Barb at King Arthur

April 20, 2020 at 11:04am

In reply to by Cooper (not verified)

Hi Cooper, I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond to your question faster, but hope the intervening time has allowed your starter an opportunity to show some progress in rising and bubbling. Often the starter does begin to thin out in texture just prior to the yeast kicking in, so this might have been a good sign. If you're still not seeing any rising, then it may be time to try the alternative feeding routine recommended to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink. This method is based on her observation that increasing the acidity of the starter seems to pave the way for increased yeast activity. Here's the plan:

1. Feed once a day.

2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour. If you don't have these flours available, you can use AP flour. 

3. Feed with a ratio by weight of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part flour. For example, save 1/2 cup starter (4 ounces, 113g) and feed 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water + 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) flour. 

Once your starter is rising predictably you can switch to feeding according to our regular sourdough starter recipe with the twice a day feedings and equal parts by weight of starter, water and AP flour. Don't be surprised if your starter lags a bit each time you switch up its feeding routine, as the organisms need time to adjust, but once the starter is rising predictably with this routine, then you should be good to go! 

I hope this helps! 

Barb

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