Question 1. Is it new or established?
A new starter has yet to rise reliably after comparable feeds. If it swelled on day two and barely moves later in the week, the first rise may have been an early burst. Continue the creation method you chose and watch the jar between feeds. A few surface bubbles and a brief rise are observations, while readiness requires a more repeatable pattern. [4] [1]
With an established starter, find the most recent feed that behaved normally. What changed since then? A chilly counter, a higher feeding ratio, a switch in flour or a long rest in the fridge are better leads than the bubbles alone. If the jar has spent a long time unfed, use the recovery guide for an established culture.
Question 2. Did you miss the rise?
Look for a clean high-water line above the current surface. A starter can look flat at breakfast even when it rose in the middle of the night. The residue is more useful if you scraped the walls above your starting mark after feeding. Old smears are harder to interpret. If the evidence is unclear, try a daytime feed so you can read the jar at two points before the next scheduled refresh.
Mark the starting height on a straight-sided jar. Note the level at the next check, even if it is unchanged. A change from 20 mm to 24 mm is a 20% rise in a straight-sided jar. That is easier to compare than writing “a bit bubbly” twice. With an irregular jar, compare photos or use a straight-sided container for the next feed.
Match the symptom to one experiment
| What you observe | What may explain it | What to do at the next feed |
|---|---|---|
| New starter rose once, then went quiet | Early activity before a stable pattern | Keep following the creation method and record successive feeds. |
| Jar looks flat and has a fresh line above the surface | A rise happened between checks | Feed earlier so you can watch the climb and fall. |
| Familiar flour and ratio, colder counter | The same feed may take longer | Compare the temperature with a normal feed before changing the ingredients. |
| Bubbles through a much looser mixture | A change in how gas is held | Weigh the feed and compare with your usual flour and hydration. |
| You switched to a much larger feed | A different rise window | Repeat the previous ratio with the same flour and location. |
| The starter spent weeks unfed in the fridge | The established culture may need several refreshments | Inspect first and use a documented recovery method if the jar passes that check. |
A warmer spot can be worth testing if you found that the jar was colder than usual. Choose a steady room-temperature location and measure it. Avoid guessing from the thermostat across the room. If you warm the jar and change flour at the same time, you lose the comparison you need.
Two cases that can look identical at breakfast
Illustrative case A. On day four, a new starter shows scattered bubbles and hardly moves from the line. It rose dramatically on day two and has yet to repeat that rise. Keep the creation method steady. Record whether the next few feeds show progressively more activity, and check the temperature if the kitchen feels cool. The single early rise is too little evidence to schedule a loaf.
Illustrative case B. A mature culture fed at 20:00 looks flat at 07:00. There is a fresh band on clean glass above the surface. The next feed starts earlier on a day when the baker is home. Watching it rise and recede would help distinguish a missed peak from a sluggish culture. Once the baker has a usable baseline, they can test a later peak with a different ratio if their schedule needs one.
Crispy Crust’s planned feed history is designed to keep those comparisons in one place. A note such as “22°C, same flour, higher line before breakfast” gives you more to work with than a reminder that only tells you a feed happened.
Keep the next comparison small
Change one variable and name it in your notes before you feed. For example, “same flour and ratio, warmer spot” gives you a clear comparison. Record the next reading at about the same point after feeding. If the difference disappears on a repeat feed, you have a reason to keep observing before changing your routine again.
When to wait and when to change course
Give a new, uncontaminated starter time to establish a reliable pattern and follow the method you chose. For a mature culture, reassess if similar feeds at an appropriate room temperature keep showing little activity. Check your scale, flour, feed ratios and storage history before building a dough around it. If the starter remains unreliable, move the bake or use a known healthy culture. Discard any jar that develops signs of contamination. [1] [2]