Hi Sherie, if you read through some of the previous comments you'll see that what you're experiencing is a fairly common occurrence, especially when you see an early "false" rise, which is caused by a bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the presence of this type of bacteria seems to be related to a subsequent delay in the wild yeast kicking in. However, this isn't an unsurmountable problem and certainly isn't a reason to start over. Basically you have two choices as to how to proceed. If you continue exactly as you're doing eventually the organisms will work things out and your starter will begin to rise predictably. Patience almost always wins when it comes to creating a sourdough starter. Keeping your starter on the counter at 75°F sounds plenty warm, so no need to stick it in the oven with the light on. 

However, if you're not a particularly patient person, you could try the alternative feeding routine suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who discovered that lowering the pH of the starter environment seems to help pave the way for the wild yeast to join the party. Here's this plan:

1. Feed only once a day. 

2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour, if available. 

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

Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) it's important to resume twice a day feedings, which will further promote yeast activity. You may also want to gradually transition back to feeding with unbleached AP flour, and increase the water/flour portion to line up more with the 1:1:1 ratio (by weight). Ideally you want to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall, which helps keep yeast activity strong. Allowing the starter to collapse significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior.

If you happen to find your starter is peaking after only a few hours and falling before its next scheduled feeding, you may find it helpful to tweak the ratio of ingredients. To that end, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal (less starter as compared to water and flour fed, by weight) will slow down fermentation. For example, you could try a 1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio of starter:water:flour, by weight. A larger meal doesn't necessarily mean that you have to use up more flour, since you can reduce the amount of starter you're feeding. For example a 1:2:2 ratio could look like: 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) starter + 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water + 1 scant cup (4 ounces, 113g) AP flour. 

Don't be surprised if your starter hestitates each time you change its feeding routine, as the organisms need time to adjust to changes, but once your starter is rising predictably with a twice a day feeding routine, and has a pleasant aroma, then you can consider your starter mature and ready for baking bread. 

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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