Hi Katie, it sounds like your cooler temperatures may be slowing things down. Try to find a spot for your starter to dwell that's in the 75-80 degree range. Some people find their oven with the light on hovers at about 80F, or you could try boiling some water on the stove and then placing it in a pyrex cup in your microwave, which will warm up that small space for your starter, at least for a few hours. Replace with more hot water as needed. While it's not necessary to keep a mature starter at such warm temperatures, it can make things happen a bit faster when you're trying to create a starter from scratch. You might also try adding about 25% whole wheat or whole rye flour as part of your flour mixture, at least until your starter is rising predictably. Whole grain flours have more wild yeast present on them, so this might also give your starter a boost. For more help troubleshooting your sourdough starter, please don't hesitate to give our Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-2253. We'd love to talk sourdough with you!
December 3, 2021 at 10:55am
In reply to I started my first starter… by Katie (not verified)
Hi Katie, it sounds like your cooler temperatures may be slowing things down. Try to find a spot for your starter to dwell that's in the 75-80 degree range. Some people find their oven with the light on hovers at about 80F, or you could try boiling some water on the stove and then placing it in a pyrex cup in your microwave, which will warm up that small space for your starter, at least for a few hours. Replace with more hot water as needed. While it's not necessary to keep a mature starter at such warm temperatures, it can make things happen a bit faster when you're trying to create a starter from scratch. You might also try adding about 25% whole wheat or whole rye flour as part of your flour mixture, at least until your starter is rising predictably. Whole grain flours have more wild yeast present on them, so this might also give your starter a boost. For more help troubleshooting your sourdough starter, please don't hesitate to give our Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-2253. We'd love to talk sourdough with you!