Hi,
i had very little activity with my starter for the first 6-7 days. There was just some bubbles on the top of the starter. Starter was on kitchen counter temperatue range between 68-78 degrees depending on time of day. On the 8th day I put the starter in my unlit oven with the light on. Today is the 9th day I awoke and found my starter had overflowed the quart maso jar. The oven smelled yeasty and the starter was really foamy. When I stirred it down it was more liquidy than dough like. Is that ok or did I mess it up?
I used the King Arthur starter recipe using white whole wheat flour 113 g and 113 g water initially and fed with 113-113-113 starter, white flour and water.
The starter will now want to eat more flour so I suggest saving just 20g to 30g to feed and double the water and flour amounts feeding before the room temps go up. You can always make more by just saving more starter and feeding more flour and water. Always give it about 5x head space and a bowl underneath isnt a bad idea until you know it well. Might also see if you can feed twice a day. Feed when the starter peaks. The starter will ferment more slowly when cooler so watch the starter not the clock.
If the starter just went over, use some of it for a bread recipe. It is normal for the starter to get thinner as it ferments. Lights on in the oven can get too hot for the starter. Ovens vary and so do light bulbs. Try not to use the oven if you dont have to. I've read too many sad stories about starters that overheated. If you have cool nights skip feeding the starter or reduce the amount of food when feeding at night. Then increase the feeding before temps rise.
Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it and will try your suggestions. Thanks again.
Agree with MO about the starter and the oven but sometimes the oven with the light on has a place. I've found that with my oven light on it gets right to 91 *F. This is good to know for using it as a proofing box. It gives you a controllable set point for your proofing times. So, if you've got a thermometer you might want to see what your oven gets to if you decide to go the route of using it as a proofing box.
Also, many posts in here about proofing boxes!
Good luck and let us know!
With the light on the oven got to 86F...I do plan on using the oven to proof my dough when the time comes.
Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it.
Your welcome!
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