Rye to wheat starter suddenly inactive
Mixed together a rye starter (water + rye) four days ago. It doubled on the second day and was still robust when I fed it. Third day, I replaced rye with whole wheat. Per recipe, I'm mixing half my starter (40 grams) plus 100 grams whole wheat and 125 grams water. Today my starter has little activity (i.e not doubled) and I did notice that the water I have been using (reverse osmosis) was a bit cold. Just fyi, I keep the starter out on the kitchen table covered with a thin towel.
Questions: Can cold water make for a sluggish starter? I have not been taking the temperature of the water...
Was it wrong to feed the starter while it was robust? Should I have waited until it collapsed? How do I know it's time to feed? Novice here...
Would it help to add more rye?
Any tips?
Thanks!
That may not have been yeast that made your starter double on the second day. It sounds like you're talking about a new starter, is that right? Other bacteria sometimes get active in the first few days, then naturally die off as the more desireable bacteria start to ramp up. Keep up the feeding, etc. and try to keep it a little on the warm side- luke warm water rather than cold.
If you search for "Pineapple Juice Solution", you find a wealth of information on this issue!
Hi there! Yes, it is a new starter. Now on fifth day. Had no idea something other than "good" bacteria could make the starter swell like that. I'm feeding the starter every morning. It was my understanding that I should stay on a set feeding schedule (i.e. same time every day.) Should I maintain that or are there things I should be looking for before I feed? Will try not to use cold water again...thanks!
Did you just begin the starter 4 days ago or was this mixed from a previous starter? A 4 day old starter is no where near ready to bake with nor is it really quite a starter....yet.
Any starter can stumble when the flour is change, in this case from rye to wheat. If you have a viable working starter that you want to change flour wise, I would begin by substituting a small portion of wheat for the rye and increase that substitution with each feeding. Reverse osmosis water is suspect with regards to its quality in bread making as it has been stripped of all minerals. I would use something different. Another note, reverse osmosis water can strip the minerals out of you too.
There is a wealth of information on this site regarding starters, use the search function and look particularly at the work of Debra Wink.
Happy Baking,
Jeff
Hi there,
I just began the starter 4 days ago. I used a formula from the French Culinary Institute's "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking." I had tried a 50/50 all white and wheat starter last year but had little luck and abandoned it. I know my starter has quite a while to go (would you call it a culture?)...I was just a little stumped as to why it would double immediately and now have little activity.
I've switched to plain bottled water...hesitant to use tap but perhaps I should give it a try. What do you use/recommend?
Will do the search you suggested.
Thanks!
Yes, switch back to rye and keep going.
I use the rye starter for Vollkornbrot, light rye with caraway, another bread that is a mix of various wheats, rye and spelt...these are the obvious breads that one would expect a rye starter. I also use the rye starter in a variety of breads that are mostly white flour. These begin with a small portion of the rye starter and by the time the final dough is mixed, the percentage of rye is very small. Rye flour is often refered to as "rocket fuel" relative to the wild yeast process. You can use rye starter for almost any bread with the rare exception of a bread that by definition has only white flour. I would suggest that you maintain the starter with rye indefinitely and use it as your starter. You will be pleasantly surprised at the wonderful flavor it imparts in almost any bread, as well as its enthusiastic properties of fermentation.
Jeff