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Sourdough Troubleshooting
If your sourdough isn’t rising, the cause is almost always one of four things: a weak starter, too-cold dough, not enough time in bulk fermentation, or a dead oven spring. Pick your symptom below for the direct answer and the fix.
The Aliquot Jar Method for Better Sourdough Bulk Fermentation
Stop guessing when bulk fermentation is done. The aliquot jar method uses a small sample of dough to show you exactly when to shape — no over-proofed loaves.
Read more →Can You Add Yeast to Sourdough Starter? What Actually Happens
Yes, you can add yeast to sourdough starter — but it changes the starter's character. Here's the honest trade-off.
Read more →How to Revive an Old Sourdough Starter (Black Hooch and All)
A sourdough starter forgotten in the fridge with dark hooch can almost always be revived in about two days. Here's how.
Read more →Is Sourdough Bread Vegan? What to Look Out For
Traditional sourdough made from just flour, water and salt is vegan — but shop and bakery loaves can hide animal ingredients. Here's exactly what to check.
Read more →Moldy Sourdough Starter: How to Spot It, and When to Toss It
Fuzzy mold on a sourdough starter means one thing: toss the jar and start fresh. Here's how to tell mold from harmless hooch and stop it happening again.
Read more →Sourdough Starter Liquid: What Is Hooch and What Do You Do With It?
Liquid on top of your sourdough starter is hooch — a normal sign it's hungry, not that it's ruined. Here's what it is and what to do with it.
Read more →Sourdough Bread Not Rising? Causes and the Focaccia Rescue
A flat loaf is nearly always weak starter, bad proofing, or dead oven spring — and it still makes the best focaccia.
Read more →Sourdough Starter Not Rising After Feeding: Stage Fixes
A stage-by-stage guide to every not-rising moment: after feeding, at day 5 and 7, in bulk fermentation and in the oven.
Read more →Sourdough Starter Bubbling but Not Rising: The Real Cause
A bubbly starter that never gains volume isn't weak — it's too thin to trap gas. The thick paste test finds it in seconds.
Read more →Sourdough Starter Not Rising: 6 Causes and the Fix That Works
A sourdough starter that isn't rising is almost always a temperature or feeding-ratio problem — not a dead starter.
Read more →Why Is My Sourdough Not Rising? Start Your Diagnosis Here
One diagnostic tree covers every sourdough not rising question: check the starter first, then the dough, then the oven.
Read more →Why Is My Sourdough Starter Not Rising? Root Causes
Why your sourdough starter is not rising: temperature, feeding ratio, chlorine, flour and starter age — diagnosed in order of likelihood.
Read more →Build a starter that rises — from scratch
Most troubleshooting starts long before the first loaf. If you’re fighting a starter that never takes off, these two pages will get you back on track: