The Weekly Rise - Issue No. 001

A few days ago, someone posted a picture of a starter that “wasn’t doing anything.” The comments came pouring in.

“It’s dead.”

“Start over.”

“Feed it rye.”

“Put it in the oven with the light on.”

The truth? None of us could honestly answer the question from one picture.

That got me thinking about how often we look for one “right answer” in sourdough. We want someone to tell us exactly what to do. But the best bakers aren’t the ones who memorize the most rules—they’re the ones who learn to observe.

This week, I want to help you become a better observer.

Stop Judging Your Starter by One Feeding

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people making decisions after watching their starter for just one feeding.

Maybe it only rose 50%.

Maybe it took eight hours instead of four.

Maybe it smelled different.

That single feeding tells you almost nothing by itself.

Instead, start looking for patterns.

Here’s what I pay attention to:

Does it rise after every feeding? Even if it’s slow, consistent activity is a good sign.

How long does it take to peak? Write it down. You’ll start to notice that your starter has a rhythm. In my kitchen, that rhythm changes with the seasons.

What happens after it peaks? A healthy starter doesn’t just rise—it eventually stops, then slowly falls as it runs out of food. If you’ve never watched it all the way through a feeding cycle, you don’t really know your starter yet.

How does it smell? Freshly fed starter smells like wet flour. As it matures, the aroma changes. Some days it’s sweet like yogurt. Other days it’s more tangy. Those changes are normal.

The goal isn’t to make your starter behave like someone else’s. The goal is to learn what healthy looks like in your kitchen.

Question:

“My starter has bubbles, but it hasn’t doubled after feeding. Should I keep feeding it, or do I need to start over?” — Karen, Blue Ridge Sourdough Community

Answer:

Karen, this is one of the most common questions I see, and the good news is that bubbles are a sign your starter is alive.

Before you think about starting over, take a closer look at what your starter is telling you.

Is it rising at all, even if it’s only 25–50%? Does it have bubbles throughout the jar? Does it smell pleasantly tangy, yeasty, or a little like yogurt? Those are all signs that fermentation is happening.

Now let’s think about what might be slowing it down. Has your kitchen been cooler than usual? Did you switch to a different flour? Are you using a larger feeding ratio, like 1:5:5 instead of 1:1:1? All of those can increase the time it takes your starter to reach its peak.

One thing I encourage every baker to do is stop judging a starter by one feeding. Watch it over several days. Healthy starters have patterns. They rise, reach a peak, and eventually fall. Learning that rhythm is much more valuable than chasing a specific timeline.

If your starter has been fed consistently for several days, isn’t showing any rise, has no bubbles, or develops mold or an unpleasant odor, then it’s time to troubleshoot further. But if it’s bubbling and showing some activity, I’d keep feeding it and give it time.

Remember: A healthy starter doesn’t have to be the fastest starter. It just needs to be active and consistent.

You feed your sourdough starter at 8:00 AM using a 1:1:1 feeding ratio.

Your kitchen is 72°F.

By 2:00 PM, your starter has:

• Risen about 75%
• Lots of bubbles throughout the jar
• A rounded, slightly domed top
• A pleasant tangy aroma

You check it again at 5:00 PM, and it’s just starting to flatten on top.

Question:

If you wanted to bake bread tomorrow morning, when would you be most likely to feed this starter again?

A. Right now, because it didn’t double.
B. Wait until tomorrow morning, just before mixing your dough.
C. Feed it after it has peaked and begun to fall so it has time to build strength before tomorrow’s bake.
D. Feed it every four hours until bedtime.

This Week’s Printable

Is My Starter Healthy?

One of the biggest challenges for new bakers is figuring out whether a starter needs more time, more food, or simply less worrying.

That’s exactly why I created the Is My Starter Healthy? flowchart.

Instead of guessing, you’ll answer a series of simple questions that help you decide what to do next based on what your starter is actually telling you.

Print it and keep it with your baking supplies, or save it on your phone so it’s there the next time your starter has you scratching your head.

This week I have a challenge for you.

The next time you feed your starter, don’t just mark the level with a rubber band.

Write down:

• Time you fed it
• Kitchen temperature
• Flour you used
• Feeding ratio
• Time it peaked
• Time it started falling

Do that for three feedings. I think you’ll be surprised how much you learn about your own starter. Those notes become incredibly valuable the next time something seems “off.”

If you do the challenge, I’d love to hear what you notice.

People often ask why I sell dehydrated sourdough starter.

The answer is personal.

My original starter had been with me for years. It had baked countless loaves and had become part of my weekly routine. Then Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina.

Like so many others, we were dealing with power outages and the challenges that came after the storm. In the middle of everything else, I lost my starter.

It may sound silly to someone who doesn’t bake, but I was genuinely heartbroken. A healthy starter isn’t just flour and water—it’s time, care, and every loaf you’ve baked along the way.

That’s one of the reasons I started making dehydrated backups.

Now I always keep one tucked away, and I encourage other bakers to do the same. I hope you never need it, but if life throws you an unexpected curveball, you’ll be grateful it’s there.

Sometimes the smallest bit of preparation can save you from starting over.

This week I’ve been testing two different gluten-free sandwich loaf recipes side by side.

One of them reached full proof almost two hours earlier than the other.

Now comes the fun part—seeing whether that faster proof translates into better oven spring, crumb, and texture after baking.

It’s a good reminder that faster isn’t always better. Sometimes the best recipe isn’t the one that finishes first—it’s the one that gives you the loaf you’re hoping for.

Have you ever been told to “use your starter when it doubles”?

It’s one of the most common pieces of sourdough advice—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

Next week, we’re diving into what peak really means.

You’ll learn why some healthy starters barely double while others triple, how to recognize peak by more than just height, and why the flour you use, your feeding ratio, and even your kitchen temperature all influence what peak looks like.

Most importantly, I’ll show you how to stop chasing the clock and start reading your starter with confidence.

Once you understand peak, you’ll make better decisions about when to mix your dough—and that one skill can improve every loaf you bake.

Until then, pay attention to your next feeding. Don’t stop watching when your starter doubles. Watch what happens after that. You might be surprised by what your starter is trying to teach you.

Thanks for spending a little time with me this week. I hope you learned something new and found a bit of inspiration for your next bake.

See you next week!

Happy Baking!

The Baker's Challenge Answer

C. Feed it after it has peaked and begun to fall so it has time to build strength before tomorrow’s bake.

A starter doesn’t have to double to be healthy. In this example, it’s showing all the signs of an active starter: it’s rising, producing bubbles, developing a pleasant aroma, and reaching a peak before beginning to fall. Feeding it after it completes that cycle gives it fresh food and plenty of time to become active again before tomorrow’s bake.

The biggest lesson? Don’t judge your starter by height alone. Watch the entire cycle. That’s how you learn its rhythm and build confidence in knowing when it’s ready.