Hi Kathleen, I'm sorry to hear you've had such a difficult time getting your starter to rise predictably! By "predictably" I mean that you are confident it will rise in X amount of hours after you feed it at room temperature, so at least 2 days of such behavior. Once the starter is rising in this way then it's important to switch to the twice a day feedings, because the wild yeast will benefit from more regular feedings. I don't know exactly how long it will take for your starter to double after you switch to the AP flour, 1:1:1 ratio, and twice a day feedings, but I'm confident that it will eventually do so. You might want to begin with a little whole wheat flour (maybe 25%) in with the AP flour to help ease your starter into the new routine, and finding a slightly warmer spot may also be helpful. In the meantime you can certainly bake with your starter, but save the naturally leavened bread recipes until your starter is doubling and very active. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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