Vent: Spent 4 hours on a sourdough starter and it never bubbled

I started a new sourdough starter last Tuesday in my Brooklyn kitchen. Fed it twice a day with organic rye flour and filtered water, kept it at 78 degrees in the oven with the light on. After 8 days it still looked like wet paste with zero bubbles or rise. Threw the whole jar in the trash this morning. Anyone else ever have a dud starter that just refused to take off?

2 comments

2 Comments

henry60419d ago

Did you try putting the jar on top of your fridge instead of the oven? I used to think the oven with the light on was the gold standard for warmth, but I killed two starters that way before I realized the light bulb alone can push it way past 80 degrees and cook the yeast. One guy on a baking forum told me to just leave it on the counter by the stove and let the ambient kitchen temp do its thing, and suddenly my third starter took off like crazy after five days.

kim.xena19d ago

Oh @henry604, I've definitely been there - killed my first two starters faster than I kill houseplants.