Hi Kristy, it's hard to say exactly what happened without a little more information, but I'm always reluctant to suggest using the oven with the light on as a rising environment for starter or bread dough. That's because the temperature in there can creep up to 100°F, which is really higher than is desirable. For best results, I would try not to go over 80°F for the dough, and the starter itself should be fine at between 68-72°F. What might have happened to your second batch is that the warmer environment led to over-fermentation, which could have contributed to a pour rise. Alternatively, if your starter wasn't very active when you added it to the recipe, this could have caused it not to rise well.  Another possibility has to do with how you measured your flour. For best results, we recommend either weighing your flour, or using this method to measure your flour by volume. If your dough seemed very stiff and dense, this most likely contributed to it not rising well. For more help troubleshooting, please don't hesitate to contact our Baker's Hotline. We're here M-F from 9am-7pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST, and the number to call is 855-371-BAKE (2253). You can also talk to us via CHAT. 

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