January 30, 2008 - 7:54pm
Aargh! I overheated my starter
All summer long, when I fed my starter I set it up in the windowsill. That was just fine until the sun got lower on the horizon. A month or so ago, I fed it in the evening & forgot to keep it away from the window. It was quite warm when I found it the next afternoon. It's been through several feedings, some white and some whole wheat. While it rises fairly well it still smells like acetone. I think it's time to toss this one and start another at a later date.
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KipperCat,
That acetone smell is not unusual for a starter that is just very ripe and needs to be fed. I bet it might bounce back, unless it reached temperatures above 90F for a long time and really was killed off completely. It might help to give it a high ratio feeding with a firm consistency. It's worth a try anyway. It should quit giving you any acetone smell if it's really just dead.
On the other hand, if you want to try my off-the-wall accidental starter method, I'll be very curious to know what happens if you give it a try.
Bill