Cold weather starter
So the temperatures in my area dropped suddenly last week and I'm having a hell of a time trying to adjust the timing and ratio to feed my starter. A once a day feed seems too long (is soupy the next day), but a 12 hour feed doesn't seem long enough. I've tried bumping it to 1:6:6 for a one day feed schedule, and also dialed it back to a 1:2:2 for a 12 hour twice a day feed schedule. Neither seems to work well for me, and I can't seem to get the starter to triple anymore (I hit doubling, but not always on the 12 hour schedule).
Just looking for tips for how to maintain my starter in a way where it's robust enough for bread baking (I've had a few underproofed loaves while trying to adjust to the cooler weather). My kitchen is between 60-65 degrees F in the winter. I am feeding with 80% bread flour and 20% rye. In the summer I was using AP flour and it was fine, but I changed it bc it looked like it needed more help.
Thank you so much for any insight!
You need to either find a warm spot for your starter, or create one. Something like transparent storage container and pet heating pad with a digital temperature controller will do the trick.
You should be able to get the timing perfect, even at 60-65dF.
A few suggestions, comments.
0. A ratio of seed to flour/water should exist for 8, 12, or 24 hour perfectly timed feedings at 60-65dF. Keep experimenting.
0.5: Adjusting the temp is ok too, but it is not necessary, do what is most conveinent. Using hot or cold water is another way to slightly adjust timing.
1. IMO, doubling of the 80% bread flour starter is not a good indication of a healthy starter. If it tripled, then I would say it is healthy.
2. Everytime you let your starter get soupy, you are setting its health back quite a bit... It could take a 2-3 feedings before it is fully recouperated.
3. You are better of feeding it too early vs. too late.
4. You can go very very low on your seed ratio without hurting the results. My starter triples twice a day. I feed it a heaping 1/8 cup hard red wheat and 1/8 cup water. The only seed that is used is the sourdough I am unable to scrap out of the reused jar from the previous starter, about 1 teaspoon.
5. My suggestion is to watch it like a hawk for 3 or 4 days adjusting your ratio and feeding at peak height, or something slightly before. Write down the times. Keep in mind that at first you will get inconsistent results if you had recently let the starter get soupy, as it will need to recouperate first.
6. One more thing... I have a suspicion that Rye might not be a good starter ingredient for 24 hour feedings. It tends to break down pretty quickly. For 12 hour feedings it would be fine. I am not 100% certain of this suspicion.
There is a very inventive way to keep the temperature (almost) constant with the help of a Thermos container!
This way you can keep the starter on 80° F.
You can see how to do on : https://redzuurdesem.be/zuurdesem-op-temperatuur-houden-in-een-thermos/
Google translate can help you to understand it. But I think the pictures tells almost the whole story.
Thank you for all the helpful answers! I was able to dig up a small cooler and a hot water bottle. The cooler comes with a basket that nests near the opening, so I've been testing out a set up with the hot water bottle sitting in the basket with the starter jar safely below it. I'm hoping this works as a low tech, non electricity solution for the winter. I wouldn't have thought to do it without these answers, so thanks!
I have similar temperatures indoors here in the UK from about mid october onwards - 12 hrs is fine for my starter at these temps -enough to more than double (not quite triple) and get nicely bubbly, but I'm feeding with 50% wholemeal organic rye and 50% white organic rye- 50g flour total to 50ml water. about twice the flour to starter - so that would be 1:2:2 , I guess?
actually, is it necessary for it to triple? I've just started to get into sourdough and was under the impression that doubling was fine? I've generally had a good rise and crumb (for a beginner) in my bakes using starter that is around the double mark.
Double, triple, quadruple, irrelevant. Max height, whatever that happens to be - relevant. Enjoy!