Hi Jenny, I'm sorry to hear you're having difficulty getting your starter up and running! I would think that one feeding a day with rye flour should encourage the yeast to join the party, so I would stay the course. However, since it's very warm where you live you might consider going back to the 1:1:1 ratio (starter:water:flour, by weight), since your starter may be getting depleted with the smaller feeding. Switching to rye flour to increase the acidity of the starter and to introduce more wild yeast organisms was a wise move, but sometimes this can initially cause some sluggishness as the starter organisms adjust to their new feeding routine. 

You didn't mention what type of container you have your starter stored in, but in order to see the type of "doubling" behavior we refer to, a straight sided glass jar that is taller than it is wide works well. For our sourdough starter recipe a quart size Mason jar works well. If you happen to have your starter stored in a wide bowl or Tupperware container, this may me making it more difficult for you to observe your starter rising. 

Different types of rye flour will also absorb water differently, so if your starter is extremely stiff or dry, feel free to drizzle a little more water in when you're doing a feeding. Aim for a thick paste, with no dry pockets of flour. 

If you're weary of using up so much flour, you could also consider reducing the size of your starter, at least until your starter begins to rise predictably. A smaller starter fits nicely in an 8-ounce canning jar, and you're once a day feeding could look like this: 20g starter + 20g water +20g rye flour. 

Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) then it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). At that point I would also recommend gradually transitioning over to feeding with unbleached all-purpose flour over the course of several feedings. Once your starter is rising predictably with the twice a day feedings and all-purpose flour then you're ready to bake bread! 

A note about feeding ratios: In a warmer climate such as yours you may find that when you're maintaining your starter at room temperture a 1:1:1 ratio causes the starter to ferment more rapidly than you can keep up with. Ideally you want to feed your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall (which will keep yeast activity vigorous). However, in warmer environments, where fermentation tends to occur more rapidly, this could necessitate feeding your starter 4-5 times a day! In order to slow down the ripening process and help your twice a day feedings line up closer to the peak, offering your starter a relatively larger feeding can be a helpful strategy. For example, you may find that your starter does better with a 1:3:3 ratio, or even 1:4:4. I wouldn't worry about changing any of this until your starter is rising predictably, but once you have it stabilized, pay attention to how much time it takes for it to ripen, and if it seems to be falling significantly between feedings, then that would be a good time to think about adjusting your ratios. 

And don't worry, feeding your starter a relatively larger meal doesn't mean you have to use up more flour, since you can reduce the percentage of starter as compared to water/flour fed. For example, for our starter maintenance routine a 1:4:4 ratio would look like this: 28g starter + 113g water + 113g flour.

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

Barb

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