A weird thing happened with my sourdough starter last month

I mean, I've kept the same one alive for 3 years, but last month it just stopped doubling in size no matter what I fed it. I finally figured out my kitchen was way too cold after I got a new AC unit. Anyone else have their starter get moody from a temperature change?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_butler2mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh my god, yes! My starter totally freaked out when I moved last winter. The new place had these old drafty windows and I could not figure out why my bread was so dense. It took me like two weeks of sad, flat loaves before I put the jar next to a heater for a day as a test. It perked right up. It's wild how sensitive they are to that stuff. I keep mine in the microwave with the door cracked now for a little extra warmth.

jennifer5162mo ago

Honestly that seems like a lot of extra work. A healthy starter should be fine at room temp, even if it's a bit cool. Maybe the flour or feeding schedule was off instead of blaming the temperature.

lily_stone763d ago

should be fine at room temp" - tell that to my starter when I moved into a basement apartment lol. Room temp can mean totally different things depending on the house, like 60F vs 72F makes a huge difference in activity. I used to think it was all about feeding ratios too until I stuck a thermometer next to my jar and realized it was way colder than I thought.

-1