Hi Peggy, well, the good news is that patience almost always pays off when it comes to creating a sourdough starter from scratch, so eventually your starter is likely to begin to double in size in a predictably fashion. There is definitely no reason to abandon ship at this point! If you don't already have your starter stored in a quart-sized wide mouth canning jar, this type of container will make it easier to see this doubling behavior when it does occur. I would also be sure that your starter is stored in a location that is somewhere in the 70-80F temperature range. While it won't kill the starter to be stored in a cooler location, this could slow down the fermentation process considerably. 

While there is an alternative feeding routine you could try in order to increase the acidity of your starter (which seems to help pave the way for the wild yeast to activate), I'm always a little torn about recommending this to folks that are this far into the process, since your starter may be just on the cusp of more vigorous rising behavior. The fact that you're seeing some rising at this point indicates that the yeast is there, which is definitely a positive sign. 

If you want to try the alternative feeding plan that was suggested to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, it is as follows: 

1. Feed only once a day. 

2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour. 

3. Feed with a ratio of 2 parts starter : 1 part water :1 part wholegrain flour (by weight). For example, your once a day feeding might look like: 113g starter + 57g water + 57g whole wheat flour. 

Once the starter begins rising predictably (twice) it's important to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). You can also gradually transition back to feeding with AP flour over the course of several feedings, and increase the ratio of water and flour to line up closer to the 1:1:1 ratio (by weight) we recommend in our sourdough starter recipe. 

As far as the ratio of ingredients go, keep in mind that when you're feeding your starter twice a day at room temperature ideally you want to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its highest point of rising, or just beginning to fall. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings tends to lead to sluggish yeast behavior. Sometimes in warm conditions the starter will begin to peak very quickly and collapse long before the 12 hour mark. Rather than adding more feedings to your routine it can be helpful to reduce the portion of starter as compared to water/flour fed. Essentially you're offering your starter a relatively larger feeding, which it will take longer to consume and ferment, therby allowing you to line up your feedings closer to the peak. For example in summer months you might find you need to shift into a 1:4:4 ratio by weight, which could look like this: 28g starter + 113g water + 113g starter. 

One more option to consider is reducing the size of your starter, at least until it begins to rise predictably. Any of the above scenarios can be reduced to a maintenance amount of starter that is 60-70g, which will fit nicely in an 8-ounce canning jar. For example, the alternative feeding routine might look like: 30g starter + 15g water + 15g wholegrain flour. Keep in mind that smaller starters are a little more temperature sensitive because they don't have as much padding, so fermentation is likely to happen faster when it's warm and slow down more abruptly when it's cool. 

I know I've thrown a lot of ratios and information at you, so please let me know if you have further questions or concerns! 

Barb

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