This is a copy of a post I added to my Facebook page that I am copying here because I want it logged on my website too…
This autumn and into winter, I have seen a real trend for overheating starters, and consequently many poor starters are over fermenting, and getting thin and hungry as a result from being too warm for too long.
The fact is: A thin starter is a weak starter and will not lift a dough. And by putting starters in so much warmth for so long that’s what will happen.
So please pass this onto anyone you think it might help:
First and fore mostly, please tell anyone that you see doing do so, to stop putting their starters in warm places, places like ovens with pilot lights on/the top of the fridge/the airing cupboard/near the stove/by your Aga/or by wood burners, for hours on end, and days and nights at a time. It’s much too warm for much too long. The starter will ferment like mad and get thin and weak as a result.
I understand that people worry when it gets cold, but I’ve just made 14 brand new starters in my kitchen over the last week, including the one above, and they all just sat on my kitchen counter, at whatever the temperatures happened to be, which happened to be between 13C – 19C that week, and did their thing very happily. I didn’t put them anywhere special, or anywhere warm, just on my kitchen counter.
The fact is: They really do not need to be coddled so much.
A little bit of warmth is fine, but mostly your kitchen counter, or some part of your kitchen, is ideal. You don’t need special gadgets or anything else just your kitchen counter.
I understand that people worry about starters, especially new ones, but they really are far more resilient than people think, just give them a chance to do their thing…yes, some need tweaks along the way, but they don’t need to be cooked.
These are the facts:
If your starter is growing quickly, getting almost frothy, it’s too warm.
If it’s got a layer of dark liquid on the top, it’s too warm.
If it’s got a flat surface with teeny tiny bubbles it’s become thin from being too warm.
If it smells very strongly of acetone, or just very strongly at all, it’s too warm.
These scenarios can all be fixed by feeding your starter less water than flour, making it nice and thick again, then continuing on with the process, on the counter.
Follow the process, follow my tips, and it will be fab!
I really appreciate all the wonderful information you provide. You make it so simple !! Thanks again B USA
Thank you so much 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hi Elaine, I’ve done your starter boost techniques and it’s in a 21 degree spot. It has some bubbles but doesn’t look like yours and doesn’t seem to grow much if at all after feeding, am I missing something? FYI this is a 3 week old starter.
Hi, this video will help, it answers your questions: https://youtu.be/Oq2WruN-ZY4?si=LKWGTCiKx5eps0fH
My starter is only about 12 hours old and is already forming a lot of tiny bubbles on the surface and is becoming thin. I made it yesterday at 11pm and fed it this morning after abt. 12 hours, because it became a little runny and had a layer of liquid on top. I kept it on a shelf above our radiator for a little over 2 hours and then put it away because i worried it might be too warm, but it’s still forming bubbles. It seems too early for her to be active, did i do something wrong, is she still too warm, do i need to feed her again, if she becomes more runny, or is that normal? Help, i’m a complete beginner, this is my very fist starter
Hopefully you’ve seen my reply on YouTube 🙏🏻
We have a wood stove for heat and my starter is 3 days old and already rising and falling so I know it’s over heated. What can I do for it? It’s hard to regulate the temperature with a wood stove and our living room and kitchen are right next to each other in an open space.
Move it as far away from the heat as possible, and make sure it doesn’t get too thin.