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Why does it stop rising? Is my starter bad?

MattR's picture
MattR

Why does it stop rising? Is my starter bad?

My dough seems to stop rising and the result is a rather dense crumb. I've been using the same recipe for quite some time and the last two times it just doesn't rise that much. The starter does fine. I feed it the night before and it does great. I'm using the same amount of salt. Whereas the dough used to do not much for a few hours and then start going these past two times they seemed to start fast and then stop rising. Rather than doubling and then doubling again I get maybe 50% and not much more.

I mix the flours, salt, and water in the evening, and mix in the starter the following morning. The last time I did it I put in the fridge until 10pm, and let it sit out over night (like I saw at the bredworx site). The time before I left it out for two hours and then put it in the fridge until the following morning. After it warmed up I then put in the starter. Both times I take out about 2 tsps of dough after the starter is well mixed in and put it in a graduated shot glass. The sample dough used to do nothing at first and then grow to 7tsps by the following morning. These past two times it gets to about 3 or 4 tsps before it's done.

Is my starter bad?

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Well, your starter may be "bad," but there are a couple possibilities that are more likely.

Has the weather changed? Specifically, is the temperature of the room in which your dough is fermenting a lot cooler than it has been? If so, you want the dough warmer. Use warmer water to mix it. Ferment in a warmer place. Etc. In Winter, I use a Brød & Taylor proofing box. (No affiliation, etc.) (Or you could just give the dough more time to rise.)

Have you changed the water you use? If you have switched to bottled water, particularly distilled water, it may not have the minerals the micro-organisms need for healthy growth.

Can I assume you are weighing your ingredients, including your salt? If not, your mixes may not, in fact, really be the same.

If neither of the above has occurred, you may need to re-invigorate your starter by feeding it 2 or 3 times at 12 hour intervals. If you can, let it ripen at a warm temperature (76-85ºF) to encourage the growth of the species of yeast and LAB's you want to dominate. I recommend a feeding of 1:2:2 (starter:flour:water) by weight, and I would definitely include some whole grain flour in the feeding - rye works well.

Good luck!

David

MattR's picture
MattR

I have been proofing it in my oven, with a thermometer. The temps were always 71-78. I control it by turning the light on and off. I do weigh everything and am usually within a gram. Water is the same.

Have not added whole grain or rye when feeding. Have also been doing 1:1:1 (and maybe a bit less). Usually I feed it over night and the temp in my house, at night, has recently been reduced to 61 from 63.

Hmmm. I have something to try.

Thank you.