Reading the Jar: How to Know Your Starter Is Ready

Mark the jar with a rubber band right after feeding. That line is your baseline. When the starter has doubled — a full jar-height above the band — you're at peak.

Peak is the sweet spot. The surface is domed, the sides are latticed with bubbles, and it smells sweet and yeasty, not sharp.

If you wait too long, the dome flattens and then sinks. That's collapse. It'll still bake bread, but it'll be sourer and slower. For predictable timing, catch it on the way up, right at the top.