A Bake-Keeper Free Printable
Starter Troubleshooting Quicksheet
Scan for what you're seeing right now, then follow across. I highly recommend keeping your starter in the fridge and feeding a portion of it as needed to bake.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | What To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid (hooch) on top | Starter is hungry: it's run out of food | Pour off or stir in for extra tang, then feed right away |
| No rise after feeding | Too cold, too little starter carried over, or exhausted flour | Move somewhere warmer (75 to 80°F); feed with a touch more starter next time |
| Fuzzy or colored mold | Contamination, usually pink, orange, black, or fuzzy green/white | Discard the whole jar and start fresh: don't try to save it |
| Grey/white haze that stirs back in | Just surface yeast & bacteria activity, not mold | Stir it back in and feed as usual |
| Sharp nail-polish / acetone smell | Very hungry, producing excess alcohol | Stir in a couple of spoons of flour. Feed when prepping to bake |
| Sluggish, slower each feeding | Kitchen too cold, or flour ratio too lean | Find a warmer spot, or feed 1:1:1 for a few cycles |
| Rises then collapses before you check it | You caught it past peak | Feed on a schedule that catches it 1 to 2 hrs earlier |
| Bubbly but volume doesn't increase | Weak gluten-forming flour, or a young starter | Give it another week; try a spoon of whole wheat or rye |
| Very runny / soupy | Ratio too heavy on water; hungry starter | Reduce water slightly, or use a stiffer ratio (1:5:5) or (1:10:10) |
| Very stiff, hard to stir | Ratio too heavy on flour, or very absorbent flour | Add a splash more water next feeding |
Still stuck? See the full Sourdough Troubleshooting guide and Sourdough Science pages.
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