We're so glad to hear that you gave this recipe a try, Joanna! There's a couple of reasons why the bread might not have risen as expected. As you mentioned, the starter could have been unripe, we'd recommend checking out our Ripe sourdough starter blog article for great visuals on what ripe starter should look like. Another reason that the bread could have been a bit dense is if it over-proofed which can cause the loaf to collapse. You sure can use rye starter here, just keep in mind that whole grain and rye starters will ripen faster than those maintained with white flour, so keep a close eye on it. We hope this helps and happy baking! 

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