October 13, 2023 - 3:22pm
Changing of the weather, changing starter formula?
Title says it all. Do you guys change your starter in any way to accommodate the weather, or do you keep it controlled all year round?
ever since it got cold-ish (in the south), my starter is slower and way more vinegary at its peak.
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I live in the US, in an air conditioned and heated home. I do let it be a little warmer during the summer but it's not much different, only maybe 4 deg F. So I don't do anything different for the seasons.
I used to live in the US Southwest (New Mexico) at some altitude in a non-airconditioned adobe house. Fortunately the kitchen rarely got too hot in summer (perhaps as high as 85 deg F at worst). I didn't do anything different there, either. I do expect the fermentation to be faster at higher temperatures and to plan for that, but otherwise I didn't really notice much if any difference.
Note that I keep my starter in the refrigerator except when it's being refreshed.
TomP
Hi,
Jeffrey Hamelman posted here about his maintenance regimen. He describes some minor changes to his stiff rye sourdough culture by the seasons. I follow his advice with great success.
Starter maintenance | The Fresh Loaf
Cheers,
Gavin