The Baker's Hotline

October 15, 2013 at 1:44pm

In reply to by Ilana (not verified)

Have no fear! Storing your starter at room temp AND feeding with a rye flour (lots of minerals!) makes for a very active starter. The acetone odor is only telling you it needs to be fed. However, this is not always interpreted as a bad thing. The sour flavor will be more pronounced, that is for sure. If you are going to continue storing it at room temp, a little vigilance is necessary in the maintenance. If you are baking every day or every other day, continue to store it at room temperature and feed at least every day. Since you are using a whole grains for feeding, more than once a day may be in order. Whole grain starters will go rancid pretty quickly due to the oils from the germ. This is why you will need to keep up on it. If you should see any pinkish or reddish color, discard all of it and begin again. Most of us do not bake every day, so storing in the frig is the way to go with weekly feedings. So, yes, storing your starter in the frig and/or more frequent feedings at room temp will redress the balance. Good luck to you! Elisabeth
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