With the changing of the seasons, and with my purchase of a Brod & Taylor Proofer, I am thinking about what the ideal temperature is to maintain and refresh a starter (out of the fridge, and frequently used). I've gathered a number of different sources for what is considered ideal, and the range is so great that I feel frustrated! Here is a sample of what information I have gathered:
King Arthur - first reference - 74-78 F
King Arthur - second reference - 70 F
SFBI - 77 F
Local Baker who I admire - 65 - 70 F
A post on The Fresh Loaf - 72 - 80 F
Tartine book 65 - 75 F
Even if I take out the outlier temperatures, that is still a range from 70 - 78. That's a pretty big range, in my opinion. And then again, there is the ubiquitous "room temperature."
Of course there are other factors, but I am really trying to hone in on a target temperature.
Anyone have thoughts on the matter?
As the starter is used regularly, use whatever temp that'll get the level of fermentation required by the time it's needed again. Enjoy!
My routine for years has been 1:1:1 @ 80F for 4hr. It will fully mature in that time and is so consistent you can set your watch by it. 1:2:2 will mature in about the same time also. At maturity my starter will triple or more in height.
If the starter is cold from refrigeration, 105F water is used and the starter still matures in 4hr. Keep in mind that my starter is fed at least every 7 days.
I think you need to consider how many times per day you want to be feeding your starter if you plan to keep it out of the fridge and in your proofing box or on the bench. If it is twice a day then you’ll probably need to do pretty big feeds and keep it on the cooler end of the range. If you want to feed it more than that then a higher temperature would work.
So the take away, for me, is that there isn't an exact temperature, there is a range. The temperature correlates with the starter/water/flour ratio and the approximate amount of time you want the starter to mature. Sigh. I'm slowly figuring this all out.
Thanks for the responses!
How regular is the schedule - ie - how name days between baking? His much do ya need for the bake? Almost forgot - what's the feed ratio?
I bake at least once a week, sometimes more. I'd say my starter is in the fridge 3 days out of 7.
I have been playing around with my feed ratio lately. For the longest time I was always 1:1:1. I like to feed twice a day but it doesn't always work out to be every 12 hours. I finally realized that it was maturing too quickly, so I have been doing 70g starter to 100g water, 100g flour. Sometimes I'll go down to 50g starter, 100/100. I've been switching it up a bit and keeping a log to try and better understand the patterns and relationships.
Related to that, perhaps, is that I have been struggling to get the same oven spring that I used to get. It used to be that every single loaf popped a beautiful ear. Now... not so much. There is always some spring, but not the ear that I used to get every single time. It's been frustrating, honestly. I am also altering my hydration to see if that is the problem; perhaps it is. Sigh...
How much is needed? Ears - not really concerned with. Questions were meant give a feed plan to get the amount needed in the time required, with the least effort - at the temps you've been using (i forget that was the initial question). Enjoy!