Sourdough Starter

[Sara268]

I made my starter yesterday with one cup WW flour and one cup warm water... it is already frothy and bubbly today. I haven't even fed it once. Is it considered ready, or should I feed it a few times before baking with it?

[Teenytoona]

It's only been a day, it's not yet ready. I was on KrankedyAnn's site and there was someone saying something about the progression of sourdough and now I cannot find it. I did find this helpful post.

[gen24]

I think it should take 7 days. Everyday you add a cup of flour and some water

[Smokering]

I've had mine going for nearly a week now and it's VERY sluggish! Only the faintest something-other-than-flour-and-water smell, whereas previous batches smelled noticeably yeasty and alcoholic. A few surface bubbles, but no rising and falling. Very annoying! Glad yours is getting a move on.

[Althetrainer]

SD activities

When building a SD starter, it's very normal to see ups and downs in activity levels in the first week. Chances are, you will see a lot of activities in the first two days (especially in hot and humid climate) then suddenly it looks dead. Nothing to worry about, it happens to a lot of new starters. When I built mine a couple of years ago, I really thought my starter was dead by day 4. I kept feeding it and by day 6 it suddenly came to life. By day 7, I made my first loaf and that was a glorious day! My starter has been serving us very well for over two years.

To OP, I don't think the starter is ready if only a couple of days old. It will take a lot more time for it to build the strength. The bubbles built not only on the surface of the starter, but in the middle and the bottom as well. You should be able to smell it too. Just keep feeding it until it will double in volume between 4 - 6 hours. Best of luck!

Al