Hi Yuri, when your starter begins to rise predictably it's important to start feeding twice a day at room temperature (which will further promote yeast activity). However, I'm not sure if what you saw was predictable rising behavior or not (since that early rise on day 2 may have actually been a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide rather than true yeast activity). Let's assume, however, that the yeast tried to kick in a little later, but got sluggish due to infrequent feedings; in this case stepping up your feeding routine to twice a day feedings might help turn it around. You didn't mention whether you're feeding by weight, and what your room temperature is, but I'm assuming it's warm where you live, so feeding twice a day might well improve yeast activity.
Keep in mind that both the temperature and the relative size of the feeding (amount of water/flour fed, as compared to starter) affect the rate of fermentation, and your ultimate goal is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings isn't ideal for starter health, and will lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
If you begin feeding with our recommended twice a day feedings with the 1:1:1 ratio, by weight and you notice that the starter is peaking and falling well before it's due for another feeding, then you might consider adjusting the ratio of ingredients to something more like 1:2:2, or even 1:3:3 (starter:water:flour, by weight). Feeding a relatively smaller percentage of starter a larger meal (more water/flour, as compared to starter), tends to slow down fermentation, which should allow you to feed your starter closer to the peak at the 12 hour mark. And you're correct, feeding with cooler water can also be helpful to slow down fermentation.
You're still fairly early in the process though, so we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. If your starter doesn't respond well to the twice a day feedings within 3-4 days, let me know and we can troubleshoot further. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
May 27, 2020 at 12:01pm
In reply to Hi! My starter is 6 day old,… by Yuri (not verified)
Hi Yuri, when your starter begins to rise predictably it's important to start feeding twice a day at room temperature (which will further promote yeast activity). However, I'm not sure if what you saw was predictable rising behavior or not (since that early rise on day 2 may have actually been a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide rather than true yeast activity). Let's assume, however, that the yeast tried to kick in a little later, but got sluggish due to infrequent feedings; in this case stepping up your feeding routine to twice a day feedings might help turn it around. You didn't mention whether you're feeding by weight, and what your room temperature is, but I'm assuming it's warm where you live, so feeding twice a day might well improve yeast activity.
Keep in mind that both the temperature and the relative size of the feeding (amount of water/flour fed, as compared to starter) affect the rate of fermentation, and your ultimate goal is to find a twice a day feeding routine that allows you to replenish your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings isn't ideal for starter health, and will lead to sluggish yeast behavior.
If you begin feeding with our recommended twice a day feedings with the 1:1:1 ratio, by weight and you notice that the starter is peaking and falling well before it's due for another feeding, then you might consider adjusting the ratio of ingredients to something more like 1:2:2, or even 1:3:3 (starter:water:flour, by weight). Feeding a relatively smaller percentage of starter a larger meal (more water/flour, as compared to starter), tends to slow down fermentation, which should allow you to feed your starter closer to the peak at the 12 hour mark. And you're correct, feeding with cooler water can also be helpful to slow down fermentation.
You're still fairly early in the process though, so we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. If your starter doesn't respond well to the twice a day feedings within 3-4 days, let me know and we can troubleshoot further. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Barb