New sluggish starter (not a newbie)
I am new to creating a sourdough starter, although not very new to sourdough baking. Recently, I accidentally allowed my starter to die of neglect. I had some dehydrated starter set aside, and I rehydrated that, but it is not behaving at all like a rehydrated starter, but like one that is starting from scratch. I am thinking I must have done something wrong when I dried it.
I have been feeding my starter with 50% rye and 50% KA all-purpose flour at a 1:1:1 ratio twice a day and am on day 8. On day 3, the starter began to bubble, and by day 4, it was doubling in height after 12 hours. It looks like a starter and smells like a starter, but in the past 4 days, it has not gotten any more active. I fed my starter 9 hours ago and it has not quite doubled yet. I have a proofer, and initially had the temp at around 85 but have been decreasing the temp over the days because I read that higher temps favor bacteria over yeast; as of today it's at 72 degrees.
I haven't been able to find any information online as to whether stalling at this stage is normal behavior for a new starter, and have found massively conflicting advice about what to do to help it along. If anyone has any wisdom for me, please share!
I’d keep doing a1:1:1 starter and use the discard to make a second starter and use 2:1:1 for that starter. I’ve done that before with starter that had been in the fridge for several months. Then choose the starter that is healthiest.
I had been toying with feeding less. Did you find that worked well? I have read both that too much feeding will dilute the yeast and that too little feeding will make the environment so acidic that it will discourage the yeast from growing.
'I have read both that too much feeding will dilute the yeast and that too little feeding will make the environment so acidic that it will discourage the yeast from growing'.
Depends on what the issue is in the first place and what stage your starter is at.
I agree with 3 Olives. Once you have split your starter carry on with what you're doing now and with new starter feed it 2:1:1 every 12 hours.
Once you've got a stable strong starter going then increase the feeds.
Dried, frozen, and neglected starters are goug to have less microorganisms than healthy starters. I found that 2:1:1 feedings until the starter strengthens works well.
But... I have been doing some experimenting. I tried the 2:1:1 ratio and it didn't help. At some point, it occurred to me that although the sourdough wasn't rising impressively and wasn't falling at all and was taking a good 12 hours to double(if that), it was pretty loose in consistency by the end of 12 hours, and maybe it stopped rising because the gluten was all broken down, and it was out of food. I tried increasing the feeding ratio, first to 1:2:2 then 1:3:3. It still doubled in 12 hours, but was less liquid and sometimes was still domed by the end of that time. Yesterday I went back to a 1:1:1 ratio just out of curiosity and over 12 hours it did not quite double. Today it has more than doubled in 8 hours with a 1:3:3 feed (actually I decreased the water a little bit as well). So I think I'm on the right track, probably just taking forever to establish, and I think I was underfeeding it once the yeast started to grow. I am used to a starter fed 1:1:1 tripling in 4-6 hours, so this has been a real trial of patience! Still don't think it's ready to bake but hopefully will make more progress soon.
Probably did help that's why after switching to higher feeds, like suggested, after a while it got stronger. What you described sounds quite normal.
So that isn't a factor.
Thought you were talking about the same starter. Should have stuck with it. No harm in keeping two starters side by side using two techniques. Smaller feeds such as 2:1:1, at 12 hourly intervals would have helped especially if it was overfed at first. The pH will lower and will be a good environment to support the yeasts and bacteria. Then increasing the feeds will further strengthen it. Not much to do now but carry on with the starter you have kept going.
But I got impatient, so instead, I chucked it and started a second brand-new starter from scratch using the pineapple juice method. So I do have two starters going currently, one of which is a week old and doubling over a 12-hour period but not falling, and the original is about 17 days in, and I'm waiting to see which one is ready to bake with first. And I think the second one's behavior is fairly similar to the first (definitely didn't overfeed it), but I was expecting the first one to take off sooner, since I had made it from dehydrated starter. I think I must not have dehydrated it at peak activity.