May 19, 2015 - 2:39am
Starter not rising as high as before
Good morning, everyone :-) I've had a starter I've been maintaining with once a day feedings. I hold back 4 oz and feed with 4 oz of water and 4 oz of flour. It is about 2 months old and have been rising (sometimes tripling) and falling quite predictably. However, this morning, I noticed that it barely rose double its height and has fallen. What's wrong with it?
Share
1:2:2 or 1:3:3 [now i'm going to take 1 oz as 30g for whole numbers]
Hold back 18g and feed it 36g water + 36g flour
OR
Hold back 12g and feed it 39g water + 39g flour
See how that fares. And can I ask if you bake everyday?
that perhaps the starter is overcrowded/not enough food?
I don't bake everyday; maybe 3–4 times a week. I don't hold back a portion of my levain to use as a starter. For example, I have 8 oz of starter. My levain calls for 2 oz so I use 2 oz for that. Then I throw away 2 oz, leaving 4 oz and feed that with equal parts water and flour.
Should I use my leftover levain as starter instead?
As I said the rye starter was extra lively today so I just used that for my levain, took off what I needed and put the rest back in the fridge. Next time I need to bake I'll just wake it up the day before and give it at least two feedings.
I hate wasting good starter...don't like to toss it.
but only use 2 oz and throwing away the rest.
You can do one of two things. Both will involve keeping your starter in the fridge and feeding only to top it up. And both ways involve no discard. Both are just "ideas".
1. take off 2 oz each time you bake and use straight in your recipe (bearing in mind it'll take a bit longer to rise as not recently fed) and when your starter in the fridge runs low take it out and feed it. Wait till it is active and bubbled up by about 2/3rds and then return to the fridge and the whole process starts again. I imagine you'll be feeding it once a week with the amount you bake so never too far from a feed.
2. take a little off each time and do builds. So each preferment is a fresh build which goes into your recipe. You'll be taking off a bit less than the 1st example and I imagine it will be every 2 weeks before you need to feed your start in the fridge.
Both ways will make sure you aren't slave to your starter and involve no discard. Each time your mother starter is fed it gets a jolly good feed keeping it nice and healthy. Plus these kind of feeds encourage a more flavoursome starter.
My schedule...
At any one time i'll keep around 90-150g in the fridge.
Night before I plan on baking i'll take some off and do a build or two.
When the starter in the fridge runs low (no less than 1 tablespoon) i'll give it a good feed of equal amounts of flour + water by weight. Keep it out for a few hours so it's active then i'll return it to the fridge.
No discard. I bake only once a week so its a 2 or 3 weeks between feeds. It's whole rye so keeps very well and smell just keeps on improving. These bigger feeds and cold fermentation encourage great flavour.
My experience has been when they are colder they rise really slow. I like to put my starters (and everything else that rises) in the microwave that has been warmed with a boiled cup of water to create a steamy, warm environment. Makes them really take off.
The only other thing I can say is patience.
This is my rye starter after an hour this morning. Started at the blue line.
can slow down a starter (like a rye starter) so that it falls (degrading gluten structure) before it has built up enough yeast or fermented enough. (which can lead to overfeeding... cure> wait for the starter to smell and taste fermented before using) What kind of flour are you feeding your starter? And very important is the temperature or various temperatures. Feed before the heat of the day. As temps rise so will the need to feed the starter more or reduce the initial starter amount when feeding. Be sensitive to these seasonal changes. A little warmth can go a long way in getting the yeast numbers back up if that is the problem.
Warmth like WendySue's rye starter can help the matrix stretch. Rye stiffens more as temps drop. Use other indications of good yeast numbers like how it reacts in bread dough and the aromas coming off the starter.
from last week's sudden heat wave. I'm using white flour. The starter was begun with whole wheat -- and I gradually weaned it off. And I do feed before leaving for work, usually around 5:30 am. And then I put him in the basement where it is cooler. I am afraid of leaving him on the counter because I don't know how hot it could get. Am I too paranoid?
The aroma is sweet, milky and yeasty. Not very strong.
So, dumb question but... when the starter is falling, it means that the yeast numbers are down, correct?
Thank you for your suggestion, Abe. I think I will try that too, along with keeping my original going. It's a lot of flour but I like the experimentation. I'd like to understand/hone in on the process a little more and then abandon what isn't sustainable.
Believe it or not, I haven't had any luck finding rye flour in my supermarket.
Thank you for all your responses! :-)
Different temperatures and different flours. When the starter begins to fall it doesn't necessarily mean that yeasts are down. Your starter will continue to bubble for a while. It does mean that the starter can't hold the gas because of the high hydration. I think your starter is more of a yeast one. One that is fed at a higher ratio of 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 and kept at a colder temperature will be more bacterial. I think this is how it goes.
Don't discard the starter. Makes wonderful pancakes.