Hi Nathan, I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to respond to your question! As you've been reading, it's not uncommon for a starter that shows an initial burst of activity to go through a subsequent delay in rising. Depending on where you are in the process, you may want to shift to the once a day 2:1:1 feedings with whole grain flour, or continue on with twice a day feedings. While letting your starter go untended for a day or two would likely increase its acidity, which might help activate the yeast, you're also risking that your starter will spoil. If you choose to let it sit, I would at least stir it a few times a day. If your starter is bubbling and showing some rising behavior, then this is a sign that the yeast has begun to kick in. Once the yeast comes into play, then you want to start feeding more frequently and be sure that your feedings line up with the point when the starter is at its peak, or just beginning to fall. This will ensure a healthy and active yeast population. If need be you can adjust the rate of fermentation to line up with when you're best able to replenish your starter by changing the ratio of starter:water:flour, by weight. A smaller percentage of starter as compared to flour and water fed (say 1:2:2) will slow things down a bit, while a larger percentage of starter will speed things up (2:1:1). I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!
April 26, 2020 at 9:42am
In reply to Hi Barb, Like a lot of… by Nathan Takahashi (not verified)
Hi Nathan, I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to respond to your question! As you've been reading, it's not uncommon for a starter that shows an initial burst of activity to go through a subsequent delay in rising. Depending on where you are in the process, you may want to shift to the once a day 2:1:1 feedings with whole grain flour, or continue on with twice a day feedings. While letting your starter go untended for a day or two would likely increase its acidity, which might help activate the yeast, you're also risking that your starter will spoil. If you choose to let it sit, I would at least stir it a few times a day. If your starter is bubbling and showing some rising behavior, then this is a sign that the yeast has begun to kick in. Once the yeast comes into play, then you want to start feeding more frequently and be sure that your feedings line up with the point when the starter is at its peak, or just beginning to fall. This will ensure a healthy and active yeast population. If need be you can adjust the rate of fermentation to line up with when you're best able to replenish your starter by changing the ratio of starter:water:flour, by weight. A smaller percentage of starter as compared to flour and water fed (say 1:2:2) will slow things down a bit, while a larger percentage of starter will speed things up (2:1:1). I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!
Barb