Cooler Kitchen Temp w/ Starter (Inactive Starter)
Hello!
I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestion for a starter in a cooler temperature kitchen? Our kitchen stays at about lower-mid 60's and with winter coming in the northeast, it's not going to warm up anytime soon.
My young starter has been very slow in regards to activity. It has some activity one day, and then it will go flat for about a week. Before, I had the issue of overfeeding it everyday, thus not allowing the natural bacteria to form. Now, I am trying to keep the starter (and not dumping and starting over!) and just wait till there is activity before feeding again. As mentioned, it's been verrrry slow. I'm not sure why that is, and I'm wondering if it is my cooler kitchen? I've heard of using warmer water during feedings or a warm towl wrapped around it (which I haven't tried yet.) I've also added a little pineapple juice in there.
Any suggestions would help to speed my little starter up to get baking! I'm really trying not to discard this one and start again, so send some words of wise wisdom my way!
Getting your little buddy into a nice warm sweater would be ideal, but starters are notoriously fussy about being dressed. So warming them up in the winter proves to be something of a challenge.
Using warm water will help to give a good boost at the outset to a languishing starter. If the starter is downright cold, you can add HOT water to it without too many negative side effects (the temperature of the flour with help to regulate). At the bakery where I was working, we would add BURNING hot (not boiling, but probably between 130-150 degrees F) water to the starter and then the flour (equal parts starter, flour, water or 1:1:1) and then put the levain-bucket on top of the oven for two hours before storing it in the fridge. And that thing was more lively than Ben Franklin at a French cocktail party. So I'd recommend that you give your starter a nice warm bath, a little bit of whole grain flour (rye is great), and set him on a radiator (protected by a towel) or on the fridge motor, a small warm spot in the house.
And it's -2 in the mornings at the moment. Not a good time for starters. I've been thinking about ways to keep it warm and just yesterday I was thinking about a Yoghurt Maker. I've always wanted a proofer which regulates the temperature for your starter and dough but they can be expensive. However, wouldn't a relatively cheap yoghurt maker be ideal for a starter? It's kinda like a proofer but smaller.
The coils behind your refrigerator are warm and a natural updraft occurs with the warm air rising. Put the starter jar on top of the refrig towards the back, if you can reach that, or even in the cupboard above the refrig.
I don't recommend the oven-I have had a few starters cooked (unintentionally) by myself and others. Also, one oven I had vented out the top and it became VERY hot-killed the culture.
A little inconvenient but the best place I have found lately is in the microwave with the door slightly open so the light bulb is on. Perfect temp.
Some people have a hot water heater in a closet near the kitchen. On top of that works nicely.
I bought a gooseneck lamp,once, to use on my kitchen counter to warm dough. Worked great in the corner of my counter. It provided a little microclimate.
The whole house doesn't need to be warm. Just the culture does. You can find a bit of a warm spot without too much trouble. I lived in the upper Midwest so I understand cold kitchens. Those wee beasties need to be warm!
or you can do what I am doing now :) I have the same problem, not as cold yet in Chicago, but getting there...
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/31997/simple-baker-trick-proofing-box
using this - https://www.amazon.com/WILLHI-WH1436A-110V-Temperature-Controller/dp/B00V4TJR00
you can actually find it on eBay for around $18
I'm collecting needed parts now, should start boosting my starter tomorrow :)
Hi,
new here myself, and not experienced, so my words should be taken with salt... But I'm using a cheap submersible fish tank heater placed in a water bath in a small cooler. The starter is in a quart wide mouth ball jar, lid on loose, placed right in the bath. Temp regulated quite accurately by the heater itself. Only problem is the starter sometimes oozes our into the water bath creating a bit of a mess. Variations on this system can be made with 2 large Tupperware boxes so a larger (and dry chamber if desired) is created, similar to the light bulb method.
Try a foam ice chest and a jar of melted coconut oil in it. It'll keep it at 74°f for a long time, until it congeals completely. The oil has a sharp melting point and a high fusion heat.
I have one of these. Some Fresh Loaf folks helped test the beta product (I wish I was one!). Excellent product and I really like it for use in cooler weather. Also holds yogurt for culturing. Anything that requires a steady temp. And it really does fold up for storage.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/bread-proofing-box
and only worry about building levains from it in the winter when the kitchen get down to 64 F here in AZ. Yeast does best at 84 F and LAB at 92 F but they both do well enough at 76 F - 78 F. I just get out the heating pad set on low and put the levain on it and cover with a bath towel. If it gets too hot I put a layer of towel under the levain and on top of the pad. If it gets too cold I up the temperature of the pad. Works great and I don't have to do it all the time just once a week when I make bread.