Hi Nate, I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble getting your starter to rise consistently! It's not uncommon for a fledgling starter to go through a lull in rising that can go on for several days, although often this lull comes after an initial burst of activity on day 1 or 2, so I'm a bit surprised at the timeline of rising/lull that you report. In any case, the good news is that patience almost always pays off with sourdough starters, and even if you continue exactly as you're doing, eventually the starter organisms will fall into place and perform as they should. One option you could try is to simple reduce the size of your starter, which will save on flour until your starter begins to rise predictably. Our smaller starter recipe calls for maintaining about 60g of starter, which fits nicely in a wide mouth 8-ounce canning jar. If your house happens to be cool this time of year (below 70F) you may also see a boost of activity if you find a slightly warmer spot for your starter to dwell (75-80F). If you'd like to take a more proactive approach you might also want to modify your feeding routine like this:

1. Feed only once a day

2. Feed with whole-grain flour (whole wheat or whole rye)

3. Feed with a ratio of 2:1:1 (starter:water:flour, by weight). For example, if you adopted our smaller starter routine, your once a day feeding would look like: 30g starter + 15g water + 15g wholegrain flour. 

This alternative feeding routine is meant to increase the acidity of the starter, which can be helpful in paving the way for the wild yeast. Once your starter begins to rise predictably, you'll want to resume twice a day feedings (which will further promote yeast activity). I would also recommend gradually transitioning back to AP flour over the course of several feedings, and increasing the feeding amount to something more like the 1:1:1 (starter:water:flour, by weight) routine we suggest in our sourdough starter recipe. 

Keep in mind that once your starter begins to rise consistently you want to replenish (feed) it when it's at its highest point of rising, or just beginning to fall, which will keep the yeast more vigorous. Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings can end up leading to sluggish yeast behavior. 

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

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