The day my sourdough starter decided to go on vacation...

Last Thursday, I went to feed my starter, 'Bubbles', like I do every morning at 7... and it was just flat. No rise, no bubbles, nothing. It had been doubling on schedule for months. I panicked, thinking I'd killed it. I tried a few feeds, but it stayed sluggish for a full 48 hours. Turns out, my kitchen had gotten a lot colder after I fixed a drafty window, and the temp drop from my usual 72 degrees to about 65 just put it to sleep. I moved the jar to the top of my fridge, which is a bit warmer, and by the next day it was back to its old self, ready for my weekend bake. Has anyone else had a starter just decide to take a nap because of a small temp change?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomasm156mo ago

Read an article last year about how wild yeast is surprisingly sensitive. They mentioned a baker whose starter slowed right down after she started using her air conditioner more in the summer. The constant cool draft from a vent on the counter did it. My own starter, Fergus, once got lazy when I left the kitchen window open on a cool fall night. It just needed a warm spot and an extra feeding to wake back up. Temperature is a bigger deal than we sometimes give it credit for.

uma4096mo ago

That reminds me of my friend's kombucha scoby. It got weird and thin after a cold snap, and she thought it was a goner. Just moving it to the top of the fridge where the heat rises fixed it right up. These little living things really do have their own weather report.

sean_johnson166mo ago

Yeah, that "surprisingly sensitive" thing Thomas mentioned is so true. My starter, Doughboy, completely stalled last winter when my heat broke and the kitchen dropped to like 60 degrees. I was convinced it was dead. Wrapped the jar in a towel and put it in the oven with the light on for a day, and it came back just fine. It's crazy how such a small change can make it look like it quit its job.