Sourdough Doesn’t Rise: That Could be the Reason

If your sourdough isn’t rising properly, it’s usually due to the room temperature at which the dough is fermenting. In some cases, the problem is simply a lack of patience.

Reasons why the sourdough won’t rise

Basically, it is not difficult to prepare a delicious sourdough, for example, to bake bread. However, sometimes problems arise.

• In most cases, the sourdough does not rise because it ferments at too low a room temperature.
• The optimal temperature for this process is between 25 and 30 degrees.
• Although you can also prepare sourdough at temperatures lower than 25 degrees, the dough then takes longer and develops more acetic acid bacteria. This can adversely affect the taste.
• For this reason, it is best to place the dough covered on a heater or in a cupboard for proofing in winter.
• In summer, the dough also ferments well in the shade. Here you should also cover it with a cloth so that no insects crawl in or so that the dough does not dry out.

How to prepare sourdough correctly

To make a delicious sourdough, you usually need five steps that you work through in five days.

• For the first step, mix 100 g flour and 100 ml water together and mix the ingredients well. Make sure that your work materials are clean. Cover the bowl loosely with a tea towel and let the dough rise for 12 hours. Then stir it for the first time.
• After another 12 hours, the dough is fed for the first time. This means that you add 100 g of flour and 100 ml of water to the mixture again and mix everything well. Then set the dough aside again, covered, to proof.
• On days three and four, repeat feeding the dough in the same manner as day two.
• From day five, the dough should be well-proofed and have bubbled properly. Then it is also ready to be baked.
• If you want to make sourdough again at a later date, it makes sense to keep 50 grams of the so-called starter. You can keep this in a tall glass in the fridge. Keep him there for more than a week, feeding him a tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of flour in between.