Okay, I'm new to this process but have day 4 in the books of establishing the starter. My question is what the procedure is the day before I want to bake a loaf of bread. I have read and researched but I would like a detailed steps to take the day or so before baking a simple loaf of sourdough bread.

Thanks

Watching!

My wife says, If you are starting the "starter" from scratch it is not ready to use yet. It will have bad bacteria in it yet. Two to five weeks to get up and running. I would guess temperature and elevation play into the time. If your start doubles in volume two days in a row after you feed it, it is ready. If the starter was given to you, it could be ready depending on its age.
Here is a run down on making starter. It is copied and pasted.
How to make a sourdough starter with once-a-day feedings.
What you need:
Kitchen Scale
Straight-sided glass jar with solid lid Whole Wheat Flour
All Purpose Flour
Water
Day 1: Add 25g Whole Wheat Flour and 25g water to a straight-sided glass jar and mix well. It will be thick. Put the lid on the jar loosely (don’t screw it on all the way) This is so air can’t get into the jar, but gasses can still escape as needed.
Do not use paper towels, coffee filters, or any type of cloth to cover your starter as this can introduce mold or bacteria and can dry your starter out
Day 2: Do nothing
Day 3: You may notice your starter has risen a bit. This is the bacteria battling and is a great sign! Also, it's going to stink, so be prepared. Mix your starter, and then discard 25g of it, leaving you with 25g. During this time you’re going to want to throw your discard in the trash, it's not going to be any good to bake with for the first week to ten days. After you discard, measure 50g water and 50g flour into your jar and mix well. At this point you can switch to AP flour, we just used the WW to give us a kick start since it has more yeasts in it.
Day 4-10: Once a day from here on out discard everything but 25g of starter, and feed it again with 50g water and 50g flour. Mix well. After twelve hours give it a good stir to redistribute any remaining food. You may notice your starter doing nothing for a few days, this is normal, keep going!
After ten days you can start saving your discard in a separate jar and putting it in the fridge with the lid on all the way. There are many “discard” recipes that you can find online. Discard isn’t going to give you the fermentation benefits that your starter will, but it will add a nice tangy flavor and is a great way to use it up without having to throw it away, and it’s good practice!
You’re going to continue to discard and feed daily. After a few weeks, you should notice your starter doubling reliably 6-8 hours after feeding. (We are using a higher ratio so it may take longer than the typical 4-6 hours) At this point, you can start using it in recipes. Keep in mind, it’s still young and may not perform perfectly yet, but every time you bake is a learning opportunity. The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.

Starter stages
First ten days: Infancy and childhood. They’re not going to do much, just let them eat and
grow.
10-20 days old: Teen years. You can try getting em to work, some might, but mostly they'll do their own thing and frustrate you.
3-5 weeks: They're in their 20s. Most of em have their act together and you can bake, some might still be goofing around. Give it time, they'll come around.
5+ weeks: They've made it their 30s and should be fully functioning members of society, providing you with awesome bread, and only getting better with age at this point
I can get you a bread recipe if you want too.

MJM that was awesome!! Lol
Yes, I'm in the toddler stage for sure. What I'm looking for is when the starter is ready to use what do I need to do the day before and the steps to get that dough in the oven.

If you get discouraged....you can always send me 40.00 for some of my 2 year old starter. Shipping and containers are not cheap.

I've sent my starter to Minnesota. And Montana with no.problems.

Feed that starter for 3 weeks before baking..to get it established.

Plus it needs 68 - 70 degrees to get it off the ground

Add tepid water to the starter...no cold water

EVERY ONE HAS THERE OWN WAY OF DOING IT.

Unfortunately if you ask for help many people will answer and most of them will have a different way.

Getting back to your question of what to do when you are ready to use it. What I would do is know your starter as in how long it takes to rise and fall after feeding it. Once I know this I would feed it so it is raised to its maximum at the time you want to use it. (that is how I get my best results.)

4 days is most likely to short of a time to start using it. You should at least let it get established to the point that it is raising 2 to 3 times of in volume of itself in 4 to 6 hours. That way you can reasonably be sure it is well on its way to being a strong starter.

I wouldn't charge you for some starter, I would send you some dehydrated starter for free if you need.

Remember the more people you ask the more different answers you will get.

Good luck!

That is so true.. Everyone has a different path but generally find their way to the end point. I thank you very much for your kind offer and I may ask a few more questions as I get to the final stage.

Starter is simple ....just equal parts of water and flour

100 grams of flour ..add 100 grams of tepid water...let set for 48 hours in a warm spot of the house.

Day 3 ...put a clean bowl on the scale ..pour 100 grams into that clean bowl.

Put the rest down the drain

Put that 100 grams into your starter container

Add to it...100 grams of All Purpose flour

Then add 100 grams of tepid water ...and stir well to mix it up.

Cover and set in a warm area

Repeat every 36 hours for 2 weeks.

Snowy ..it's like having children again....


1-1-1 ratio

It should look bubbly and frothy ...when it's ready for action

If you want to run over snowy I will give you starter and a fresh sourdough pretzel. We can have a loaf of fresh bread too. I am 112 miles east of the new Verision elevator in Williston.

Thanks You MJM for that offer. I actually can get some starter from people we know here where I could get some starter. I'm in this for the challenge and to try something new and to learn. I thank you very much, but it would be ~360 miles one way. Thank You Sir

Here is a picture of my stash tomorrow that is only 4 days old, but it looks very close to yours already. Lots of air pockets and foamy in the morning before I feed the animal.

I was told when a drop of starter is dropped in a glass of water it should float, if it sinks isn't ready yet.

Nessmuck
Containers and shipping isn’t cheap but just dehydrate it and you can send it in an envelope.
Then it’s a lot cheaper.
Now you learnt something new today

So you folks that keep a stash of starter alive, do you discard a cup every time you feed it.

Yes ...remove some starter

You’ll find that you’ll be needing about 300 grams of starter...when your making (2) 750 gram Boules.

And very important ....you don’t want to use all yah Staahtah.

Always bake 2 loafs...it’s too much work for one.

Plus it freezes excellent

I have to feed my Staahtah tonight too

For my needs ....I pour out 200 grams into a clean bowl...and discard the remaining. Clean my starter vessel.

Put that 200 grams into my starter vessel

Add 200 grams of AP flour

Add 200 grams of Tepid water...and stir and mix well..and cover....donor feeding.

Thank you for yah help.

To get the starter really crackin...I mix in 2 tablespoons of Dark Rye flour into the feeding...along with the All Purpose.

Some simple baker math ...when putting bread together

750 grams of Bread Flour ...bread flour has more protein than AP.

70 % hydration ( water ) = 525 grams of tepid water

20% staahtah ..= 150 grams

2% Kosher Salt = 15 grams

That’s it. ...

I like simple, easy, and good :-) . . . Kent Rollins easy starter recipe for the average person :-)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups warm water
1 1/4-ounce package rapid-rise yeast
5 tablespoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 russet potato peeled and cut into thirds
INSTRUCTIONS

Add the warm water to a crock jar that holds at least 1 gallon. This will prevent the starter from frothing over while it’s setting up.
Whisk in the yeast and sugar and let sit for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the flour. You want the consistency like a thin pancake batter, so adjust the water and/or flour if necessary.
Drop the potato pieces into the bottom of the crock jar. Cover with a tea towel and let sit on the counter for at least 12 hours, stirring halfway through. You can let the starter sit for 24 hours for a more sour flavor.
Before using the starter in a recipe, whisk it briskly until smooth.

NOTES
The starter will be sourest with its first use, so you may want to add a little more sugar to the first recipe you use it in. I typically keep this starter for a week at a time, stirring at least once a day. However, you can keep it as long as the potato stays intact. I prefer to use a russet potato because it holds up the best, but you can use any potato you have on hand. Always cover the starter with a towel and never refrigerate it.
Recharging the starter1 1/2 cups warm water1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. When you have used 3 cups of the starter, whisk all the ingredients into the jar. The starter is ready to use again, or you can let it sit for 6 to 12 hours to create a more tart taste.