.
Do this now
- Throw the starter out and wash the jar well.
- Start again from a dried backup, a spoonful of a friend’s starter, or flour and water.
What to expect: A new starter takes a week or two; dried flakes come back in about 3 to 7 days.
More on this:What to throw out, and what is harmlessMake a new starter
Hard to tell by eye
A thin white film: hard to call
A flat or wrinkled white film with no fuzz may be kahm yeast, a surface yeast, but you cannot be certain by eye.
Do this now
- When in doubt, throw it out and start again: a new starter takes a week or two, and a spoonful of a friend’s is faster.
More on this:Mold or not?
Easy to fix
A dry skin: peel it off and feed
A starter left unfed for a long time can form a dry skin, dark grey and wrinkled after months in the fridge. It looks awful, but it is not mold, and the starter underneath is usually fine (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Peel off the skin and scrape away dried bits on the glass.
- Take 50 g from the middle into a clean jar and feed it 50 g flour and 50 g water.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Throw it out instead if you find fuzz or pink or orange streaks under the skin.
More on this:Reviving a neglected starterMold or not?
Easy to fix
Nail polish or vinegar: it is hungry
Nail-polish, vinegar and strong alcohol smells mean the starter has run out of food. They fade within a feed or two and are no reason to throw it out.
Do this now
- Feed it now.
- For the next few days, feed a little more often or at a higher ratio such as 1:2:2.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: A fed, healthy starter smells yeasty and mildly sour, a little fruity.
More on this:Smells that mean hungryFeeding ratios
Nothing is wrong
Normal in a new starter
In its first days a new starter often smells sharp or cheesy. That belongs to the early phase, before the yeast takes over, and it passes as the starter matures.
Do this now
- Keep to the daily feeds and keep the jar warm.
What to expect: Within a week or two it should smell pleasantly sour. Once it rises reliably, a smell that is not its usual clean, sour one means throw it out.
More on this:Making a starter, day by day
Throw it out
A foul smell means it has spoiled
King Arthur’s rule is to throw out a starter whose smell is not its usual clean, sour one. Sour, vinegar, alcohol and even nail polish are hungry smells; rotten, or simply wrong for your starter, is not.
Do this now
- Throw it out, wash the jar and start again.
What to expect: A new starter takes a week or two; a dried backup or a spoonful from a friend is faster.
More on this:When to throw a starter outMake a new starter
Nothing is wrong
That smell is a healthy starter
Yeasty, mildly sour and a little fruity is how a healthy starter should smell.
Do this now
- Carry on with your usual feeds.
What to expect: If it is not rising, the smell rules out spoilage: look at why it is slow.
More on this:It isn’t rising
Easy to fix
Too wet: weigh the feed
A starter fed by volume, or with more water than flour, ends up thin. King Arthur says that does no lasting harm: correct it with a little more flour, then weigh the next feeds.
Do this now
- Stir in a spoonful of flour now.
- Weigh every feed: equal weights of flour and water, or up to twice as much flour as water for a stiff starter.
What to expect: Whole grain flour soaks up more water, so a white-flour starter looks thinner than a rye one at the same weights.
More on this:Stiff vs liquid starterWeigh, don’t scoop
Easy to fix
A missed feed or two: just feed it
Missing a feed, or not feeding exactly 12 hours apart, will not come close to killing a starter (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Pour off any liquid, discard down to your usual amount and feed.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: After one or two feeds it should rise as usual.
More on this:Reviving a neglected starter
Easy to fix
Weeks or months: a few days of warm feeds
A starter forgotten in the fridge is almost always alive, just very hungry. The longer it sat, the longer it takes: after a few weeks, 2 to 4 days of feeds; after months, up to a week.
Do this now
- Pour off the liquid and scrape away any dried or discoloured starter.
- Take 50 g from the middle into a clean jar and feed it 50 g unbleached flour and 50 g warm, not hot, water.
- Keep it at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C) and repeat every 12 hours.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Any rise or bubbles after the first two feeds means it is alive. It is back when it doubles within 4 to 8 hours.
More on this:Reviving a neglected starter
Easy to fix
Dried into a block: crumble, soak and feed
A little starter left for a very long time can dry into a hard, chalky block. King Arthur’s advice is to break it up, add water and feed it daily; if three or four days bring no growth and no bubbles, start over and stir some of the old starter into the new.
Do this now
- Crumble or grind it and soak it in twice its weight of lukewarm water until it dissolves.
- Stir in flour equal to its weight and keep it warm.
- Feed it every day.
Look again in 24 hours.
What to expect: Expect little for a day or two.
More on this:Reviving dried starterReviving a neglected starter
Start a new one
Heat has almost certainly killed it
Yeast dies at 140°F (60°C), and a starter suffers well below that, King Arthur says. A jar left in an oven that was then switched on is almost certainly dead.
Do this now
- Start again from a dried backup, a spoonful of a friend’s starter, or flour and water.
What to expect: Next time the jar sits in the oven to keep warm, tape a note to the oven door.
More on this:Make a new starterKeep a dried backup
Easy to fix
Frozen: it may well survive
A brief spell in the freezer is not likely to kill a fully developed starter: King Arthur thawed one after three days, and it rose well after a second feed. A long freeze does damage the yeast.
Do this now
- Thaw it at room temperature, then feed it as usual.
- Give it two or three feeds before you judge it.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Sluggish at first is normal. For a backup that keeps for months, dry a spoonful rather than freezing it.
More on this:Drying instead of freezing
Nothing is wrong
A metal spoon does no harm
Stirring with a metal spoon or keeping the starter in a stainless steel bowl will not kill it (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Carry on as usual; just do not keep it in copper or aluminum.
More on this:Choosing a jar
Nothing is wrong
Wrong amounts: no harm done
Too much or too little flour or water will not kill a starter. It may look too thick or too thin, and not rise the way you expect, for a feed or two (King Arthur).
Do this now
- Even out the consistency with a little more flour or water.
- Weigh the next feed; the feeding calculator gives the grams for any ratio.
More on this:Starter feeding calculatorFeeding ratios
Easy to fix
Dried flakes: soak, then feed for 3 to 7 days
Dried starter comes back reliably, but slowly at first.
Do this now
- Soak the flakes in twice their weight of lukewarm water, stirring now and then, until they dissolve, about 3 hours.
- Stir in flour equal to the flakes’ weight and keep it warm.
- Then feed 1:1:1 twice a day.
Look again in 12 hours.
What to expect: Little for a day or two, then rising. It is ready when it doubles within 4 to 8 hours.
More on this:Reviving dried starter
Nothing is wrong
A bought starter: follow the maker’s steps
The maker knows its own culture, so follow the steps that came with it. A dried one usually takes 3 to 7 days to wake; a fresh one is usually quicker.
Do this now
- Feed it the way the maker says, somewhere warm, with the level marked on the jar.
What to expect: It is ready to bake with when it doubles within about 6 to 8 hours of a feed.
More on this:The signs it is readyA starter someone gave you
Nothing is wrong
Not ready yet
Under double, with a flat top and few bubbles, it is still rising.
Do this now
- Give it more time, somewhere warm.
Look again in 2 hours.
What to expect: Look for doubled, domed and bubbly all through.
More on this:The signs it is ready
Ready to use
Ready: use it now
Doubled or more, domed and bubbly all through is the moment to mix it into dough or build your levain. Shortly after the peak is fine too; it will be a little more sour.
Do this now
- Weigh what your recipe needs, or build a levain with the feeding calculator.
- Feed what is left, so it is ready next time.
More on this:Work out the levainWhy the rise matters more than the float test
The causes, most common first
Each row is a different starter. Match yours by what you can see, then change one thing at a time.
| Cause | How you can tell | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Too cool | The kitchen is below about 70°F (21°C); it rises, but slowly | A spot at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C), or lukewarm water in the feed |
| Still young | Under two weeks old; a quiet spell on days 3 to 5 is normal | Keep feeding, twice a day once it rises at all |
| Just out of the fridge | Kept cold for a week or more | One or two feeds at room temperature before you bake |
| Missed feeds | Liquid on top, a sharp smell, days or weeks unfed | A few days of feeds every 12 hours somewhere warm |
| It peaked while you were away | Streaks on the glass above the starter | Check sooner, or feed at a higher ratio so it peaks later |
| Fed too rarely, or long after its peak | Sluggish even in a warm kitchen | Feed twice a day, at the peak, for a few days |
| Too runny | Bubbles, but the level hardly moves | Weigh the feeds; a little more flour for a feed or two |
| Only bleached white flour | No whole grain in the feed | Unbleached flour with 10 to 20% whole wheat or rye |
| Heavily chlorinated water | A new starter that stays slow | Filtered water; a carbon filter also removes chloramine |
| A new flour | You changed what you feed it | Keep going: it adjusts within two or three feeds |
How long a rise takes
Temperature and the feeding ratio set the time. In King Arthur’s test at about 78°F (26°C), a healthy starter fed 1:1:1 peaked in about 4 to 6 hours, 1:2:2 in about 8 and 1:4:4 in about 12; cooler, and every one of those stretches out. Brod & Taylor give these feeding intervals for an established starter fed 1:4:4 and kept at a set temperature: starting points, not a promise of when yours will peak.
| Temperature | Feed interval |
|---|---|
| 68°F (20°C) | 24 hours |
| 54°F (12°C) | 48 hours |
| 50°F (10°C) | 72 hours |
| 45°F (7°C) | 120 hours |
A slow rise in a cool kitchen is not a sick starter: the same feed simply takes longer.
Bubbles but no rise
Bubbles mean the yeast is working. If the level still hardly moves, look at the thickness: a starter that has ended up too wet may not rise the way you expect, King Arthur says, and a little more flour corrects it. Weigh the feeds rather than using cups; a cup of starter and a cup of flour weigh very different amounts.
Rye and whole wheat starters are thicker, and rye in particular makes a paste that rises less visibly. Judge those by bubbles all through and a domed top rather than height alone (what each flour does).
Make the rise easy to see
Then you can tell a slow starter from one that peaked while you slept.
- Use a clear, straight-sided jar, so height means volume.
- Right after feeding, put a rubber band at the level of the starter.
- Put a second band at twice that height, as King Arthur does.
- Look at 4, 8 and 12 hours. Streaks on the glass above the starter mean it rose and fell.
A routine that wakes up a slow starter
King Arthur brings back a sluggish starter this way:
- Take 50 g of starter from the middle of the jar into a clean jar.
- Add 50 g unbleached all-purpose flour (5 to 10 g of it can be whole wheat or rye) and 50 g warm, not hot, water.
- Stir, mark the level and leave it at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C).
- Repeat every 12 hours, discarding down to 50 g each time.
- When it doubles within 6 to 8 hours of a feed, it is ready to bake with.
The feeding calculator scales the same kind of feed to the levain your recipe needs.
When to start again
Slowness alone is no reason to give up. Start again straight away only for fuzzy mold, pink or orange streaks, or a smell that is not the usual sour or alcohol smell (how to tell). Otherwise our rough limit is a week of warm, twice-daily feeds with no bubbles and no rise; King Arthur gives three or four days for a starter that has dried into a hard block. A new starter takes a week or two, and a spoonful from a friend’s is faster still.
Questions bakers ask
Why is my starter bubbly but not rising?
It is alive. Most often it is too wet: weigh the feeds and add a little more flour for a feed or two. A rye starter also rises less visibly, so judge it by bubbles and a domed top.
My new starter rose on day 2 and then stopped. Is it dead?
No. That early rise is mostly bacteria; as the starter turns acidic they die back and the jar goes quiet until the yeast takes over, usually a few days later. Keep feeding.
How long should a starter take to double?
About 4 to 8 hours after a 1:1:1 feed at 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C). Higher ratios such as 1:5:5, and cooler kitchens, take longer.
Can I bake with a starter that has not doubled?
You can, but the dough will rise more slowly. If it rose by half, expect a longer bulk fermentation.
Equipment for this job
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
Drawn to its outside size
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale
For seeing the display past a wide bowl
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food ScaleA pull-out display helps keep the reading visible under larger containers.
11 lb (5.0 kg), reads in 1 g steps