Hi Christine, your sourdough starter is certainly not dead as long as it's bubbling! It's actually quite common for sourdough starters to go through a lull in rising as you are experiencing, particularly if you see a vigorous rise early in the process. This early rise is caused by a bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide and seems to be linked to a delay in the wild yeast kicking in. It may be helpful for you to try the alternative feeding routine suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who noticed that decreasing the pH of the starter seemed to pave the way for improved yeast activity. Here's the plan:

1. Feed once a day. 

2. Feed with whole grain flour, if available. 

3. Feed with a ratio of 2:1:1 (starter:water:flour, by weight). For example, you could save 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 57g) starter and feed this 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water and 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) whole wheat flour, once a day.

Once the starter begins to rise predictably (twice), it's important to shift to twice a day feedings, as this will encourage more vigorous yeast activity. You'll also want to shift gradually back to feeding with AP flour, and increase the ratio of water and flour you're feeding your starter with each feeding. The goal is to find a feeding routine that allows you to feed the starter twice a day at room temperature without allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings (which can lead to sluggish yeast activity). Sometimes this means slowing down fermentation a bit by offering a larger feeding (1:2:2 or even 1:3:3, by weight). Temperature also plays an important part in the rate of fermentation, so cooling things down a bit may be helpful if you find your starter is rising and falling very quickly between feedings. 85ºF may be causing things to happen faster than you can keep up with, so using cooler water and finding a slightly cooler spot for your starter to dwell may make your feeding routine more manageable. 

Once your starter is rising predictably with this new feeding routine, then you can consider it mature! I know it sounds like a lot, but the ideal is for you to find a room temperature feeding routine that works for you and your starter. Your starter is well on its way, and just needs a little tweaking to get it over the finish line. Good luck and let us know how it goes! 

Barb

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