Q & A: Bread Starter Separating
By Melissa
Q: Melissa, I found your site when I was trying to find answers to me starter questions. I am not sure if you can help me or not, but you seem to know a lot about it.
I have been trying to make my own starter and am having issues with it “separating”. I am wondering if it is too hot right now to be doing this. I have used yeast, milk, sugar and flour. I made sure not to use any metal and I have it in a Hefty bag. The first day it looked good, but today, it has liquid on top and smells like alcohol. The temperatures here have been in the 90s. I had made a batch previously and left it on the counter, but it kept getting the liquid on it and smelled like alcohol so I threw it away. This time I tried to put it in an insulated cooler (no ice) to help regulate the temperature, but it separated the very next day. Is this the wrong time of year to be doing this, or am I doing something else wrong?
Thank you for your assistance.
- Tammy
A: Hi! Don’t worry! It is perfectly normal for your starter to separate. Each day you can just stir it with a wooden spoon and mix it back together or if you’re using a baggie to keep your starter, squish the baggie around mixing the starter together.
Whether you are making a traditional wheat flour based starter, Amish Friendship Bread starter, or a Sweet Sourdough starter, they will all have a tendency to separate. This is not a problem! As long as your starter as a nice sour or fermented smell, and is not growing mold you are okay!
Let me know how your bread turns out!
- Melissa
Chris H.
January 18, 2013 at 12:56 am (128 days ago)Hi there. I made Amish starter for the first time and I am on day 7. I made it from a recipe I found before finding your site… and was wondering about the original recipe I used. It called for water, yeast and flour and letting it ferment with no additional ingredients until day 6 when you add sugar, milk and flour. However, no sugar or milk like many other Amish starter recipes call for on the first day you start it. Will it still turn out okay? Does it impact flavor when you go to bake your bread on day 10? Thank you for your time and the great info on your blog!!
Melissa
January 24, 2013 at 1:56 am (122 days ago)Chris, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back with you sooner – I’ve been on vacation! Anyway, I would imagine that the flavor will not be impacted that much. Of course, I have always used the starter recipe that I posted for Amish Friendship Bread here, but I think that in the end, the sweet yeasty flavor will be just fine. Let me know how it turns out! And if you have any other questions, let me know. Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment. Good luck!