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Appreciation post: That one week last winter where my sourdough starter finally worked
I spent like 6 months feeding this jar of glop and getting nothing but flat bricks... then last January it suddenly doubled in size overnight during a cold snap. My kitchen was 58 degrees and I figured it would die, but instead I got these perfect airy loaves with actual oven spring. My neighbor said it was probably just the flour brand I switched to, but I think the temp change did something weird to the yeast colony. Has anyone else had a starter randomly kick into gear during weird weather conditions?
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bailey.jennifer3d ago
My friend down the street had the exact same thing happen with her starter. She kept it in this drafty old mudroom all winter, and it never did much of anything until a big snowstorm hit and the power flickered for a night. The house dropped to maybe 55 degrees, and she figured the whole batch was ruined, so she almost threw it out. Instead, she woke up to the lid literally bulging, and her next loaf had the best crumb she'd ever gotten. She still swears it was the cold that shocked it into action, same as your story.
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henry_ross5d ago
Hell yeah, that cold snap theory makes total sense. Same thing happened to my starter after weeks of 70 degree flatness. The lower temp probably slowed down the lactobacillus so the yeast could actually take over and do its thing.
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