hi,

i tried to recreate the sourdough breads i baked at my trip to KA and in doing so, i learned that my proofing times were way off. i created the levain using my culture and had it rest for 12 hrs @ 70 degrees. after i added the levain to the dough, i stored it at 70 degrees for 24hrs. no action took place. i then upped the temperature box to 86 degrees and waited many hours before the dough to rise 2x its size. in the book, i read that the first rise is around 3 hours. since the sourdough took many times that, is that an indicator that my starter is weak?

during class, i learned that the starter they use is kept at room temperature all day and recieves daily feedings. my starter is stored in the refridgerator where it is sub 30 degrees i think. i also feed the starter about once a week.

speaking of which, during long starter storage, alcohol builds up at the top layer. does this have any indication that a feeding should take place?

thanks