Hi Keith, patience usually does pay off when it comes to sourdough starters, but I'm surprised that you didn't see more activity with the whole wheat and rye versions of your starter experiment. It's possible that a few more days of feeding with the whole grain flours would yield more vigorous results. In addition, I'm a little concerned that the temperature of your liquid could be causing issues. When you heat up water in the microwave there can be hot spots that are higher in temperature, and yeast will die at 145 degrees. You might want to try leaving a jug of water out at room temperature for feeding your starter, rather than heating the water in this way. If you do use the microwave to heat your water, be sure to stir it well before checking the temperature, and then aim for water in the 75-80 degree range unless your house is very cool. I wouldn't recommend using water over 90 degree. Freezing the flour shouldn't cause any issues, but I would allow your flour to come to room temperature before you use it to feed your starter. For more help troubleshooting your sourdough starter please give our Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-2253. Barb

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