I am on day 4 of BBA's seed culture formula and for some reason there is no sponge activity. All looked good after days 1 through 3. On the 3rd day the sponge doubled. 24 hours into day 4 I have only a 10% rise. Should I repeat day 4? I did use pineapple juice for days 1 and 2. Tap water for days 3 and 4. I believe my tap water is fine as I have used it in the past for starters. Temperature range has been 65-75. Any ideas what the problem could be?
Hello hydestone,
Sorry to hear that your starter isn't starting so well. Here are some ideas:
1. The below-70 part of your temperature range will definitely slow the starter's progress. Can you arrange for it to sit in a spot that is consistently warmer?
2. In spite of starting with pineapple juice, it is possible that the early activity you saw was driven more by bacteria than by yeast. If so, the starter's apparent lack of activity now isn't a problem. It is just in a phase where most of the microorganisms aren't such a gassy bunch. Eventually the pH will drop enough to wake up the yeast and you will start seeing consistent fermentation activity. One possibility to nudge things along would be to go back to the pineapple juice for the liquid in the starter. When you see that the starter is rising and falling in a consistent pattern, switch back to water.
3. You don't say what your water supply is. If you are on city water instead of on a well, maybe, just maybe, the tap water contains enough chlorine or other antibacterial agents that it is decimating your livestock. Even if it didn't appear to harm previous starters.
Do keep feeding it regularly as directed. Don't throw it out, either. Eventually it will be a thriving starter, no matter how sluggish it is right now.
Paul
Thanks for the advice Paul. I will refresh it tonight. My last mix was a 3:1:1 ratio of sponge:flour:water. Do you think I should switch to a 2:1:1 or even a 1:1:1? I will use pineapple juice instead of water. My water is from the town but last refresh I used Poland Springs out of a bottle. I will also throw a few more logs in the woodstove and keep the temp up above 70.
I now have two seed cultures going. The first includes day 4 sponge:unbleached bread flour:pineapple juice in a 2:1:1. The second includes day 4 sponge:unbleached bread flour:tap water in a 1:1:1. Temperature s in mid 70s.
Pineapple Sponge 2:1:1 - Has doubled in 24 hours.
Water Sponge 1:1:1 - Has increased about 15% in 24 hours.
Will refresh both tonight again. Should I change the water sponge to 2:1:1 to increase activity?