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Help please! Weak starter needs a boost! Time sensitive!

eagleswings's picture
eagleswings

Help please! Weak starter needs a boost! Time sensitive!

I caught wild yeast and started my own starter over 2 years ago using the recipe on this site. I've been so pleased! When not making bread, I normally feed it every 2 wks, always keeping it in fridge except for the time I allow it to rise overnight after the feedings. Also, when I feed it in my off-season of making bread, I usually just feed it .5 c. water and flour. However, lately I've been very busy and have neglected it. :( It's actually been about 4-6 weeks since I've fed it (though it has remained in the fridge). Last night, I remembered and fed it 1 c. of water and 1 c. of flour, mixing this with 1/4 c. of the starter mixture and discarding the rest as always. It's been almost 24 hours since the feeding, and I've left it out ont he counter, and it has not risen or doesn't have the spngy, airy, fluffy texture. It does, however still smell fermenty and has a few small bubbles throughout. What can I do to raise it from the dead, if anything? I know yeast can be quite resilient. I do believe it is still at least somewhat alive. How can I give it a boost and make it healthy again? I'm desperate, as I've grown to love my little 2.5 year old starter and really want to save it. Thanks so much for any advice you may be able to offer!

Yumarama's picture
Yumarama

Of the flour variety, that is. That usually helps perk up sluggish starters. Use 20% to 30% rye in your normal flour feeding.

Also, you may want to cut back on the water ratio. Using a VOLUME measure of equal flour to water means your starter is rather high hydration. That in turn means there's less "body" to hold onto any bubbles that show up and rising will not be as effective. Assuming a cup of flour (127g) and a cup of water (237g) your starter is at ~186% hydration. But that's just a guess as there's no real way to tell, without weighing the specific cup of flour you added last night, to know how much flour there actually was in it. So you might want to cut back to 3/4c of water which is 177g, not exactly 127g of course but at least it's going to be less soupy and better able to show growth.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

rainboz suggestion of adding a small amount of rye may help get things moving.

However the two things that will affect starter activity are temperature and hydration. I suggest you find a place above the refrigerator or some 78F or 80F temperature place to provide a warm environment for the culture. As for feeding, a higher hydration such as you have been using will encourage growth of the bacteria and yeasts in the starter. As rainboz stated a slightly more firm mixture will make it more obvious that the starter is reproducing cells and creating gas.

It shouldn't take more than 2 feeding at 12 hours to get your culture back, providing you get it warmer as stated above.

For the next time you decide to put it in the cooler for more than a few days, I suggest you feed it at 60% hydration (Firm) and refrigerate right after feeding. That would be about 1/4 Cup of water and 3/4 cup of flour roughly. That will keep for a couple weeks easily. When you want to bake, remove a Tablespoon and build the starter you need for the recipe.

Eric

eagleswings's picture
eagleswings

Thank you both. I have unknowingly ran out of rye and will have to order some mroe. :( However, I just fed it again. I took 1/4 c. of the "sleeping" starter and mixed with 3/4 c. water and 1 c. of hard white wheat, freshly ground, and placed on top of fridge. I grabbed some old-milled flour from the fridge last night and now believe it may have been soft white which may explain the no rising in a first in 6 wks feeding. Hopefully the higher gluten in the hard wheat, though still not rye, will help. Do you think this will help? I may place the jar near the vent (where the heat come through) upon going to bed. Praying...

eagleswings's picture
eagleswings

This morning, the starter had more bubbles all through it, from bottom to top but still did not appear to have risen at the top in it's normal spongey, airy way. I can see improvement though! I put it in the fridge and may feed again tomorrow to help build it back up. What do you all think?

Thanks again!

just.baked's picture
just.baked

add rye or whole wheat and orange juice instead of water, leave it out around 75 degrees and you'll have something that looks like it's from a science fiction movie in no time.