Hi Ian, I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond to your question in a more timely fashion! I was away for a few weeks. I'm hoping your starters have rebounded since you reached out, and are back to their usual aroma and rising behavior, but if this is not the case then changing up your feeding routine might be helpful. If your home is consistently below 21C (70F), it may be helpful to find a slightly warmer spot for your starters to dwell. A microwave can make a great substitute proof box with a cup of boiling water placed in there to warm up the small space. If you don't have a microwave, a picnic cooler or styrofoam box can be used in a similar way. An oven with just the light on can sometimes work, but be careful it doesn't go much higher than 26C (80F). Once your starters are rising again, I would begin more frequent feedings, being careful to feed your starters when they are at their peak of rising, or just beginning to fall, which helps keep yeast activity vigorous. Allowing the starters to fall significantly between feedings can lead to sluggish yeast behavior, which sounds like what might be happening with your starters. You didn't mention the ratio of ingredients in your feeding routine, but if need be you can adjust the amount of starter relative to water/flour fed to help you line up your twice a day feedings closer to the peak. A starter that is fed with a smaller percentage of starter compared to water/flour (by weight) tends to take longer to ripen and reach its peak, while a starter that is fed equal parts starter:water:flour (1:1:1) by weight will tend to ripen more rapidly.
I imagine that a few days of diligent twice a day feedings in the 21-26C (70-80F) range will get your starters lively again, but let us know how it goes!
August 31, 2020 at 8:29am
In reply to Hi I have 2 starters that… by Ian Finnan (not verified)
Hi Ian, I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond to your question in a more timely fashion! I was away for a few weeks. I'm hoping your starters have rebounded since you reached out, and are back to their usual aroma and rising behavior, but if this is not the case then changing up your feeding routine might be helpful. If your home is consistently below 21C (70F), it may be helpful to find a slightly warmer spot for your starters to dwell. A microwave can make a great substitute proof box with a cup of boiling water placed in there to warm up the small space. If you don't have a microwave, a picnic cooler or styrofoam box can be used in a similar way. An oven with just the light on can sometimes work, but be careful it doesn't go much higher than 26C (80F). Once your starters are rising again, I would begin more frequent feedings, being careful to feed your starters when they are at their peak of rising, or just beginning to fall, which helps keep yeast activity vigorous. Allowing the starters to fall significantly between feedings can lead to sluggish yeast behavior, which sounds like what might be happening with your starters. You didn't mention the ratio of ingredients in your feeding routine, but if need be you can adjust the amount of starter relative to water/flour fed to help you line up your twice a day feedings closer to the peak. A starter that is fed with a smaller percentage of starter compared to water/flour (by weight) tends to take longer to ripen and reach its peak, while a starter that is fed equal parts starter:water:flour (1:1:1) by weight will tend to ripen more rapidly.
I imagine that a few days of diligent twice a day feedings in the 21-26C (70-80F) range will get your starters lively again, but let us know how it goes!
Barb